Posted on 02/19/2012 6:07:06 PM PST by MindBender26
(CBS News) Do antidepressants work? Since the introduction of Prozac in the 1980s, prescriptions for antidepressants have soared 400 percent, with 17 million Americans currently taking some form of the drug. But how much good is the medication itself doing? "The difference between the effect of a placebo and the effect of an antidepressant is minimal for most people," says Harvard scientist Irving Kirsch. Will Kirsch's research, and the work of others, change the $11.3 billion antidepressant industry? Lesley Stahl investigates.
Highlights: Prozac, Welbutrin, other SSRIs, virtually worthless.
Better than placebos in only 14% patients
No effect in the mildly or moderately depressed
Somewhat effective in small minority of the severely depressed
Company and FDA knew there are dozens of studies that show SSRIs have major negative side effects and little or no positive effects, but ignored those studies in approving drug. All they were two positive outcome studies, and they ignored the rest.
Billions being wasted on these drugs.
Now basically banned in UK
15 minute/day on treadmill much better.
It's all a placebo effect for vast majority of patients.... and huge $ for doctors and big pharma.
The purpose of medicine is to give the government an excuse to steal from income-earners, and to generate cash flow to drug companies.
Period.
I wouldn’t dispute the value of exercise and other methods to treat depression. However, prozac is used to treat a spectrum of conditions, including anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder symptoms, and it seems to have helped folks I am familiar with. To a person who really is suffering from debilitating anxiety, etc., it seems to make quite a difference.
Also agree many medications are over prescribed, but that doesn’t mean these medicines are worthless. They seem to be talking about the average person who can benefit from a jog as much as medication. Not everyone falls in that category.
>> “The purpose of medicine is no longer to heal.
The purpose of medicine is to give the government an excuse to steal from income-earners, and to generate cash flow to drug companies.
Period.” <<
.
Zackly!
.
They did not work for me; I felt worse because I am Bipolar and those of us who are need a mood-stabilizer as well. An anti-depressant alone can actually make it worse.
As far as others are concerned,it might make them feel better. I don’t know.
Sure sure, just walk off that BPD. It’s all placebo effect.
Thank you for that advice Doctor. I’ll throw away my pills and come over to your house so you can deal with me in one of my manic cycles.
One size does not fit all.
Obamacare is not going to treat mild depression. That is all this report is about.
Those drugs are going no where. They are way too valuable in treating other disorders.
Actually I think Welburtin is fairly effective for folks trying to quit smoking. Not sure how effective it is for depression.
Agree on the Prozac. With BPD you are taking Pixie Sticks
“Better than placebos in only 14% patients”
So, screw that 14%? How many will off themselves?
Can you say death panels?
But they work better than placebos in only 14% of cases. In other words, 86% got better because they thought pills were working!
86% percent got better on sugar pills!
Yup.
Maybe the 14% can go live with the death panelists who say it is all placebo
It’s all in your head!! LOL!!
Something doesn’t add up. My wife has taken Prozac many years. It was a miracle what it did for her. It’s not a placebo, because there was a period a couple of years ago, when she accidentally quit taking it, and was taking another medicine, not knowing she had quit the Prozac. All her original symptoms came back. It was obvious enough that we did a check to see what was up, and discovered the mixup.
I’m trained as a chemist, and have to pay attention to hard data like presented on Stahl’s program. But something isn’t right.
Drinking a depressant (alcohol) when a person is depressed only makes it worse. Far worse. As a recovering alkie, I have years of experience in doing just that.
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