Major Study Ignores the Real Truth About Taking Antidepressants

A recent questionable Oxford-led review published in The Lancet  concluded that antidepressants work and that doctors should prescribe  the drugs to millions more patients. Should this research put to rest  the debate over the medications’ efficacy and safety? According to some  experts, the answer is an emphatic no.

David Healy, Professor of Psychiatry at Bangor University, told the Daily Mail  the authors exaggerated the drugs’ benefits and ignored the harms. He  said the review monitored the responses of patients after eight weeks  but failed to investigate the long-term side effects. Healy added that  some of the clinical trials included in the review had been funded by  pharmaceutical companies, which is a conflict of interest that could  have influenced the findings.

 Antidepressants aren’t harmless drugs. These medications come with a host of side effects including agitation, disabling anxiety, stroke, increased risk of bone fractures and an array of other ills. In rare cases, they can also cause homicidal and suicidal thoughts and behavior.

Do Antidepressants Correct Chemical Imbalances?

Most of the drugs included in the Oxford review work by raising level of serotonin,  a neurotransmitter. For decades, low serotonin levels have been thought  to be a cause of depression. This belief is a part of the chemical  imbalance theory, which claims the disorder is due to too much or too  little of certain brain chemicals.

The Washington Post reported that Lauren Slater, author of Blue Dreams,  a book chronicling the history of psychiatric drug discovery, said the  evidence supporting the role of neurotransmitters in depression is  scarce. She noted that many people with low serotonin don’t have  depression and pointed out that the medical community doesn’t actually  know what a balanced brain chemistry looks like.

Healy shares Slater’s opinion that neurotransmitters don’t play a key role in depression. In an editorial published in the BMJ in  2015, Healy said the concept that depression is caused by an imbalance  in serotonin, which is corrected by a class of antidepressants, is a  myth originating from the marketing campaigns of pharmaceutical  companies.  

 

Antidepressants Increase Risk of Early Death

A 2017 review published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics  examined 16 studies comprised of 375,000 participants. In the general  population, it found people taking antidepressants had a 33-percent  higher risk of early death compared to those not taking the drugs.  Moreover, antidepressant users were 14-percent more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. 

 The authors explained that the neurotransmitters, such as serotonin,  that antidepressants disrupt have important functions all over the body —  not just the brain. Consequently, the adverse effects of these  serotonin-altering drugs can contribute to the risk of early death in  various ways. 

What Is the Solution for Depression?

Two  natural agents help relieve depression, but instead of producing side  effects, they have side benefits. A 2014 study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that a highly absorbable form of curcumin may relieve major depression and was found to be as effective as the antidepressant Prozac in doing so.

Other studies provide strong evidence that sticking to a regular exercise routine, following DASH diet and taking certain mood boosting supplements can help alleviate depression significantly. 

Curcumin, exercise, eating a diet full of fruits and vegetables (like  the DASH diet) and key supplements all offer multiple and wide-ranging  health advantages aside from their mood-enhancing properties. 

By Mary West

http://www.liveinthenow.com/article/major-study-ignores-real-truth-taking-antidepressants