The Prozac-Cocaine Connection
The SSRI or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor was introduced as a ‘miracle’ drug that would greatly reduce the side effects of the previous class of tricyclic antidepressants with little or no downside. Unfortunately, the pharmaceutical companies are not telling the whole story.
Do Antidepressants Cure or Create Abnormal Brain States? (PLoS Medicine)
Editor's note: This is a technical article reprinted, with permission, from the PLoS Medicine Journal (a peer-reviewed, open-access medical journal that's bucking the system by daring to print the truth about drugs, depression and pharmaceuticals). This is not casual reading, but if you want to learn why the current brain chemistry model of depression pushed by psychiatrists and drug companies is flatly false, this is it.
The Brainwashing Of Our Doctors
In many instances doctor’s judgment has been compromised by the overwhelming one-sided education they are being given by the giant pharmaceutical conglomerates. The result is unnecessary medication use, poor outcomes and sometimes dangerous results for patients all to satisfy the drug company’s insatiable need to make a buck and keep their stock price up.
The Benefits Of Depression
Depression has a secret purpose and our medical interventions are making a bad situation even worse. We suffer — we suffer terribly — but we don’t suffer in vain. This NY Times article sheds light on why drugging away our sadness is actually harmful to us.
Michael Jackson, Demerol, and Prescription Drug Abuse
Did Michael Jackson die from a prescription drug overdose? As I write this it is barely 12 hours since the death of the "King of Pop" and rumors are circulating that there is a strong possibility an overdose of Demerol, a prescription pain killer similar to morphine might have triggered or caused his cardiac arrest.
Study Published in JAMA Finds Benefits of Antidepressants Out-Weigh Risks in Treating Pediatric Depression and Anxiety Disorders
Columbus, OH (Vocus) April 17, 2007 -- According to a new study, conducted by the Center for Innovation in Pediatric Practice (CIPP) at Columbus Children's Hospital and published in the April 18 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), there is more information for parents about the risks and benefits of antidepressant treatment for children with depression and anxiety disorders.
The Children's Hospital study found the overall benefits of antidepressants in treating pediatric major depressive disorder (MDD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and non-OCD anxiety disorders (ANX) in children 19-years-old and younger clearly out-weigh the risks of suicidal thoughts and attempts associated with these medications.
"Although our findings regarding suicidal thoughts and attempts are in the same direction as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) meta-analysis, we found a much lower overall risk and we added analyses of the potential benefit of these medications," said lead author Jeff Bridge, PhD, CIPP principal investigator and assistant professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. "This is good news for parents because it gives them more information for discussions with their family's physician about their child's treatment options."
The study found that for every 100 children and adolescents younger than 19 years who were treated with antidepressants for MDD, OCD and ANX, about one child would have thoughts of suicide or attempt suicide beyond the risk associated with the condition itself. The FDA study, which included seven fewer trials, found that for every 100 patients, approximately two would be expected to have suicidal thoughts or attempt suicide beyond the anticipated risks due to short-term treatment with antidepressants.
"Our findings mean that antidepressants should be considered as a first-line treatment option for pediatric depression and anxiety disorders, with the recognition that these medications are more effective for anxiety disorders, including OCD, and modestly effective for MDD," said Bridge.
Bridge said the study also looked at whether the effectiveness of antidepressants was influenced by age. The only antidepressant effective in treating depression in children younger than 12 years was fluoxetine (PROZAC). In children 12 years or older, several antidepressants were effective in treating depression.
Data for the study were collected from a meta-analysis of published and unpublished randomized, controlled and clinical trial reports looking at both the benefits and risks of antidepressants in treating children and adolescents younger than 19 years for MDD, OCD and ANX.
"We recognize that there are other therapies, aside from antidepressants, to treat pediatric depression and anxiety disorders including psychotherapies," said Bridge. "While there is a small overall increased risk of suicidal thoughts and attempts with antidepressants, the risk-benefit ratio appears favorable."
Bridge's study collaborators are currently with the University of Pittsburgh, Columbia University, the RAND Corporation and the University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland.
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