Antidepressant Drugs Don't Help?

A new study doubts the effectiveness of antidepressant drugs. Antidepressant medications appear to help only very severely depressed people and work no better than placebos in many patients, British researchers said on Monday.

Researchers reviewed a series of studies, both published and unpublished, on four antidepressants examining the question of whether a person's response to these drugs hinged on how depressed they were before getting treatment.

The drugs involved were Prozac, Effexor, Paxil, and Serzone, which are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs.

The researchers found that compared with placebo, these new-generation antidepressant medications did not yield clinically significant improvements in depression in patients who initially had moderate or even very severe depression. The study found that significant benefits occurred only in the most severely depressed patients.

The researchers obtained data on all the clinical trials submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the licensing of the four drugs.

Not everyone is accepting the outcome of this study as the truth. Mary Ann Rhyne, a spokeswoman for Paxil maker GSK, said the study only looked at data submitted prior to the drug's U.S. approval. "The authors have failed to acknowledge the very positive benefit these treatments have provided to patients and their families who are dealing with depression and they are at odds with what has been seen in actual clinical practice," Rhyne said.

Whether or not the drugs are effective for treating depression, it is important to know that there are other, natural treatments available to help. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs have been treating depression and other emotional disorders for centuries, and without risk of side effects.

posted by Jessica Silver, MAOM, L.Ac.

Aiyana Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs