Anti-depressants 'of little use' -University of Hull

[malaise]

New generation anti-depressants have little clinical benefit for most patients, research suggests.

A University of Hull team concluded the drugs actively help only a small group of the most severely depressed.

Marjorie Wallace, head of the mental health charity Sane, said that if these results were confirmed they could be "very disturbing".

Lead researcher Professor Irving Kirsch said: "The difference in improvement between patients taking placebos and patients taking anti-depressants is not very great.

"This means that depressed people can improve without chemical treatments.

"Given these results, there seems little reason to prescribe anti-depressant medication to any but the most severely depressed patients, unless alternative treatments have failed to provide a benefit."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7263494.stm

[zippy890]

1. study focused on SSRIs

"They focused on drugs which work by increasing levels of the mood controlling chemical serotonin in the brain."
like prozac.

I have chronic clinical depression for 22 years and have found SSRIs do not help my depression.

I did better with the old tricyclics but the side effects became intolerable.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

2. Actually, it showed that they were little better than placebos.

That's a slightly different claim.

There *was* a noticeable difference between those being given prozac and those being given nothing, but not between those being given prozac and those being given sugar pills, except among the worst depressed, where prozac beat even the sugar pills.

Conclusion? Well, I guess we could treat depression with sugar pills, provided we told people they were prozac.

[malaise]

3. It sure would cost them less n/t

[BlackVelvet04]

6. probably not....

Pfizer would make the sugar pills pretty pink and blue and charge $2.00 a piece for them.

[Wednesdays]

24. With today's Big Pharmaceuticals, are you sure?

I wouldn't put it past them to fill capsules with sugar and then charge the same amount as Prozac. They'd cover it up by giving it a fancy chemical name like "Sucrolala" or something. :grr:

[TexasObserver]

33. Big Pharm has certainly succeeded in convincing many they need constant medication

dubious proposition, but many buy into it

[Donald Ian Rankin]

46. They already sell sugar water, cheaply.

It's called "simple linctus", it's used as a placebo (and, to be fair, it also has a slight soothing effect on sore throats), and it's cheap.

[TexasObserver]

41. Which, of course, suggests that the real impact is the user "thinks" the pill is working.

A phenomenon long observed by doctors treating patients who EXPECT to get a pill that will fix whatever it is that is bothering them.

[Uncle Sinister]

4. this study is bad science, unfortunately, good science is hard to find

[spoony]

5. The most obvious problem with this

If it's a placebo effect, why do so many people (who do ultimately feel better, I'm not talking about those for whom drugs never work) have to try a number of different drugs before finding the right one and the right dosage? If it's just a "sugar pill" then the first drug at the first dosage should trigger the placebo effect, and that simply isn't the case with most people who are prescribed anti-depressants.

[Adsos Letter]

7. And why, when I would LOVE to stop taking my Lexapro...

do I inevitably crash back into severe clinical depression after a few weeks of not taking it...despite all the talk therapy and exercise in the world?

[Name removed]

11. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[fight4my3sons]

18. the worst two months of my life

were when I went off Lexapro

horrible "side effects" (the term my doctor called them). It took a full two months for me to fully get off of the meds. Just last summer I went off of them.

PM me if you want. :hug:

[TexasObserver]

27. Me, too. Thanks for adding your wise words of counsel to someone who sought them.

I found Lexapro to be just as you described. It has a terrible effect on some people.

I believe that the poster to whom you responded is trying to find out if others have responded similarly to it, and it sounds as if you experienced the same thing I did. Such people need to know it's not just them.

[w8liftinglady]

26. I disagree.I noticed a complete cessation of suicidal thoughts a week after

starting Lexapro.I would never had committed suicide,but was obsessed about it.Lexapro saved my sanity(this was after several medical problems,a divorce,my son's PTSD).I refuse to believe this is a placebo effect.

[TexasObserver]

28. It's important to note that every drug does not affect every person the same way.

Just as some of us are allergic to penicillin or iodine, others are not. That's why each drug has side effects that must be considered. We are all not identical in our make up, so the drug that works great for you might make someone else very ill. That's the folly of thinking one size fits all in mood or mind altering drugs. Lexapro has suicidal thoughts as one side effect that some experience.

