Antidepressants Increase Death Rate

Marlene, thanks for this depressing but not altogether surprising find (I am neither depressed nor on anti-depressants, but have friends who are both....) Chris

Marlene, thanks for bringing up a pertinent topic.

According to "60 Minutes", there is literally 1% or 2% difference between placebo and serotonin uptake inhibitor anti-depressants in EFFECTIVENESS. That includes Paxil, Proxac, Lexapro, and several other lucrative me-too drugs. You might as well take a sugar pill.

Imminent researchers from Harvard, Brown, and other universities recently discovered the pharma companies CHERRY-PICKED THE POSITIVE STUDIES to get their snake oil approved by FDA. These researchers question the whole premise of depression being a matter of "serotonin" in the brain as an "oversimplification." These drugs might work because your mind WANTS them to work; not because of any chemical process.

Most studies showed no advantage, in mild to moderate depression in taking these "medications". In Britain, the NHS did their own studies and found a) there was no statistical benefit and b) the side affects were consistently understated by the drug companies. So they do not prescribe them, and they sure as hell don't pay the typical American pharmaceutical prices. (We are still the only western country that pays exactly what the drug companies ask for.)

Oh yeah. The drug companies make 11.2 billion dollars off of this snake oil. Per year.

I wouldn't be so exercised by all of this; except for the fact EVERYTIME I have to see a new doctor, the first thing they do is push me hard to take these worthless meds. I would charitable and say they are hoping for a placebo benefit in my ME/CFS; but I rather think that many want to satisfy a drug rep who is visiting them every day with samples of the last SSRI bogus junk.