RFK Jr has long been critical of SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), a widely used type of antidepressant that includes Prozac, Zoloft, and Lexapro.
In Jan. 2025, he singled them out as potentially worse than heroin (I guess he would know), saying he witnessed a family member come off them who was left “suicidal, literally every day.”
Since taking office as Secretary of Health, he’s repeatedly criticized their use, saying earlier this week that, “Psychiatric medications have a role in care, but we will no longer treat them as the default”, having previously theorized that SSRIs may be linked to a rise in gun violence:
Any conversation about gun violence is incomplete if it doesn’t touch on mental health and the suppressed evidence implicating SSRIs in suicide and homicide. https://t.co/yaPVL8TLU3
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) January 3, 2024
“Any conversation about gun violence is incomplete if it doesn’t touch on mental health and the suppressed evidence implicating SSRIs in suicide and homicide.”
Now, as per a report in Reuters, two US health department insiders have reported that RFK Jr has “explored” banning SSRIs altogether. If this happened, it would mean that all ongoing prescriptions for Prozac, Zoloft, and Lexapro would be ended, and the supply of the medication would be made illegal.
New reporting reveals RFK Jr. is exploring banning certain SSRIs, potentially barring drugs like Zoloft, Prozac and Lexapro.
— FactPost (@factpostnews) May 8, 2026
Decades of research shows SSRIs are safe and effective. pic.twitter.com/X3tTGWDuUf
It’s worth underlining that RFK Jr’s team is only apparently considering a ban, but it would fit in with their longtime plans to greatly reduce all usage of SSRIs, with their plan including “reimbursement guidelines for physicians who help patients come off the medications”, to help incentivize doctors to cancel patients’ prescriptions.
Kennedy’s health agency spokesman Andrew Nixon is in full denial mode, insisting that the insiders are lying and that officials have “not had any discussions about banning SSRIs, and any claims suggesting otherwise are false.”
“People will die if this happens”
Those who rely on these medications are, understandably, horrified at the prospect of having them snatched away:
Same here. I went off cold turkey once because of an insurance switch when I finished grad school—and I kinda lost it and almost offed myself.
— PipeDream (@Juris_Sequoia) May 8, 2026
People will die if this happens. Not to mention mental breakdowns all over the place
This is so sad if true. Prozac was literally what kept me alive in 2022. I cant imagine not having access to something this critical, for so many people 🥺 https://t.co/LnzVAs7Iv8
— Mighty 🫶🏽 (@Mighty_LR) May 9, 2026
We are going to see suicide in mass numbers if this happens. It’s dangerous and sick. Instead of providing the option for people to safely wean off and offering help, you just rip the drug away https://t.co/8jn3sHL6b0
— Carley 🤖 (snob) (@carleypero) May 8, 2026
Patients will have to cling to the hope that any discussions of an SSRI ban never go past the exploratory stage.
But, despite the denials, it’s clear that RFK Jr is waging a war against antidepressants. If he isn’t actively considering a ban – and that’s a big “if” – he seems determined to discourage their use as much as he can.
Published: May 9, 2026 04:08 am