Glad it worked for you. Not all people experience that, however, just as not all people can eat peanuts or strawberries.

[Adsos Letter]

56. I agree...

and I say experience counts.

[kimmylavin]

68. Me, too, W8...

Went through a week where I thought I was high the whole time (not bad in itself), then settled in to my current mindset. After about three weeks, I noticed that I was just enjoying my drive home, not wondering what would happen if I just drove off the edge of the road...

I don't think it was a placebo effect, either.

[Adsos Letter]

55. Thankyou...

I went through a series of drugs over a period of 25 years...after nothing else had worked. As the drugs improved and became more specific, my function improved...FOR ME Lexapro relieves the "brain-cloud" that accompanies my severe, clinical depression, and allows me to function normally, with very little side effect...but people respond differently to different drugs; for instance, many people swear by Effexor, but I would NEVER take that stuff again because it's effectiveness in treating aspects of my depression was far outweighed by it's side effects...though there are those who swear by it.

[nebula]

8. Pro-depressants might be a better term for them.

You can find many articles on Google linking suicide, violence to Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac.


Trouble in Prozac Nation

The Nation
January 2004

The possibility that a group of widely prescribed antidepressants, including Prozac and Paxil, might trigger suicide and other violence in a small percentage of users has been the subject of isolated reports in the major media since they first arrived on the market. Recently, however, the concern has been recognized by the federal government. In June, following actions taken by British drug authorities, the FDA released a statement recommending that physicians refrain from prescribing Paxil to new patients under 18.

Paxil is one of a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Studies funded by the drug's maker, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), showed it was no more effective than placebos for treating pediatric depression. The same studies also showed an increased occurrence of emotional disturbance in those taking it. The likelihood of a suicide attempt, for example, was about three times greater for Paxil users than for those taking placebos. In August, Wyeth pharmaceuticals drew essentially the same conclusions about its antidepressant Effexor, sending out a two-page letter to healthcare workers stating it may not be safe for pediatric use. This led to the FDA's reanalyzing data for Effexor and several other SSRIs, and in October the FDA issued an advisory citing similar findings for Celexa, Effexor, Prozac and Zoloft. In December drug authorities in Britain banned all but one SSRI from use by children because of evidence that they can cause children to become suicidal. The consistency of these findings suggests that perhaps the FDA should be taking actions that should have been taken long ago to curb adult use of SSRIs.

Reports of a possible link between adult SSRI use and violence, including suicide, first appeared in 1990. In 1991, however, the FDA made a finding, based on a highly selective set of data put together by Eli Lilly scientists, which concluded that Prozac did not cause suicide and was safe. Since that time, SSRI makers have dismissed all allegations that the drugs cause violence and suicide by citing the FDA's report--a report that now looks especially dubious in light of concerns over giving these drugs to children.

Meanwhile, incidents of extreme mental agitation involving SSRIs have not abated. In May 2001, for example, Australian David Hawkins strangled his wife and then attempted to kill himself after taking an overdose of Zoloft. In a similar case, a jury found that Paxil caused 60-year-old Donald Schell to shoot to death his wife, his adult daughter, his infant granddaughter and himself. He had been taking the SSRI for only two days and, like Hawkins, he had no history of violence of any kind.

(more)

www.thenation.com/doc/20040105/degrandpre



The guy involved in the recent shooting in Illinois was widely reported to be on them.
Apparently, so were the shooters at Virginia Tech and Columbine. Is there a link?

[malaise]

10. I'm anti-drugs unless they are absolutely necessary

When one of my nephews was a kid, my sister was listening to some stupid people and considered giving him ridilin. I told her I'd never speak with her again if she went along with that. Thankfully she values our friendship and took my advice. He excelled in school, was editor for his school magazine, played on his basketball team and really enjoyed high school. He won a scholarship for his undergraduate degree and at 23 has just started his Masters degree. He's a well adjusted young man. On the other hand, her friend's kid who used that crazy drug barely finished high school, can't find a job and is now on prozac.

