Antidepressants...

Better living through chemistry?

Or a multi-billion dollar industry run amok.

Personally, I think too much time is expended and wasted on drug therapy and not enough time is spent treating the "whole" patient. No doubt, insurance companies would rather see a drop in clinical costs no matter what the sacrifice to patient care. At the same time, the drug companies push the therapists to prescribe their medications. In some cases they even pay, or provide incentives, to doctors to prescribe THEIR brands of medications.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,536540,00.html?test=latestnews

Your thoughts?

disturbing news for the future -

Paroxetine is associated with a clinically significant weight gain and statistically significant increase in the risk of suicidality in adults. Pediatric trials of paroxetine for depression did not demonstrate efficacy and showed an increase in the risk of harmful outcomes, including episodes of self-harm and potentially suicidal behavior.
Stopping paroxetine is associated with a high risk of discontinuation or withdrawal syndrome. Due to the increased risk of birth defects, pregnant women or women planning to become pregnant are recommended to avoid or discontinue paroxetine use.

Norfluoxetine
The prescribing information recommends that the treatment of the patients with liver impairment "must be approached with caution". The elimination of fluoxetine and its metabolite norfluoxetine is about twice slower in these patients, resulting in the proportionate increase of exposure to the drug.
Among the common adverse effects associated with fluoxetine and listed in the prescribing information, the effects with the greatest difference from placebo are nausea (22% vs 9% for placebo), insomnia (19% vs 10% for placebo), somnolence (12% vs 5% for placebo), anorexia (10% vs 3% for placebo), anxiety (12% vs 6% for placebo), nervousness (13% vs 8% for placebo), asthenia (11% vs 6% for placebo) and tremor (9% vs 2% for placebo). Those that most often resulted in interruption of the treatment were anxiety, insomnia, and nervousness (1-2% each), and in pediatric trials—mania (2%). Similarly to other SSRIs, sexual side effects are common with fluoxetine; they include anorgasmia and reduced libido.
In addition, rash or urticaria, sometimes serious, was observed in 7% patients in clinical trials; one-third of these cases resulted in discontinuation of the treatment. Postmarketing reports note several cases of complications developed in patients with rash. The symptoms included vasculitis and lupus-like syndrome. Death has been reported to occur in association with these systemic events.
Akathisia, that is inner tension, restlessness, and the inability to stay still, often accompanied by "constant pacing, purposeless movements of the feet and legs, and marked anxiety," is a common side effect of fluoxetine. Akathisia usually begins after the initiation of the treatment or increase of the dose and disappears after fluoxetine is stopped or its dose is decreased, or after treatment with propranolol. There are case reports directly linking akathisia with suicidal attempts, with patients feeling better after the withdrawal of fluoxetine, and again developing severe akathisia on repeated exposure to fluoxetine. These patients described "that the development of the akathisia made them feel suicidal and that it had precipitated their prior suicide attempts.

 

Bob, I couldn't agree more. I think that antidepressants are for the brain what antibiotics are for the body. A temporary boost that accelerates the body's ability to heal itself. There is no question that some people have serious psychological problems that make drugs a necessary part of their lives...probably for the rest of their lives. But for us average everyday people dealing with ordinary everyday problems (albeit sometimes extremely difficult ones), antidepressants are a short term aide that eases the emotional turmoil long enough for us to look at the problem and deal with it. A splint doesn't mend a broken leg, it only immobilizes the leg so that the body can heal itself.

The danger is that once people are on a regime of pills and they start to feel better they often become less willing to "look" at the underlying causes for the depression. Of course, once they come off the drugs the emotional pain intensifies with a vengeance. Thus begins a vicious cycle of drug addiction. They take the drugs to feel better but they don't do the "work" they need to do to heal themselves. Emotional and psychic pain serve the same purpose as physical pain in the body. They tell us that something is wrong and needs to be addressed. Depression is a symptom not a cause.

When someone tells me they've been seeing the same therapist for five years, I say, you need a new therapist. Drugs and therapy together can work wonders in peoples lives but they are only aides/tools to help the psyche to heal itself. Like any tool, if they aren't used appropriately they can cause more harm than good.

Here is a great article on hereditary depression.

http://www.all-on-depression-help.com/hereditary-depression.html 

Poblem is possibly the 'system' is to blame, especialy here in the UK.

The regular 'none' working classes dont want work because the Benefit system we have pays them a living wage plus rent free housing and once you 'qualify' for certain benefits, you automaticly qualify for others. if you 'play' on any medical condition, real or not' you will also get an higher benefit rate. The easyest medical condition to fake is mental health related so they pop down to their GP and he gives them free prescribed medication (even if they dont take it), they then claim all the benefits and they spiral into bordome, drug and drink related issues. A recent councilor is quoted as saying 'if you cant get help for drink or drug issues' start shopliffting and if you get caught ask for help with your problem, that is the way to jump the queue' Its no wonder that depression is on the increase, until the 'system' is overhauled it will just spiral as each learns from the other how to play it.

We have the same problem in the US. Generations of people who leach off the system. When my youngest sister first moved to Massachusetts she needed help to get her through a rough spot until she could find work. She applied for food stamps and qualified for three months assistance. Fortunately she found work within a couple of weeks and the food stamps came in handy so that she could use her cash to get herself set up in an apartment, acquire transportation, etc.

When the three months was up she received a letter asking her to come in and review her case so that her food stamps would continue. She called them and thanked them for the assistance telling them that she had recently found work and would not need to continue receiving food stamps. They went ballistic on her and told her that she had been trying to "cheat" the system and that she would have to pay every penny back (which she is doing btw).

What gets me is that she honestly needed the help and qualified for it at the time she applied. Once the term for the benefit ran out she thanked them and told them she would no longer need to collect. Instead of congratulating her for finding work and getting on her feet so quickly, they humiliate her and call her a cheat.

In my opinion, she was using the system as it was meant to be used. She applied for a benefit, qualified, and received the benefit for a limited time period. Took advantage of that time to get herself on her feet. Once she had done that she told them she would not need to re-apply. Mean-while, there are low lifes popping out kid after kid because they get a bigger benefit for each child. They milk the system for all it's worth and then some.

I have seen the way some of these people live, and by god, many of them live in nicer homes and drive nicer cars than I do! WTF???!!! 

Sorry. This is one subject that makes my blood boil. Because you know who pays for these derelicts...WE DO!