Antidepressant meta-study sheds light, or dark, depending Posted by Daniela at 03/24/08 05:06 PM

A really long time ago, Aristotle said, “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” We all want happiness in our lives. Millions of us take antidepressants because our doctors tell us they may help. In fact, antidepressants were the most prescribed drug in 2007, and adult use of antidepressants rose nearly 50% between 1995 and 2002 (most recent stats.) These high rates suggest these pills might actually work, right?

Maybe not. Last month PLoS published a meta-analysis on antidepressants that found little difference between SSRIs (includes Prozac, Effexor, Serzone, and Paxil) and placebos except among very severely depressed patients, a response the researchers attribute to reduced placebo response rather than to the drug’s efficacy.

The researchers conclude that there is little reason to prescribe new-generation antidepressant medications to any but the most severely depressed patients unless alternative treatments have been ineffective.

The researchers used both published and unpublished clinical trial data filed with the FDA. This tidbit is important since we learned in January that drug companies weren’t publishing unfavorable studies on antidepressants.

Unfortunately this PLoS study has received very limited U.S. media attention (not to ignore this), but I think the millions of people swallowing these medications would want to know if they’re actually backed by science and doctors should demand no less. This antidepressant-placebo debate has been going on for a while, and if anything, this study shows the need for continued oversight of these relatively new and powerful drugs.

In 2003, drug companies spent $3.2 billion on direct-to-consumer ads for antidepressants; ads which, according to Dr. Matthew Hollon from the University of Washington, Seattle, “provide a minimal amount of health information, describe the benefits in vague, qualitative terms, and rarely offer evidence to support claims.”

Some people found flaws in this meta-study, so feel free to share your opinion here.

comments (3)

1 Posted by Marianne at 03/27/08 03:13 PM

Wow, I must be in the really severly depressed category. I started taking anti-depressants after years of therapy, changing diet, exercise etc.
My husband joked that I was the Prozac "poster child" because anti-depressants made such a huge difference in my ability to function at a high level on a regular basis.
I switched from Prozac to Wellbutrin-bad experience, and then to Effexor XR and have had excellent results.
If I forget to take the medication for a day or two I start feeling very weird and depressed...

2 Posted by Ellen Chmiel at 03/27/08 10:10 PM

For almost 40 years I've been on some sort of antidepressant and they've changed my life. I've been off all of them twice for two weeks and became weepy, bothered by everything, plus insomnia all the time & got on them as fast as possible. Once I aborted a double blind study because lack of sleep made me a danger driving, as well as impairing my judgment. But 800 numbers for comments to drug companies should be prominently listed.

3 Posted by Jacquie at 03/29/08 10:59 AM

Ellen,
Thank you for writing. I now realize I'm not alone when trying to get off anti-depressants. Within two weeks, I'm totally miserable and contemplating suicide, and that's just not me. I take antidepressants to make me "normal". I could not function without them.