Posted by Philidor on September 19, 2004, at 16:32:56
In reply to Re: Emotionally Flat on Paxil - is Lexapro Better? » Philidor, posted by zeugma on September 18, 2004, at 20:25:35
Yes, zeug, you're right. I'm sure it is a coincidence. I get so cynical sometimes.
But correct me if I'm wrong. I seem to recall that the SSRI's were originally introduced as wonderful IMPROVEMENTS over the old fashioned trycylics---you know, faster, safer, more effective, fewer and milder side effects?
Now, 20 some years later, have ANY of these claims been validated?
On the contrary, wasn't there a study a few years ago, a big one that caused quite a stir, that indicated that the SSRIs were NO more effective than the TCAs for depression and were in fact SUPERIOR to them for SEVERE depression?
Side effects? Well the TCA's did have those anticholinergic effects (dry mouth, drowsiness, difficulty taking a wee). More nuisances than big problems, as I remember.
But thanks to the SSRIs we can say goodbye to all that, and hello to SEXUAL dysfunction(impotence, loss of libido, anorgasmia) and that's just the most common SE (around 40% of patients, I think it is.)
And the SSRI "discontinuation effects"? Guess they forgot to tell us about those. With the TCAs, the only discontinuation effects were losing the side effects. The worst that could happen, if you foolishly ignored your doctor and stopped them suddenly, was that your depression would bounce back, and you'd be right back where you were(dummy!).
But there were none of these nightmarish withdrawal syndromes that we're seeing with the SSRIs. Websites and forums devoted to them are all over the net. Often they read like scenes from Edgar Allen Poe or Steven King.
And what you've gotta love, it's that many of these very people who've been burned by these dangerous drugs just CAN'T WAIT to try the latest one!
What can you say? Guess Barnum was right. EOM
poster:Philidor
thread:392244
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040915/msgs/392691.html