I would say becoming "happy" when the circumstances of your life would and should make any right-minded person unhappy is a pretty extreme side-effect.
Extreme side-effects of antidepressants
11–20 of 99 posts
Re: Extreme side-effects of antidepressants
#12Earlier quoted context omitted.
Since there's a possibility people will try this, the linked article states that the benefits usually only last until the patient falls asleep. This isn't a practical treatment strategy right now, although it is interesting scientifically. If you have depression I'd urge you to take the advice of a medical professional rather than attempting to self-treat.
According to the original article taking the advice of a medical professional could be much more dangerous. Missing a night of sleep seems to horrify some people but it's quite safe. Just don't operate heavy machinery. But thanks for the safety lesson.
We know that sleep deprivation increases risk of attempted suicide and death by suicide.
We also know that sleep hygiene helps fix sleep problems.
"Skipping a night of sleep" isn't compatible with sleep hygiene.
In general suggesting made up bollocks to "treat" an illness which is potentially fatal isn't a good idea.
Re: Extreme side-effects of antidepressants
#13Dr. Peter C Gøtzsche: Psychiatry gone astray.
Re: Extreme side-effects of antidepressants
#14I would say becoming "happy" when the circumstances of your life would and should make any right-minded person unhappy is a pretty extreme side-effect.
Then, even if we assume your base framing to be valid, you'd be blatantly misunderstanding the purpose for which people take these drugs and/or the definition of side-effect.
Re: Extreme side-effects of antidepressants
#15Skipping a night of sleep is a better way to combat depression. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-sleep-depriva... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7362414
Funnily enough, the moment I decided to see a doctor about my depression was when I was waiting for a bus to uni one morning after being unable to sleep all night and desperately wanted to walk into the traffic and be done with it all. So, YMMV.
Re: Extreme side-effects of antidepressants
#16Some thoughts from someone who's been prescribed anti depressants in adolescence but never took them because I believed the doctor misdiagnosed: * Do these drugs genuinely help or is it just a strong placebo response? * If the anecdotal evidence increases the odds from 1 in 100 to 1 in 4, would this be considered normal in medicine? Of course the symptoms could be attributed to the wrong thing here but they sound pre…
The SSRIs have always been controversial. Some studies claim they're rarely more effective than placebos, but more often than not they're effective enough with a pretty safe profile, this article not withstanding.
The safe profile is one of the reasons they're probably over prescribed, along with the high profitability. Many doctors give them out like candy, even though many people probably don't suffer from the physiological ailments that the drugs target.
There is little debate, though, on the statistical efficacy of the older (less profitable, off patent) tricyclics and especially MAOI class of drugs. Unfortunately, the side effects of these drugs are far more serious. Most GPs will not even prescribe them, as only psychiatrists will have experience. But for someone with lifelong treatment resistant depression, they can be a God-send.
Asd as far as barbaric, realize that the most effective treatment for depression is still electric shock therapy.
Re: Extreme side-effects of antidepressants
#17SSRI drugs (sold as 'anti-depressants') have always been known to cause suicide ideation... While they do seem to help some people, it is now known that this is because of the drugs' effects on the neurosteroids [1], NOT because of 'increased serotonin'. Anti-serotonin drugs (LSD, various MAOIs, etc) are much more effective anti-depressants. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroactive_steroid#Role_in_an... There ar…
There's no doubt that antidepressants are more of an art than a science, and that they are not the silver bullet the pharmaceutical companies claim.
But trying to say they're all bad because they didn't work on your girlfriend, whom appears to have had some serious issues long before using an SSRIs, is disingenuous.
There are millions of people who are helped with SSRIs, and even some who'd long ago have been dead were it not for the use of MAOIs and others that work when absolutely nothing else will.
But I do agree that SSRIs can have powerful effects, and they're over prescribed to the general population which demands easy solutions to tough problems.
Re: Extreme side-effects of antidepressants
#18Some thoughts from someone who's been prescribed anti depressants in adolescence but never took them because I believed the doctor misdiagnosed: * Do these drugs genuinely help or is it just a strong placebo response? * If the anecdotal evidence increases the odds from 1 in 100 to 1 in 4, would this be considered normal in medicine? Of course the symptoms could be attributed to the wrong thing here but they sound pre…
Antidepressants in general work. However they have a range of side effects and efficacy profiles depending on the person.
Then have saved far more lives they they have killed. So no I don't think we will be negatively looking back at this era.
Re: Extreme side-effects of antidepressants
#19SSRI drugs (sold as 'anti-depressants') have always been known to cause suicide ideation... While they do seem to help some people, it is now known that this is because of the drugs' effects on the neurosteroids [1], NOT because of 'increased serotonin'. Anti-serotonin drugs (LSD, various MAOIs, etc) are much more effective anti-depressants. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroactive_steroid#Role_in_an... There ar…
Making blanket generalisations when it comes to mental health is extremely reckless and misinformed. There are lots of SSRIs and their interactions will manifest differently in each person.
Doctors aren't in the business to kill people. SSRI do save lives. We just know they kill a tonne of people as well.
Re: Extreme side-effects of antidepressants
#20Some thoughts from someone who's been prescribed anti depressants in adolescence but never took them because I believed the doctor misdiagnosed: * Do these drugs genuinely help or is it just a strong placebo response? * If the anecdotal evidence increases the odds from 1 in 100 to 1 in 4, would this be considered normal in medicine? Of course the symptoms could be attributed to the wrong thing here but they sound pre…
The SSRIs have always been controversial. Some studies claim they're rarely more effective than placebos, but more often than not they're effective enough with a pretty safe profile, this article not withstanding. The safe profile is one of the reasons they're probably over prescribed, along with the high profitability. Many doctors give them out like candy, even though many people probably don't suffer from the phys…
In the UK they don't give them out like candy. Are you talking about US doctors?