People have been brainwashed into shopping for drugs the way they walk the mall for other things to buy. I use Bayer aspirin and vitamins. Hubby uses Bayer, his heart medication (he had surgery four year ago)and vitamins.

Fuck the Pharma industry for exploiting humanity.

[nebula]

13. SSRIs are like a legalized form of crystal meth, or crack

They provide you with a temporary high, but can be as addicting as any illicit street drug. And the side effects can be just as lethal. The long-term effects are unpredictable.

When I lived in San Francisco, I met some people who reminded me of strung-out crystal meth addicts. Their behavior always seemed odd to me. I later found out, to my shock, the only drugs they had ever used were SSRIs. These were otherwise very normal, or at least normal-looking people the kind you never would have guessed in a million years would turn out as badly as they did. After a break-up with my long-time girlfriend a few years ago, I considered taking an SSRI. I went on the internet to shop for a brand, that's how I came across all these scary articles linking them to suicide, abnormal behavior, etc. I wouldn't think of ever touching them now.

[malaise]

20. I dissuade everyone I know from taking

these drugs. I agree with you 100%.

[TexasObserver]

37. I agree. Apparently, for some people that work, but not for many.

for many, they make things worse

Apparently, their advocates never read a PDR, or they'd know the contraindications.

[hunter]

44. You may have dissuaded somebody who would greatly benefit from them.

When I'm in my darkest hole I'll latch onto any reason at all not to take meds. Then I get stuck in a very unpleasant, unproductive, and lonely place.

[spoony]

30. You people are so damn ignorant

You read garbage on the net about medications or 9/11 or whatever and if that weren't bad enough you feel the need to ram that down everyone else's throats.

[Adsos Letter]

58. But you are talking about a situational depression!

"After a break-up with my long-time girlfriend a few years ago, I considered taking an SSRI."

...and I would posi that this is fundamentally different from severe, clinical depression which seems to have its genesis in brain chemistry.

[flashl]

25. Good call ...

Ritalin/Methylphenidate Information:

Called “kiddie cocaine” when sold on the streets, prescription stimulants destroy young lives daily.

Ritalin is the common name for methylphenidate, classified by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as a Schedule II narcotic — the same classification as cocaine, morphine and amphetamines. It is abused by teens for its stimulant effects.

While the law forbids unrestricted distribution of these powerful stimulants, the sad fact remains that these substances are freely available almost anywhere. “Kiddie cocaine,” as it has been called, is handed out like candy. In some schools, as many as 20 percent of the students take Ritalin regularly.

Drug Free World

---

America's Love-Hate Relationship with Drugs

Many prescription drugs have effects similar to those of illegal drugs. But we still view some users as criminals -- the others as patients.

... A truly important drug story continues to be neglected: The hypocrisy of Big Pharma, psychiatry officialdom, and justice institutions regarding mood-altering (psychotropic) drugs -- specifically the denial of the similarity between illegal and psychiatric drugs.

Author and science writer Michael Pollan observed the following about Americans' illegal-psychiatric drug hypocrisy: "Historians of the future will wonder how a people possessed of such a deep faith in the power of drugs also found themselves fighting a war against certain other drugs with not-dissimilar powers. ... We hate drugs. We love drugs. Or could it be that we hate the fact that we love drugs?"

When we recognize that psychotropic prescription drugs are chemically similar to illegal psychotropic drugs, and that all of these substances are used for similar purposes, we see two injustices.

First, we see the classification of millions of Americans as criminals for using certain drugs, while millions of others, using essentially similar drugs for similar purposes, are seen as patients.

Second, we see a denial of those societal realities that compel increasing numbers of Americans to use psychotropic drugs.

It is politically -- and economically -- incorrect for the corporate press, dependent on Big Pharma advertising revenue, to compare psychiatric drugs with illegal drugs.

Alternet

[Feron]

31. Drug Free World is a Scientologist front.

Of course they are going to portray psychotropic drugs in the worst possible light because they think that all psychiatric problems can be vitamined and e-metered away. Getting information from them about Ritalin is like going to DARE for marijuana information.

And different brains respond differently to drugs. I was prescribed Vicodin after my wisdom teeth were taken out and it didn't make me high. It took away the pain ,but I was still stone cold sober. I honestly don't understand how anyone can become addicted to this drug from my own experience.

