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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Bob on January 9, 2008, at 15:24:57
Does anyone know of any significant data on long term antidepressant use? I talking real world long term here, as in rest-of-life type treatment.
It seems to me that if a treatment resistant sufferer finally found something livable, he or she would need to remain on it for years, and possibly decades. Is there data on that people who've been stable on a treatment for decades, how they're doing, and what type of physical and mental issues might develop?
To me, the typical 3 month duration of FDA approved studies is not applicable to the real world and I've heard of no studies other than STAR*D that address the long term. One scary aspect of STAR*D is how many people dropped out.
Posted by bleauberry on January 9, 2008, at 18:11:46
In reply to Long Term AD data?, posted by Bob on January 9, 2008, at 15:24:57
I think data longer than 1 or 2 years is not there. Even those 1 to 2 year maintenance continuation studies are very few.
The best data I've seen is real world stuff by real people at various websites where people rate their meds. I would say, roughly, maybe 10% of people continue to do well on their med for a very long time, like 10 to 18 years. Whether it be zoloft, nortriptyline, nardil, or whatever, there is a small minority of people who just stay well indefinitely as long as they stay on their med and don't change the dose and don't change the manufacturer of their med in the case of generic.
The other 90%, rough estimate, ran into poopout or other life problems anywhere from 3 months to 8 years, with a general trend for about 3 years. I haven't studied the responses, I am just going by rough memory of the hundreds of posts I looked at.
Posted by Bob on January 9, 2008, at 20:01:56
In reply to Re: Long Term AD data?, posted by bleauberry on January 9, 2008, at 18:11:46
> I think data longer than 1 or 2 years is not there. Even those 1 to 2 year maintenance continuation studies are very few.
>
> The best data I've seen is real world stuff by real people at various websites where people rate their meds. I would say, roughly, maybe 10% of people continue to do well on their med for a very long time, like 10 to 18 years. Whether it be zoloft, nortriptyline, nardil, or whatever, there is a small minority of people who just stay well indefinitely as long as they stay on their med and don't change the dose and don't change the manufacturer of their med in the case of generic.
>
> The other 90%, rough estimate, ran into poopout or other life problems anywhere from 3 months to 8 years, with a general trend for about 3 years. I haven't studied the responses, I am just going by rough memory of the hundreds of posts I looked at.
I can think of no one I know, or have personally heard of, who has stayed on one med for more than a few years. There is one case I know of a person who was on an AD for a few years (I think it was Paxil) and then switched to Zoloft, which they've been on for about 4 years maybe. That's a very long time IMO. The switch was somewhat traumatic for them.
Posted by Phillipa on January 9, 2008, at 23:39:07
In reply to Re: Long Term AD data? » bleauberry, posted by Bob on January 9, 2008, at 20:01:56
Valium 35 years but not working last year the way it did before. Ad wise luvox low dose for about ll years but I have never had a remission except for the valium before thyroid problems. love Phillipa
This is the end of the thread.
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