Wow...hm. *shrug*

http://depression.about.com/b/2008/02/26/antidepressants-dont-work-says-study.htm

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Antidepressants work no better than a placebo for most patients, according to a new study which is the first ever to include unpublished data in its analysis.

The new study, led by Irving Kirsch from the Department of Psychology at the University of Hull, examined both published and unpublished clinical trials submitted to gain licensing for the popular drugs Prozac (fluoxetine), Effexor (venlafaxine) and Paxil (paroxetine).

What Kirsch's team found was shocking. When the unpublished trials were included in the analysis, the drugs performed little better than placebo, suggesting that the drug makers had cherry-picked the best results to make their drugs appear more effective that they really are.

"Given these results there seems little reason to prescribe antidepressant medication to any but the most severely depressed patients, unless alternative treatments have failed," said Kirsch. "The difference in improvement between patients taking placebos and patients taking antidepressants is not very great."

Kirsch further stated that the study "raises serious issues that need to be addressed surrounding drug licensing and how drug trial data is reported."

A related article was recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine which reported a strong bias against publishing studies with unfavorable outcomes.

Kirsch's study appears in the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Medicine.

I take an anti convulsive for depression and it most definitely works. I have been on almost all the SSRIs and they don't work for me neither did most of the antidepressants labeled as such. I was diagnosed with severe depression, when I was 16 and Bi-Polar type 2 at age 41. I didn't read the study but I believe the placebo effect is very powerful. I wish it was that easy with me but it is not and I do need something. Lamictal which is not an antidepressant does work for me on depression and the others never did. I have been on at least 15 different antidepressants probably more. Could be why they never helped is because they don't work..

I read this story myself. Never did favor psychotropic medication to tell you the truth. Numerous international studies are done on pre>

I overheard a rep. from a pharmaceutical co. telling a doc to try this new med on his patients instead of what he had been using. This sounded like a legal drug deal to me. I have also heard they get big kickbacks when they get a certain number of patients on brand name new meds. Like trips to the Bahamas, and other vacations. Weather its true I don't know but I left my last doc because he was always trying to get me on this or that new med. After I got off all the crap he had me on I had found a new doc where the less meds you are on the better. She is very good about less is best. This was a total reverse of my last doc.
I don't think pharmaceutical companies should be able to advertise. I bet if they did a study on how many people were on meds before the ads and after it would be an incredible increase. Just seems like our society is giving up on practicing medicine and becoming drug pushers. I couldn't tell you the number of people who's lives were made worse by the meds some of the docs put them on.

Hmmmmm.........

Set this study alongside the one that came out a couple years back that said people who take antidepressant's are more likely to commit suicide. WTF, people? If they're not effective how is it that they cause people to off themselves?

My personal opinion is that it depends on who's paying for the research what the results will be. It leaves the consumer in a state of total confusion if he listens to it all, which is all the more reason to ask lots of questions of more than one Doc and do a lot of personal research.

Lots of love,

John

I am skeptical about this most recent research. While it is a meta-analysis, it is one paper and it goes against what is reported in a lot of other research and the experiences of very many patients.

While I believe one should approach life in general with some degree of skepticism, I find the anti-psychiatric-camp to be at least as guilty of propaganda and half-truths as pharmaceutical companies are claimed to be (and may indeed be). The truth probably somewhere between the extreme points.

I don't think psychiatric drugs are a panacea for everything. However, for these researchers to say, "Given these results there seems little reason to prescribe antidepressant medication to any but the most severely depressed patients, unless alternative treatments have failed," seems quite reckless to me.

Me and (pro)Zac-hary are good buddies and I don't intend to leave him.

I was skeptical too but, he really made a difference for me.

They have always worked for me, some better than others

Well,

I did not try an of the three most popular drugs, but I take a small dose of Zoloft. My T said it is the safest one.

I don't know either about suicide effects.

I find myself more active while on antidepressants, but my thougths don't become lighter. I just feel easier about doing things.

Alexey

i just read the article and am somewhat disturbed. ms. nancy, the author, only provided the negative regarding anti-depressants and it almost comes across as fact. but hey, i'm no journalist.

i've tried effexor and it seemed to work for me but i had to drop that quickly due to the sexual side effects. now i'm on wellbutrin xl 300mgs but can't tell if it works or not.

philip