Posted by 49er on April 21, 2008, at 17:26:09
In reply to They just don't work. FACT., posted by Betula on April 16, 2008, at 11:51:18
For those you not familiar with my story, I am a long term user of antidepressants who started tapering off of my meds in 2006 due to developing horrific side effects. Withdrawal hasn't been easy even doing it very slowly but I definitely feel alot better. I wanted to respond to the various issues that were raised.
Effectiveness - Lar, I am going to even attempt to refute you on Kirsh's studies because I would lose big time <smile>. However, the Star-D study revealed a 33% success rate which isn't exactly stellar. Some researchers were even mentioning a lower rate but to be fair, I will leave at at the 33% rate.
On the National Institute of Mental Health Website, it states a 50% success rate for a 50% reduction of symptoms. If you're going for complete remission, the success rate is even lower.
If those figures were alot higher, than I might think Kirsh was off target. But in light of that fact they aren't and because of the arguments presented by Linkage and Betula, I definitely agree with him.
I also think effectiveness has a different meaning for everyone.
Some might say they were effective for me. But as Betula mentioned about SSRIS, these meds made me so apathetic that I let so many things slide in my life. But what is scarier is I didn't realize what these meds were doing until I started tapering.Jealousy - I am not jealous at all of people whose meds work. To be honest, I am thankful everyday that I saw the light on what these meds were doing to me before it was too late. I suffered a mild to moderate hearing loss from Remeron, tinnitus, memory loss, executive function problems, and worsening in general of LD symptoms.
I have read on other boards that people would still chose meds for a good quality of life even if they knew there were be horrific side effects down the road. Well, in the 12 years, I was on meds, I really only had 1.5 great years. So I don't feel that is a reasonable trade-off.
Relapses - I hate to sound like broken record but in my opinion, which is backed by the registered nurse who runs the Paxil Progress Boards, most withdrawal symptoms are commonly confused as a relapse. Doctors unintentionally advocate a way too fast tapering system.
Whether I am a bad influence and discouraging people - To quote Bob, Don't necessarily believe everything you hear. Your mileage may vary. The only posts I take responsibility for are my own.
Obviously, everyone on this board has to make up their own mind what works for them. But please don't accuse me of being a troll because I chose a different path. We all want the same thing even if we go about it differently.
49er
poster:49er
thread:823248
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080420/msgs/824627.html