Seth is shy and introverted. He saw the commercials for Paxil, promising that he’ll be an outgoing and popular fella and decided to try it. You can read about his journey here:

• Extroverted Like Me – How a month and a half on Paxil taught me to love being shy. By Seth Stevenson

This paragraph scared the bejebus out of me:

“The last few days I’ve considered cutting down on free-lancing and getting a regular job—consulting or something. Previously, I couldn’t imagine a job like this. Regular hours and no creative outlet sounded like a nightmare. All wrong for me. But now, stability, routine, and boredom sounds A-OK. Pleasant, even. An easy way to make a buck and just live my life.”

I had this vision of Paxil being the societal normalizer. I used to work in a pharmacy. I KNOW how much of this stuff is dispensed every day. What if all the innovative people of the world were being turned into boring work drones all for the sake of the promise of popularity?

He went off the Paxil and experienced severe withdrawal symptoms. When the fog cleared, he found something new:

“It’s mercifully over. But a new phenomenon has taken hold. When I get teary-eyed watching a horrid chick-flick on a cross-country flight, I recognize it: feelings. On Paxil, I barely noticed they were gone. Now that they’re back, even overcompensating, I never want to lose them again. Bitterness, anger, jealousy, sadness: They all make me happy.”

I know this drug has helped people all over the globe. It has been a lifesaver for some, but as far as I’m concerned, no Paxil for me, thanks…

Via: kottke.org