Recent Antidepressant Study

[Savas]

I recent study of antidepressant studies has shown that the companies haven't been being entirely honest with us.
Apparently the makers of these drugs have only been publishing those studies in JAMA and New England Journal Of Medicine if they show positive results.

Apparently they've held back many studies that show that these drugs often do very little to help with depression, and can actually do a great deal of harm.

something to be aware of...

[Savas]

SSRI's are designed to affect serotonin levels. Recent studies have shown that there is no provable link, however, between serotonin levels and depression (as in, treating serotonin levels, doesn't necessarily cure depression).

MAOIs work by blocking the enzyme monoamine oxidase which breaks down the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine (noradrenaline).
They aren't used as much as the potential for fatal drug interactions is...well, pretty high.
There's also a higher chance for a more dangerous set of serious side effects.

I always say if you have to takes these drugs...best take them as short term as possible!

[road2recovery]

I am curious to what is the difference in a SSRI and IMAO's?

I do take lexapro, and have tried everyone they make...It has changed my life..But i do worry about the long term effects...Or when i get off of it , as it does have w/d's symtoms..
Everything just seems to be a catch 22
r2r
thanks savas for the info

[shelby74]

I have been on numerous anti-deppresants.  Paxil did nothing for my depression or panic attacks.  Prozac helped slightly with depression, very slightly.  I have been on Cymbalta for the last couple weeks for Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression, it seems to be helping already.  I have had no side affects, except some very strange dreams.  I also stop taking hydro's 2 1/2 weeks ago, so that might have something to do with the dreams.  Cymbalta has the same warnings on it about watching for suicidal thoughts in children, teens and young adults.  It is hard to know what to trust as far as meds are concerned.  My husband was given Celebrex 2 days ago because he hurt his leg working, the first warning on that is it may cause a heart attack!  Go figure.

[Savas]

This is lame but I can't access the NEJM site because they aren't free. I've had some people ask some specific questions, but until I can check it by using the "old fashioned internet" (ie; trudging over to the library magazine section) I won't know more.

The specific drugs mentioned are Paxil, effexor and prozac. BUT, they mentioned 12 drugs specifically in the article, but the abstract doesn't show the list. So that's only three of them. hopefully it's just the SSRI's they're talking about and not the IMAO's.

So I'll let you know what I find out when I can get down there. Unless someone has a January 17 2007 copy of the New England Journal of Medicine lying around? :)

The one good result of this is they're talking about making the clinicaltrials.org site easier to access and navigate (it's impossible to find things there right now). So these studies will be required to be in there and much easier to access.

[Savas]

Here's a link for a petition being signed by many about the dangerous side effects for effexor users and the many lives it's ruined.


The petition gives a good description of what this drug does.

w w w ,petitiononline,com/effexor/

(I've changed the periods to commas and spaced the beginning so he link will show)

[msinsane]

i heard on a commercial for i think it was a medication called effexor and i think its for depression (not to sure) but one thing i dont get is in the end of the commercial it says not to take if you are severly depressed or suicidal now i have been depressed and i never took meds but it got pretty bad i tried to hide it  but when i was depressed there wasn"t a level to describe it ....i do not know alot about this but i am curious

[GoingToMakeIt]

Are you saying that the almighty dollar wins again. I can't believe they would do that to us...........They wouldn't lie to us, would they? :)
Good post.

[lostsoul2]

I agree.  I have been on the anti-depressant merry-go-round, and none have really given me any relief.  The answer is always to either switch again or increase dosage, which I don't want to do.  And withdrawal from some can be very uncomfortable, to say the least.