Posted by MB on July 7, 2003, at 18:49:30
In reply to ADs and placebo response: article series., posted by Larry Hoover on July 4, 2003, at 22:13:42
The last doctor to prescribe an antidepressant for me told me that "if I didn't believe the medication would work, that it wouldn't." I remember thinking, "so, in other words, this is a placebo..." If I have to believe that the drug is going to work for it to work, that seems a little "off". I mean, part of my depression is chronic, unremitting pessimism. Isn't that a symptom the drug is meant to correct? If I could pull myself up by my bootstraps and say, "Oh Boy, Yeseree Bob, I am just *so* hopeful now that I am starting this new medication," then I probably wouldn't need the medication in the first place. I mean, if the drug really worked, it would work whether I believed in it or not, right? From a cognative-behavioral therapist's perspective, I guess it *is* plausable for a person to talk themselves into a deeper depression (negative, self talk, etc.), but isn't such negative self talk a *symptom* of depression that the drug is meant to correct. The idea that a symptom of my depression (pessimism) could talk my medication into not working just baffles me. I mean, if someone is in physical pain, they don't need to believe that morphine works...it just friggin works. Ever hear of a diabetic who went into shock because they stopped believing that the insulin would work?
These articles have angered me. None of the SSRIs have been of much use for me. In fact, they all seem to work well *immediately* (which isn't supposed to happen) until the side effects subside, and then the depression returns. This, to me, suggests very strongly a placebo effect. Except, this isn't the only effect. There is the weight gain, chronic fatigue, apathy, and tic disorder that seem to last no matter how long I "adjust" to the medication.
I would like to see similar meta-analysis done on the other generations of medications (tricyclics and MAO inhibitors). I'm starting to wonder if this SSRI stuff is just BOGUS.
Plus, getting off of them is hell. Take it from someone who has gone through "real" withdrawal (heroin): SSRI "discontinuation" is a heavy deal; it, too, is a "real" withdrawal that is right up there with the best of them.
Those articles really ticked me off. No wonder I've been on this drug merry-go-round for 11 years...THEY DON'T WORK. Well, at least the Lex isn't working, because I feel like breaking something. The Klonopin should kick in soon, that's good. I don't have to believe in *it* for it to work. It just works.
grumpily yours,
MB
poster:MB
thread:239351
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030701/msgs/239943.html