Thread: Study: Antidepressant drugs actually cause many people to have worse depression

antidepressants work in those who need it due to severe major clinical/ chemical depression. Those who take it because they lost their job or house burned down or who are greiving won't benefit , ( which is the majority of those seeking to use antidepressants), those who are bipolar but get misdiagnosed with unipolar depression will get worse, they only work in conjunction with a mood stabilizer, I know because my brother is bipolar. The study design has to be very rigorous in defining major clinical depression which this study did not do. It also did not allow an arm that would have used another type of antidepressants, the rule of thumb is that many depressed patients will need another mechanism of action if one type of antidepressant ( wether it is a norepi inhibitor vs. ssri vs dopaminergic etc.) doesn't work. With that said I find the greatest utility of cymbalta in my chronic pain patients, not my depressed patients, I have gotten a 1/3 of them off their narcotics when I switch them to cymbalta ( for the post herpetic neuralgia, severe osteoarthritis, etc.)

This guy is irresponsible in that Sam E, ( which works), like most antidepressants will flip a bipolar and make them worse, so all these bipolars sliding into their depressive phase should not willy nilly go out and self medicate with Sam E, ( I have seen cases of them flipping into mania , which accounts for the majority of suicides in bipolars, not their depressive phase after taking SamE, and it is supported by literature.)

Without being too long winded, this is why Dr's tell you some people have thoughts of suicide and why a lot of people committ suicide.

That's why I don't take my Zoloft.

My unscientific study proves the best anti depressant is all natural & grows from the earth.

Lithium is all natural basic element of the periodic table and natural occurring mineral and it's why my brother can function as an international project manager as a cloud software architect and not having hallucinations of talking with god, the devil, jesus , buddah etc. when he was off of it. More bipolars could benefit but don't because it is literally dirt cheap dirt and drug companies aren't pushing it. No mood stabilizer compare to Lithium in terms of preventing the number one cause of death in bipolars, suicide. Lithium also has protection against Alzheimers, but the expensive alzheimer drug manufacturers don't want you to know that.

Although, he recently had gallbladder surgery and the anesthesia triggered his first mania in 7 yrs, and Zyprexa bought him down quickly within 10 days , then he came off of it and just stays on maintenance lithium since long term side effects of Zyprexa are atrocious.

Lithium is good, but the margin of error for toxic levels is very small. If people would follow protocol and have labs drawn accordingly, I don't see why it can't be used long term. Most of the old drugs like lithium or digoxin (heart medication) or Benadryl (antihistamine) have even proven for years to work. Drug makers are looking to make synthetic shit on the daily, but the side effects are not worth the risk. Case in point, MAOI's.

Originally Posted by djlance

Lithium is good, but the margin of error for toxic levels is very small. If people would follow protocol and have labs drawn accordingly, I don't see why it can't be used long term. Most of the old drugs like lithium or digoxin (heart medication) or Benadryl (antihistamine) have even proven for years to work. Drug makers are looking to make synthetic shit on the daily, but the side effects are not worth the risk. Case in point, MAOI's.

My bother has been on it over 15 years,without it, he would still be living homeless in L.A. as a insane vagrant, and yes, we make sure we check levels etc. which is why you can't get lithium salt over the counter ( at least in the U.S.) , since a doctor has to monitor it very closely.

Seroquel, Zyprexa, Abilfy are over 500 - 800 dollars a month, I use them,but only those with good insurance can afford them, they cause breast enlargement due to prolactinemia, metabolic syndrome, weight gain, dysthakathesia and dystonia etc, ( the latter can be permanent) . Unfortunately, most people would rather brave these atypical mood stabilizers than take Lithium due to all the bad press. They work great for my bipolars who take them in conjuction with antidepressants but I really have to monitor the weight gain, metabolic syndrom etc. I'd rather just monitor lithium which costs less than 4 dollars a month to fill and the blood levels run less than 50 bucks every trimester- quarterly checks.

Well you have the bad press plus the psychiatrist who are getting paid by Big Pharma to push and prescribe the newer drugs.

One sorry that always comes to mind is Andrea Yates. She was on Haldol and it was the only medication that actually made her "normal" (one word that we do not like to use in the medical field). She was a walking pharmacy when she wasn't on it. Needless to say, she went off of it and one of her many doctors didn't prescribe it again and well...she's in jail for drowning her five children

actually, in the psychiatrists defense, since haldol has the higest rate of tardive dyskinesia that is irreversible and neuroleptic malignant syndrome it is almost malpractice to use this agent long term without trying all other antipsycotics. We are told by our lawyers to not use it outside the hospital ( I use it on my inpatients in the hospital with great efficacy), however, I have seen 5 cases of neuroleptic malignant syndrome, ( they call us internists when a patient develops this)1 died, never want to see it again, they were in haldol patients ( especially after surgery) and one who was using an old antipsycotic, the newer atypicals can all cause it too but I have not seen it personally. It is horrible, akin to dying of rabies.....If this psychiatrist worked with even one haldol induced neuroleptic malignant syndrome, he probably never wanted to prescribe it again.

Originally Posted by bandaidwoman

actually, in the psychiatrists defense, since haldol has the higest rate of tardive dyskinesia that is irreversible and neuroleptic malignant syndrome it is almost malpractice to use this agent long term without trying all other antipsycotics. We are told by our lawyers to not use it outside the hospital ( I use it on my inpatients in the hospital with great efficacy), however, I have seen 5 cases of neuroleptic malignant syndrome, ( they call us internists when a patient develops this)1 died, never want to see it again, they were in haldol patients ( especially after surgery) and one who was using an old antipsycotic, the newer atypicals can all cause it too but I have not seen it personally. It is horrible, akin to dying of rabies.....If this psychiatrist worked with even one haldol induced neuroleptic malignant syndrome, he probably never wanted to prescribe it again.

I stand corrected then. I've never seen a patient with TD or NMS, a few of my classmates have though. Psych wasn't my favorite rotaiton and course

so you are also in the medical field? Physician, PA, NP, RN, Physical therapy, Paramedic?

Originally Posted by bandaidwoman

so you are also in the medical field? Physician, PA, NP, RN, Physical therapy, Paramedic?

Eventually I will "manage the symptoms of the disease", but I will not be able to "diagnose"