My skin turned black from horrific reaction to common antidepressant
By Ben Cost
September 27, 2022 10:10am Updated
US man left with black skin after freak reaction to common anti-depressant
It was a dark and depressing tale.
A Louisiana man’s attempt to cure his anxiety with a common antidepressant backfired horribly due to a baffling side effect that turned his skin completely black. A video detailing the pharmaceutical fiasco currently boasts 8.3 million views on TikTok.
“The fact is they [doctors] don’t know why I’m changing colors,” Tyler Monk, 34, lamented while describing his skin condition on camera.
The epidermal calamity began in January 2021, after the pest-control field inspector started taking an antidepressant that his doctor prescribed to treat his depression and anxiety. The Kinder resident was given fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor that’s commonly known by its brand name Prozac. The medicine is commonly used to treat depression, anxiety and other mood disorders.
Unfortunately, not only did the mood booster fail to remedy Monk’s mental-health issues, but within several months, the father of two’s complexion mysteriously began to darken, per the aforementioned TikTok video.
US man left with black skin after freak reaction to common anti-depressant | Part 2
“By March 2021, he started turning a greyish-blue color,” described the exterminator’s aghast wife, Emily Monk, on camera. In other words, the alleged mood booster had literally turned him blue.
Tyler ceased taking the medication after only a few weeks as it wasn’t helping his depression, but his pigment affliction continued to snowball over the next few months until his skin had become a “dark blackish color.”
“The fact is they [doctors] don’t know why I’m changing colors,” said Tyler Monk, 34.
Accompanying videos show Tyler’s arms and face, which appear dark bronze, as if he had smeared on blackface or had gotten trapped in a tanning bed. Interestingly, the ailment only affects the fellow’s face and arms, with the color discrepancy between those parts and his legs looking like night and day.
“It’s everywhere that the sunlight sees,” Emily described. “He wears pants every day for work so his legs aren’t affected.”
The complications weren’t merely cosmetic: Tyler also suffered from extremely red, irritated eyes and skin sensitivity, so severe that he feels like he has a perennial sunburn, SWNS reported.
Tyler was initially “in denial” over his accidental tan-sformation, but after speaking to several colleagues, he finally accepted that he was turning black.
Tyler Monk before his alleged SSRI side effect fiasco.
Unfortunately, Tyler’s malady has left the medical world scratching its head. Despite visiting multiple skin specialists near his home, none could diagnose his dermal discoloration.
“First, they thought it was photosensitivity, so I’m having a reaction to light, but I’ve been covering up and I’m still getting darker,” said Monk, who has since been referred to a team of eight specialists to try to get to the bottom of his blackening. Ahead of his visit on Nov. 21, the pest specialist is slated to receive a CT scan and bloodwork, SWNS reported.
Unfortunately, due to a lack of insurance, the couple’s medical and other doctors’ visit-related expenses now total $5,000, prompting them to start a GoFundMe page to help alleviate the financial strain.
In the interim, the stumped couple is imploring the TikTok commentariat to help them diagnose the condition, which has made them the brunt of multiple jokes.
“It’s pushing his sadness out. It’s doing it’s job,” quipped one TikTok wit. “Went from Tyler to tyrone,” joked another in reference to the blackface-evoking effect.
@emymonk4
Update #2 of my hubby! Did the meds make his depression worse? Why we cant see other docs? A surprise! #greyman #mentalhealth #anxiety #medicalmystery #tueninggrey #updates #worldwide #findinganswers #fyp #viralvideo #tiktokviral #melanin #melaninpoppin #autoimmunedisease @tmonk88 #eatingcornstarch #euphoria #vibewithus #hmautumnhaul
Another social media comedian wrote that Tyler had “pulled a reverse Michael Jackson.”
Tyler, for one, appears to be taking the TikTok comments in stride, saying: “People have made lots of jokes. But we joke a lot, so we just laugh along with them!”
Fortunately, a few TikTok sympathizers attempted to offer some actual helpful theories. “It’s because fluoxetine has an ingredient that increases melatonin, which is why parts of his body exposed to sunlight are the ones being affected!” postulated one armchair physician.
Indeed, certain SSRIs are known to cause increased sun sensitivity. The National Library of Medicine cites a 1998 case concerning a North African man “who developed a severe photosensitive reaction after sun exposure during therapy with fluoxetin 20 mg bid [twice a day] plus alprazolam 0.25 mg bid [twice a day] due to depressive disturbances.”
Emily ultimately hopes that her husband’s plight can serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of taking medications without knowing all the side effects.
“For me and the children, we just worry about his health,” said Emily. “We really don’t mind the color change, as long as he’s healthy and OK with it. We support whatever he chooses to do about it.”