I do think that psychotropic drugs like antidepressants and ADD drugs are overprescribed. And the drug war is bullshit. If smoking a joint helps you function, then go for it. I also hate drug ads.

But there are people out there that truly need antidepressants or Ritalin in order to function and they are not addicts. The numbers may not be big enough for the pharma company's liking however.

[flashl]

45. Thanks. Didn't know the relationship.

The term "Kiddie cocaine" when referring to Ritalin extends far beyond Scientology.

The pretext for the use of ritalin for ADD is found in the trial of Dr. Stephen Bruning for academic fraud who pleaded guilty to falsifying his research.

[malaise]

53. Nice post

Drugs are drugs.

[spoony]

29. So you thought it was your right to demand

things about someone else's child's medical treatment?

Oh and your subject line is hilarious given your avatar.

[Adsos Letter]

57. Great...

and I'm a 52 year old male whose treatment with Lexapro allowed me to return to a normal, well-adjusted life (if a successful 30 year marriage, a family who loves each other, and the early retirement after a successful career count for anything).

I have completed a BA (with honors and a 3.97 GPA) and am almost finished with a Graduate Degree.

NONE of that would have been possible without the aid of Lexapro...AND some changes in lifestyle.

You can say "Fuck the Pharma industry for exploiting humanity," but certainly medicine has provided innumerable benefits to humanity when properly utilized.

[TexasObserver]

36. They're finally warning that some users of such drugs may become suicidal

and data bears that out

[sam sarrha]

9. acupuncture and meditation are as effective or better, depressed people get better in cycles anyway

unless they get strung out on pharmacuiticals... tryptaphan and exercise works for some as good as drugs.. my wife is hopelessly, emphasis on "HOPELESSLY" addicted to anti-depressants

a lot of depressed people get better anyway, where do you draw the line between depression caused by situation, and a lack of skills to effectively and appropriately deal with problems.. or just a bade case of life.. which gets better in cycles

there are some people with chemical imbalances, but is that a result of other factors.. the pharma people want to charge you rent on mental health.. not cure you

[TexasObserver]

40. "my wife is hopelessly, emphasis on "HOPELESSLY" addicted to anti-depressants"

I quoted you because those who find anti depressants their panacea are often like religious zealots in their worship of such pills. They perceive it as their salvation, and therefore conclude it is the only salvation.

I've used every kind of anti depressant listed on this thread, and I didn't shed my depression until I got rid of all of them, and started treating myself with eating and ingesting wisely, instead of blindly concluding that there was a pill that can fix every problem. The things found in food and drinks are often a problem, but try telling someone they need to stop drinking alcohol, caffeine, and milk, or eating refined grains and sugars. No, they want a pill that will fix whatever ails them. Why? Because they believe the 24/7 marketing of drugs they hear and see from the time they're old enough to watch TV or read a magazine.

[Adsos Letter]

59. Your simplifications in the specific post I am responding to...

...are enough to make me doubt your integrity on this issue.

Or at least your insight...

[Adsos Letter]

60. DUPE...self-deleted.

[Adsos Letter]

61. Quote: "there are some people with chemical imbalances..."

yes...and anti-depressants CAN help these people.

[Snarkturian Clone]

12. My wife says that she can spot a person that's

on anti-depressants by their personality. She's been right 3 out of 3 times. Is there something to this or is it just a coincidence?

[nebula]

15. That's interesting

How would you describe them? Almost overbearing at times, hyper type A personality?

That would be my description of one person I know, who wasn't that way before she started taking anti-depressants.

[Snarkturian Clone]

17. i don't know for sure but

the people she spotted all fit your description.

[Lilith Velkor]

22. That's how my mom was

I had to move back in with her, and got SEVERE depression from constant bullying.

She got better after weaning herself off them and getting rid of her prize shit of a boyfriend. Better still after drawing strict boundaries with my sister, who's still on Paxil.

My sis was overbearing to begin with, so you can imagine what she's like now. :scared:

[TexasObserver]

42. Humankind survived before half the population was given anti depressants.

They're the most over prescribed medication on the planet.

