why do most drugs for depression/anxiety not work...

[grrrl1978]

...for many people? I've found this to be true for me, and many of my friends, not to mention reviews by others online.What gives? With the side effects either getting in the way of recovery or drugs simply not being effective at all, I get annoyed that the pharmaceutical companies act like these are solutions when people spend years trying to find the 'right' meds... and so many never even get there!And why to a lot of the meds seem to increase the common symptoms of depression and anxiety as side effects and when you are coming off of them! Craziness!Any of these things alone is enuf to have people get their mental health issues more challenging to deal with, when they are told by counselors who can't help them, 'try medications'...i'm not saying that medicines don't help anybody, or that people should go off them if they're on them, but the people i know & myself have had a hella time, plus those internet reviews! it doesn't help that a lot of the drugs are barely tested for not long b4 market!PS I've tried 6 different medications myself in 4 years... one friend has tried 3 in the same amount of time...and two more have tried more than they can remember, with either bad side effects or losing their effectiveness, but then their brains remember even less how to produce their own chemicals after awhile!Plz where are these studies published? Are they independently verified to work in people for more than the 6 month trial period that often is all that's needed to get approved by the FDA (that is heavily lobbied by the pharmaceutical industry anyway, so biiig conflict of interest there).Just wondering, not trying to be snarky...of course i'm not into the happy little pill solving anything, & neither are my friends or the majority of people, in my mind that's a bit of a false argument cuz most ppl w/ mental health issues of course try other stuff as well like therapy, art, socializing, relaxing, etc. along w/ medication therapy.nothing is perfect, but there has to be a way to improve quality of life without bloated/untested claims from big pharma commercials setting ppl up for personally blaming themselves instead of the faulty drugs.i've noticed that the few ppl i know who have success with often a cocktail of drugs and therapies over many years still have their mental health issues, but the way that they perceive to handle it themselves is different, they 'feel' more in control but their moods are still there. and this is at the expense of weight gain, infertility, acne, memory probs, fatigue etc.wow, what rough choices we have! guess managing is key; looking forward to more perspectives...i agree most so far with J, but often (now i'm thinking working class/poor ppl, my homies) folks just done have financial access to the fancy docs willing to do all these tests, and we all know how bankrupt medicaid is as well as expensive premiums. but altho diet isn't necessarily a cure all, it can def help! the environmental toxins can be a big bummer, hard to remove and avoid...

[Health prof.]

antidepressants have quite solid evidence to prove their efficacy. Some atypical (newer) antidepressants now have 10-15 years of evidence behind them, saying that they are of benefit. Most evidence states that antidepressants are even more effective when used in combination with regular (weekly/fortnightly) counselling/therapy for a minimum of 4 months. They are not the most perfect medications around (noting your side-effect complaints), but the pharmacists/chemists are working on getting better and better medications as time continues. The brain is sensitive - so getting medications perfect for it is a long and arduous task.good luck with your depression/anxiety

[columbo]

Because people see medication for depression as a cure. They are not, they are an aid to recovery.Most of the work has to come from you, and finding out what caused the depression in the first place. Many Dr`s are too quick to give out anti depressants and not give patients enough information about the depression and what else they need to do in order for them to be helpful. So in effect so many people are out there stuck on these drugs alone with no therapy, counseling or anything else, so the depression still exists and the drugs will only mask it for so long,this is why people say they dont work.So they go back to the Dr after say 2 to 3 months, and instead of giving it more time and asking about why the patient is depressed they give a different medication. Every med has a side effect, and realistically you should allow 6 months for a medication to work properly and for the side effects to subside as most are temporary.So the cycle starts again. Depression needs medication yes, I dont argue with that, but just as important as the drug is the therapy and finding out why you are depressed and what caused it in the first place. Hope this helps.

[Bellaruse]

Unfortunately, anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds. are the short term, quick answer. The real way to rid yourself of the anguish takes tons of work with the right therapist, one that specializes in that feild and one that suits you. Always remember that finding the right therapist, psych., and meds. often is a long process and takes some "shopping around". The healing comes from the work you do . I wish pills could make it all go away, but we have to deal with the fact of what causes us the pain and work on it head on. Best of luck :)

[Magician]

Used to be on Effexor for anxiety & depression. Withdrawals from sudden stopping were very stressful. Each time I tried I ended up back on Effexor within 1-2 weeks. Eventually tried a homeopathic version of SAMe (S-Adenosyl-Methionine). 'Clinical Studies have proven Sam-e to be more effective than prescription anti-depressants, yet Sam-e has absolutely NO SIDE EFFECTS and it's not addictive'.When people suddenly stop anti-depressants or anti-psychotics there is a strong chance of unpleasant or even dangerous withdrawal symptoms. Best to taper off under medical supervision. Drinking and 'meds' are a bad mix too.By the way, there is no solid scientific 'proof' that brain chemistry imbalances 'cause' depression or anxiety. Neuroleptic drugs can totally blockade all relevant receptors and still schizophrenics experience some anxiety etc. Thus their illness is more than chemical. More likely our mind/soul/psyche puts the body's chemicals out of balance after prolonged stressful thoughts and feelings. Mind rules matter.To assist with panic-like stuff try counselling, massage, nutrition, Bach Flowers, spiritual healing as well as the homeopathic SAMe. Dr Charles L. Whitfield is an expert on the harmful effects and unnecessary use of mental health medications. Extract from article " Should the use of neuroleptics be severely limited? " by Peter R. Breggin, M.D." The neuroleptic drugs have gradually become promoted as agents with a specific "antipsychotic" effect on schizophrenic symptoms. Meanwhile, psychosocial approaches have fallen into disrepute among many psychiatrists. Patients have been instructed to remain on neuroleptics for a lifetime and told that it was safe to do so. The public was told that the "miracle" drugs had emptied the hospitals and returned millions of patients to normal lives. "

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