depression: Does It Get Treated By Zoloft And Other SSRIs?

In the 1990s, a warm welcome was provided for Zoloft and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) mainly for its ability to treat symptoms of depression with lesser side effects. For the treatment of major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder and other related conditions, about 30 million Americans were prescribed with Zoloft (Sertraline) in 2007. Indeed, the SSRIs became a lifesaving option for persons suffering the life-limiting consequences of depression.

The Pfizer-manufactured Zoloft and other SSRIs have been associated by several studies for the past 10 years to increasing the risk of infants to birth defects especially those whose mothers were treated with the drug during pregnancy. Users of this drug have tried to contact a Zoloft birth defect lawyer to try to recover compensation for the defects this drug allegedly cause. The success of Zoloft and other SSRIs cannot be dimmed by these studies, therefore, these medications may successfully treat depression but not during pregnancy.

The marketing tactics employed by big pharmaceuticals to sell their antidepressant pills to both prescribers and consumers further confuse the issue surrounding SSRIs. The lengths that pharmaceuticals take forces the question “Are antidepressant medications really effective or are they no better than placebos?”

In a book by Irving Kirsch titled The Emperor’s New drugs: Exploding the Antidepressant Myth, drug companies must submit to the food and Drug Administration (FDA) all clinical trials they have sponsored in seeking approval to market a new drug.The trials are usually double-blind and placebo-controlled. Two trials showing that the drug is effective than the placebo would merit approval.But companies may sponsor as many trials as they like, most of which could be negative—that is, fail to show effectiveness. All they need is two positive ones.

According to Kirsch, there are often many more trials than just the two positive ones needed to get approval but drug companies are not required to publish or otherwise make known the negative trial results. Including the unpublished trial data with the report that there are only modest benefits of the antidepressant medication over the placebo as based on the meta-analyses, the benefit of the drug falls below accepted criteria for clinical significance.

Psychoactive drugs should not be taken as the best and often the only treatment for mental illness or emotional distress. {Both psychotherapy and exercise have been shown to be as effective as drugs for depression and their effects are longer-lasting, but unfortunately, there is no industry to push these alternatives. Alternatives such as psychotherapy and exercise have shown to be as effective as antidepressants and even have longer-lasting effect, however, both are not being pushed by industries.

It is not the best pill but a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, or other trained professional who will listen and then hear and respond to a patient’s unique story, which is the most important in mental health.
Modafinil and ADHD

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