Ironic that Brave New World has come to be, and many don't get it.

[provis99]

50. humankind has spent its time murdering and oppressing each other

I think the Dark Ages would have been a little bit better if the psychotics walking around untreated had access to some lithium.

[madokie]

14. let me tell my story with Paxil

Five years ago I had a blood clot in my left leg, DVT, and spent a week in the VA hospital getting heparin, anyways we had just purchased the home we now live in and it was at a sherifs auction that we bought it so it needed a lot of work so I was working on it when this all happened and so here I am laying in the hospital bed worrying about this and feeling I needed to get it done so we could move in, a major project just short of building a new house from scratch. Anyway my doctor when he sent me home thought I was depressed, I'm not but he sent me home with these blue pills and to take one at bedtime so I did and since I'd hadn't heard of paxil I only took a half of the pill and man o man was I glad I had because about midnight I woke up and my skin was crawling, my muscles were twitching and I couldn't lay still, those were the worst 3 days of my life, before or after. I know what anxiety is all about now because of that experience. I chewed my new doc out up one side and down the other and told him don't you ever give me anything like that again. If I could have gotten my hands on him that first day I would have choked the life out of him and I mean that. So from my experience when I see or hear of anyone who are taking paxil, or any of that family of drugs I just shake my head and wonder if they are experiencing the same things I did. One of the guys I worked with on my last job was taking them and he had those involuntary body movements like I was having and I asked him about it and he said yea but after a while I got used to them. My skin is crawling right now just thinking about it. All I could think about was Mel Brooks High Anxiety movie. I feel for people who are taking those pills.

Add: If I was ever in my live going to take my life it would have been in one of those three days. They are bad drugs if you ask me

[nebula]

16. Thanks for sharing that

the best thing we can do is try to warn others (friends, family, coworkers) of the dangers of these drugs. hopefully they will listen.

[malaise]

21. Great post madokie

I have no doubt that severely depressed people need medication, but there are doctors out there who will prescribe these drugs to a kid who's upset about receiving an A- and not an A+.

[madokie]

23. this is kind of off topic but since I have been using the VA for my healthcare

5 years now. I would say I have been prescribed and have thrown away at least 2 or 3 gallons of pills, not counting the few I do take. They are a pill pushing organization if there ever was one. Steppenwolf's The Pusher man comes to mind http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TrMnEH7Unw

[Skittles]

71. ???

why do you accept pills you have no intention of taking?

[TexasObserver]

35. some drugs work for some people and then they think their drug should work for all people

glad you saw that quickly and acted on it

[qb]

48. You may have had time-release tablets which are not supposed to be split.

That releases too much medication all at once.

[RainDog]

19. The study says THEY WORK for severely depressed patients

it's not ALL depressed ppl who do not benefit. this is important to note because everyone on this board has agreed that ssri's shouldn't be handed out like vitamins. Those ppl are a "marketing segment" for the pharmas, apparently (and they hid studies that noted this.)

However, antidepressants DO work for severely depressed people - the people for whom such a medication is indicated.

This is a huge difference that will, no doubt, be ignored by those who hate antidepressants as a class. The study notes the importance of therapy (as in cognitive) for mildly depressed patients. Other studies before this have noted that some ppl respond to medication, some respond to therapy, and for most, a combination of the two was the most effective.

so this study does help by stopping a one-size-fits-all medication. but this study doesn't disprove the effectiveness of ssri's either.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

39. Thank you thank you thank you...

for taking the time to note that.

I had major depression. I was feeling so bad, I wanted to throw myself out a window. Celexa put a stop to that.

Antidepressents work just fine for a lot of us.

[Adsos Letter]

62. Best.Analysis.Ever.

Thankyou RainDog.

[TexasBushwhacker]

63. Absolutely!

There are two reasons that AD's are prescribed to people who are experiencing mild to moderate depression. One reason is that's how Big Pharma sells them - "They might help and they can't hurt". The other reason is that many health insurance plans do not cover mental health in terms of therapy, but they will cover AD's because they are "medication". Even though they might not be the best option for an individual patient, they may be the only option that their insurance will pay for. All those people who would do best with therapy or medication + therapy are just SOL.

