Posted by Netch on February 26, 2008, at 4:48:17
"According to new research from Britain, new generation anti-depressants could be for many patients a waste of time and money and offer little clinical benefit.
Scientists from Hull University carried out an analysis of a 47 clinical trials involving five thousand patients with depression and found that most widely-prescribed anti-depressants work little better than dummy pills.The antidepressants - Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) - which were studied included Prozac, Seroxat and Efexor and were found to be little more effective than placebos in improving the mental health in the majority of cases.
The new research found that the most widely prescribed anti-depressant pills are ineffective and only in the most extreme cases of depression did the tablets prove substantially superior in improving mental health.
Lead researcher Professor Irving Kirsch says the difference in improvement between patients taking placebos and patients taking anti-depressants is not very great, which means that depressed people can improve without chemical treatments."
http://www.news-medical.net/?id=35583
/Netch
poster:Netch
thread:814746
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080221/msgs/814746.html