Antidepressants

[seanpdx]

My interest is merely to promote a more solid evidence-based understanding of this than what advertisements and anecdotal evidence would have you believe. I think it's worth knowing that the scientific basis for a lot of the antidepressant claims are not clear-cut by any means.

Newsweek is not a peer-reviewed medical journal. If you would like to delve into a more solid evidence-based understanding, one good starting point would be google scholar (scholar.google.com). I had surprisingly good luck searching for research articles on neurochemistry. Not all hits will direct you to free sites -- some require subscriptions/payment/etc -- but many sites do have full pdf articles for free. Be prepared for very big words, lots of hyphens, and the general appearance of a monkey hitting a keyboard. =D

[PeterB]

The reference to generalisation was in response to your saying that anti depressants dont do anything fancy. If by fancy you mean in complexity or subtlety you are correct. However for the right subject the results can occasionally be fairly dramatic, which could be described as fancy. The problem might lie in the subjective nature of the term " fancy" in this context.

[seanpdx]

The reference to generalisation was in response to your saying that anti depressants dont do anything fancy. If by fancy you mean in complexity or subtlety you are correct. However for the right subject the results can occasionally be fairly dramatic, which could be described as fancy. The problem might lie in the subjective nature of the term " fancy" in this context.

Ahhh. Ok, I see. You didn't specify which part you were responding to, so I figured it was sort of a "general" response.

By "not fancy", I meant they don't do anything that the brain cannot do without the support of exogenous drugs. I was speaking strictly in terms of neurochemical activity, not in terms of the result, which can indeed be quite dramatic!

[PeterB]

[EricJ]

Have any of you guys heard of, taken or known anyone who has taken St. John's wort?

[nschauer]

Are you on them and questioning the value of them? Has someone recommended you take them? I'm not sure what the purpose of this inquiry is. I find the article as unscientific as it claims the studies of anti-depressants are. It is well known that different antidepressants work for different people - but I suppose that is anecdotal evidence. Psychological research is an oxymoron. Nevertheless, many people rely on Zoloft, Wellbutrin and other anti-depressant drugs. The article seems to infer that all these folks are just fools. Research results can be twisted any way you want to twist them. Thus, I suggest anecdotal experiences may be the most valid form of information.

[catmoon]

Something no one seems to be paying attention to is that many people who use SRIs have been on an number of them at different times. They presumably hunt around until they find one that works well. Now, if you run a study by dosing people with, say, Effexor, and it only works for, say 10% of the people but works really well for them, the effect is liable to be lost in the noise. Ask any shrink and he'll tell you there is a lot of trial and error going on with the new drugs.

This completely confounds standard study methodology - doesn't it?


Besides, the main effect, in my experience, is to eliminate the worst of the low periods completely. I never heard of anyone taking these meds that reported an immediate sense of well-being, and so would not expect that. Then there are measurement problems - depressives are notably horrendously bad at gauging their own mood levels. Family members will easily notice changes the depressive never even notices. So how do you measure results? Self reporting?


I think we are very far away from any usable information on the topic.

[robertk]

as effective?

http://www.whitemagic.ca/spell/Spell-Fo ... ssion.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Items needed:

White candle (non-dripless variety)

Kunzite or blue agate

Black marker with wide felt tip

Lemon Balm

Lemon oil (the kind used for furniture polish is fine)

Cloth pouch

Begin by allpletely coloring the candle black with the marker to symbolize the

depression that presently encases you. Light the candle and say:

Flame cut through depression deep,

Melt it down and make it weep.

Grant me power to re-emerge,

From its grip, I leap and surge.

Watch the candle burn until white wax appears at the flame.

Rub a bit of lemon oil into the flame and say:

Kunzite/agate, stone of mellow hue,

Dissolve this depression, I beg of you.
Place the stone and herb in the cloth pouch and carry it with you.

When your spirits need a lift, re-anoint the stone and repeat its empowerment chant.

[altar]

http://www.askapatient.com/

I recommend people to use this website for information on psychiatric drugs.
You can get thousands of user reports, often for a single drug, in a short-description list format that is very easy to browse. In addition each user rates the drug from 1-5. It seems most anti-depressants, and all of the popular ones, are averaged at 2.9-3.5. Link: http://www.askapatient.com/classreport. ... EPRESSANTS
I have mentioned it here before but I did not get the feeling most people browsed.
I have more experience with anti-psychotics however what I have read about anti-depressants is not very good.
I have heard of a study indicating that not only is there less a chance for feeling better than placebos, but less a chance than someone who is taking nothing at all.
Users state the reason they are taking it, side effects, additional comments, dosages, gender, date, and age, and you can order the list according to any of those.