[Thirtieschild]

32. Our family experience

My husband has suffered from severe, major, debilitating depression since I've known him - we met when he was 18, married when he was 19. The tricyclates - Elavil - helped when he started taking them in the 1970s, the SSRIs - Zoloft - didn't work when he was changed to them in the 1990s. He now takes Effexor, which I understand combines the two; have read that the old tricyclates actually work better for people with major depression. He still has to fight bouts of depression, particularly in the winter. I suspect the problems may be SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and wish I could remember whether the severe bouts in our early years were worse in the winter.

Apparently our genes didn't mesh too well. Our oldest son inherited the depression, becomes non-functional when the depression is at its worst. He has turned to drugs and alcohol at various times, which I suspect is common among people who suffer from major depression. They self medicate against the depression, and only make matters worse. He takes Wellbutrin now, helps some but he's going to have to live with some depression for the rest of his life. Husband, btw, remained functional, worked throughout his depressions, never turned to drugs or alcohol, just gritted his teeth and got through it. It wasn't easy but certainly better than the alternative.

Our youngest son needed Ritalin as a child but wouldn't take it - I'd find it all over the house where he'd spit it out. Said it slowed him down too much. However, as an adult he realizes that he needs it, can't focus without it. Obvious case of ADD, one he hasn't outgrown, and apparently won't. It's hard-wired into his brain, but the Ritalin enables him to function.

I've had talk therapy off and on since I was 26. Layer after layer of the onion has been removed, examined and understood, but I do better with Lexapro than without it. Helps with irritability and lets me cope with a toxic self image. It may be a placebo but if so I'm grateful for it.

Our grandson was diagnosed with Asperger's after an exhaustive examination by four specialists in the U.K., but there's no medication for him. He's six now and will be a brilliant scientist if he survives the inevitable bullying for being different.

[TexasObserver]

34. "The difference in improvement between patients taking placebos and patients taking anti-depressants

... is not very great."

good quote from the article

[Akoto]

38. I actually take an anti-depressant for chronic pain.

It's a tricyclic, rather than an SSRI (the ones you hear a lot about causing violence/suicide). A lot of patients have taken it for my particular issue and have done exceptionally well with it.

The only bad part is tiredness. You have to take it at bedtime because it'll make you sleep like a ton of bricks.

[hunter]

43. Link to my LBN post... I just saw the messy discusion here.

:yoiks:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3198058&mesg_id=3198058

[NorthernSpy]

47. opiates are much more effective antidepressants...

SSRIs are ineffective by design. Any antidepressant that actually worked would quickly get fingered as a potential "drug of abuse": that is, people would want to take it, because it would relieve their anguish reliably and promptly and would restore a nice sense of well-being.


So yeah, this study is a real shocker -- not.

[hunter]

49. Opiates make me feel yucky.

People take those things for fun?

But yeah, if a drug works as well as opiates do for pain, then all the sudden it becomes evil.

Don't you know that God meant for you to suffer?

On the other hand, addiction is a big problem. Alcohol, cigarettes... there's a lot people can get addicted to, some of it legal.

[TexasObserver]

51. It's pretty clear from the "testimonials" that those who swear by anti depressants don't get it.

Me: Not all drugs work the same for all people.

Zealots: I WAS CRAZY WITHOUT THEM, NOW I'M FINE!! FINE, I TELL YOU, YOU BASTARD!! HOW DARE YOU SAY I'M NOT FINE, WHEN I AM FINE!!

Me: Drugs have side effects, they have contraindications, as set out in the PDR (Physicians Desk Reference), some of which are lethal, and are not for everyone. Some people need other approaches.

Zealots: HERETIC! SCIENTOLOGIST! APOSTATE! HOW DARE YOU BELIEVE THAT MY ANTI-DEPRESSANT IS NOT THE SALVATION FOR ALL HUMANKIND!!

Yeah, you folks are really doing better with your meds. If you're doing so well, why do you come unhinged when someone voices an opinion which differs from yours, an opinion shared by many who don't find every pill produced by Big Pharm to be the Holy Grail of Living?

