[steve86]

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.

Another clue that something more than a placebo effect is occurring are the often dramatic and very unpleasant symptoms that can occur especially when a short-acting SSRI such as paroxetine is abruptly withdrawn. Not uncommonly the original depression/anxiety will be augmented by any number of bizarre and uncomfortable sensations. Depression support group forums are full of such stories. Some patients actually titrate down (medical, not chemistry definition lol) by half a milligram a week to avoid this!

[MindBender26]

So say a drug is effective because it has negative side effects is, at best, wrong

All, the issue is not whether or not patients got well. The issue is why, and according to this and other studies, it was the patients themselves, their therapy and their commitment to be "sick and tired of feeling sick and tired" that got them well, not the pills.