Posted by Alan on February 16, 2002, at 13:12:15
In reply to Re: Elements of addiction » jay, posted by Bob on February 16, 2002, at 12:04:39
> What about how the antidepressants kill your sex drive, turns off your most basic and beautiful desire and ability to enjoy a healthy sex life? Never mind the side effects AND the costs. People being sexually shut-off by a drug, raises some MAJOR moral and ethical questions, yet people believe it because and doctors dish these new "wonderdrugs" out.
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> Benzodiazepines are fine for pure anxiety disorders, but if a person has significant depression along with that, benzos don't have antidepressant effects as far as I know.
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Actually, there have been several studies that show xanax hasa mild antidepressant effect.But more importantly I think is whether anxiety is causing the depression or the other way around. This sounds simplistic and is in a way but many find that the chronic symptoms of anxiety depress them. When the anx. is releived, the depression is alleviated soon afterwards.
This is one of the problems of treating with ssri's. One is less likely be able to diagnose by "listening to the drug" (or one's reaction to it) if it is designed to treat both at once. That's why those that have chronic, more pronounced symptoms of anxiety usually end up on an equal amount of BZD's to take away the remaining anxiety or panic that ssri's don't cover but unfortunately, with all of the side effects that go with the ssri too.
BZD monotherapy for those with mixed anx/depress. often works wonders. I personally came to the conclusion that after years of combos that included both types of drugs to just tell my doc, "hey - you'd be depressed too if you were under the thumb of so much constant anxiety!".
Being the pragmatist that he was thankfully, we went with BZD monotherapy for a month and the depression (which was quite sever at times) simply vanished.
Alan
poster:Alan
thread:94336
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020215/msgs/94423.html