You have your opinion, zealots, and I have mine. Learn to live with it, and maybe you won't need constant medication. Maybe you need to learn to hear the opinions of others without trying to convince yourselves or the world there's your way or no way. That strident inability to accept that drugs don't work the same for everyone is what makes your zeal for your drug just like the religious zealots who think whatever spiritual opiate they have found is good for whatever ails everyone else in the world.

If you're on anti depressants, and they make you less disturbed than you were, great. Take them. But when someone says "I don't like the way they make me feel, and I would love to get off them," maybe you should try listening to THEM, and not try to impose your view and your experience upon them.

[Jim Lane]

54. The "don't get it" syndrome is found more among the critics of the drugs

You say that people who've benefited from anti-depressants should listen to those who had bad experiences, and shouldn't try to impose their views on others. I agree.

As I look at this whole thread, though, I see much more of the reverse. I see people talking about the bad effects of drugs in a few particular cases, and generalizing to the belief that it's all a conspiracy by Big Pharma.

My experience is that I was suffering from mild depression. I volunteered for a clinical study. I didn't know whether I was getting Wellbutrin or a placebo. At first, I felt no difference, but after a while (and on a higher dosage) I definitely felt better. At the unblinding, I guessed that I was on the drug, and I was right.

Wellbutrin helped me get through a difficult period. Then I stopped taking it. For some people, though, it might be valuable on a more long-term basis. For others, it might have no value or even be harmful. Still, some of the people in those groups might usefully consider your advice, and listen to US.

Different people react differently to different drugs. No one should be scared off from trying a drug that might help just because of a few horror stories.

[spoony]

69. Great post, thanks for sharing your experience.

[uppityperson]

52. "most" "suggests". Watch those words. For those they help, they can be a lifesaver.

As any medicine, nothing is right for everyone. Watch that assumption also (that anything is right for everyone).

[spanone]

64. the 'legal' drugs are the truly dangerous ones

[debbierlus]

65. I am sick of this shit - Medication saved my life

I suffered years of hell because I thought I could manage without it.

I ran, took Sam E, meditated, essential oil therapy...regular therapy. I refused to take medication for the longest time.
Finally, out of desperation I began a course of medication therapy & it gave me my life back.

I have worked as a psych nurse, and I have lived with mental illness. Medication has a very important place in the successful treatment of mental illness. It is not for everyone, and it needs to be prescribed carefully.

[Skittles]

72. they're not saying they NEVER work

they simply don't work for the majority of people they are prescribed to - they are WAY over-prescribed - you are correct when you say IT IS NOT FOR EVERYONE, AND IT NEEDS TO BE PRESCRIBED CAREFULLY. Too often these days they are prescribing them for people not with mental illness but with dissatisfaction in their lives (and these days THAT IS A LOT OF PEOPLE :o)

[Generic Brad]

66. That's depressing

I would take a pill to deal with it, but apparently that won't do me any fucking good now.

[liberaltrucker]

67. Venlafaxine (Effexor) saved my life, literally.

It's an SDRI (Seratonin Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitor). I went through tricyclics, SSRIs
Wellbutrin, ad nauseum. Venlafaxine is the one drug that helps ME. My only bitch is that
my illness profits Wyeth. :puke:

[pookieblue]

70. reading some of these comments got me thinking...

How many people would tell others

to stop Chemo to fight their Cancer?

to stop taking their meds for High Blood Pressure?

to stop taking Insulin for their Diabetes?

to stop taking their meds for MS?

I'm sure that not many would agree with that. Of course I'm sure that there are others who think that everyone suffering from ANY illness and needs meds are just drug addicts who have been fooled.

However, when it comes to something like Depression etc... it seems that the majority of people don't think that it's a real illness.
That those suffering from Depression are just weak.

That being said...I think that there is a difference between having Depression and being depressed.

Those who suffering from Depression and have a chemical imbalance most likely need help and get it from AD's.

Those who are not... will not benefit from the AD's.

I like to compare it like this... does a person who does not have MS need MS Meds? No. The same with High Blood Pressure meds etc.

It's sad to think that people can't accept Depression as a real illness. Then again I have ran into people who don't think that MS is real either. So go figure.