If the depression patients have not recovered from two of the general treatments, they are at a little chance of successful treatment from a third medication. During the study, only sixteen percent of the patients showed the reduced symptoms of depression. Dr. Maurizio Fava of Massachusetts General Hospital, the author of the report in the American Journal of Psychiatry suggested that Patients should have a prior medical consultation before going for combination treatment. He says, further, that almost half of the patients who take antidepressants required a third drug. Patients opted for Celexa. If it did not work, they went to another antidepressant or continued with Celexa and added a second drug. In the third time, they took either mirtazapine or nortriptyline. Symptoms disappeared in twelve percent of the mirtazapine users and twenty percent of nortriptyline users.
Antidepressant drugs
TagAntidepressant drugs may lower sperm count to zero!
No doubt, antidepressant drugs lessen your depression, but do you know that they can also lower sperm counts in men. Dr. Peter Schlegel of the Cornell Medical Center in New York and colleagues were treating two men for infertility and found that when both these patients stopped taking antidepressant drugs their sperm counts increased amazingly. On the contrary, when they again started taking antidepressant drug their infertility problem once again returned back. These doctors are seeing, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), means these antidepressant drugs as the main culprit behind the drop of sperm count. However, this conclusion is too preliminary therefore; it would be too early to make an opinion about it. Coming out with the same idea Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at the University of Sheffield says: There does seem to be a major correlation. Maybe this is an unknown side effect of these drugs that is only just coming to light. However, before taking any kind of antidepressant drugs it would be better to take counsel of a reliable doctor.
Antidepressants increase suicide risks?
Using antidepressant drugs may help adults above the age of 25 in reducing their stress level while it may pose serious threat to the adults under the age of 25. A long awaited analysis has unmasked this finding after going through a deep study. Before coming out with this finding researchers tried to find out the impact of these antidepressant drugs both on adults above the age of 25 as well as on the adults under the age of 25 and concluded that using antidepressant drugs higher up the chances of young adults committing suicide. However, there are many psychiatrists who see this new finding with suspicion and assert that they have been in this profession for the last many years and didn’t noticed any such relation between antidepressant drugs and suicide tendency. The study raises many doubts. Moreover, it can also be the reason behind some doctors’ opposition that they are scared of losing their patients and if they say in favor of this study then it would be just like quarreling with their tools. Blaming antidepressant drugs utterly for this rise in suicide cases among adults under the age of 25 would be lop-sided convictions because psychologically it is proved that adults in younger age are more likely to take risks thus quite often end their lives. Another conclusion that looms out of this study clearly indicates that patients under placebo treatment have shown no such trend, so the research remains open ended still and it would be too early to conclude right now about it. Therefore, I think researchers should yet move on with their study so that evidences that are more concrete could be obtained to defend these newly emerged findings more effectively.
Depression, suicides on the rise in UK!
In UK, depression rate is at its peak this time. – One in four people is suffering mental ill health. -Every 14 minutes, someone in the UK kills him or herself, and depression is one of the main causes behind these suicides. These facts clearly prove that the numbers of people clutched by depression are increasing in the UK. Yes, this harsh reality is holding up its head and we’ll have to face it. However, it is important to note here that UK is not the only country inflicted with depression syndrome but many other countries too have shown similar results and here defining depression as a pandemic would be right to some extent. Don’t you think so? Now the question arises what can be those reason that have been responsible for soaring the depression figures in UK. Apparently, there are multiple reasons responsible for this constant rise. Chiefly I would like to hold lifestyle responsible because it compels a person all alone in most of the cases. Secondly, obesity can also be one of the nourishing causes as several studies have made it clear that obesity higher ups the chances of depression. In addition, factors like hike in divorce cases in the recent years may also have been playing a major role in exacerbating the situation. And if we say that along with parents, children are also made to bear the situation that stir the chances of depression. One more reason that I see responsible for mounting depression cases is that doctors treating these depressed people are not paying as much heed as they actually require. In the last few years, we’ve seen a boom in antidepressant drugs in the market, as a result, patients as well as doctors that treat depressed patients are simply prescribing these antidepressant drugs. But I don’t understand why these doctors as well as depressed patients forget that antidepressant drugs could be used just for short term use only. Moreover, long-term use of these antidepressant drugs may give way to serious health related problems as well. We must not forget that ultimate solution of depression could be carved out just by counseling. I appreciate the views expressed by Summer B., Kingston, PA, USA, which clearly show how disastrous consequences can spring out by using antidepressant drugs for a long time. He says: Seroxat (Paxil here in the states) did me more harm than good. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is what finally did the trick and saved me. Antidepressant medications are NOT meant for long term therapy, and are no substitute for actually dealing with the root of the depression/anxiety/panic. Developing coping strategies can improve your life indefinitely; taking a drug can only improve it temporarily. I think it’s very important to begin making the public aware of the huge medical issues such as antidepressant withdrawal (or, as the pharmaceutical industry likes to disguise it, “Discontinuation Syndrome”). Therapy does NOT have any type of discontinutation effects, but now that I’m withdrawing from Paxil (over an eight month period, no less), I’m getting those famous “zaps”, headaches, nausea, racing heart, palpitations, fatigue, sleepiness, depression (and I never had depression before Paxil), shakiness, and dizziness (just to name a few!) Meds should be a last resort. At last, I would just say that ultimate solution to kick away depression could be obtained just by training mind to be fit and that could be done just by counseling.