FDA Data On AntiDepressants Not Forthcoming

Woops.

BOSTON (Jan. 17) - Nearly a third of antidepressant drug studies are never published in the medical literature and nearly all happen to show that the drug being tested did not work, researchers reported on Wednesday.

Now there's a shocker. The FDA shelving reports showing the real lack of positive results with these drugs.

In some of the studies that are published, unfavorable results have been recast to make the medicine appear more effective than it really is, said the research team led by Erick Turner of the Oregon Health & Science University.

That's criminal.

I've known several people who have been on anti-depressants, each of them undergoing a variety of such drugs to find just the right balance. Not one were satisfied with the results. All but one are no longer on them. (The one remaining stays on it only to help her sleep due to other health conditions. It does nothing for her depression issues.)

So much of our depression issues are based on what we tell ourselves, plus the type of support we have in our lives, as well as environmental and societal factors. Key though is the old fashioned positive self-talk, done through self-discipline and finding ways that help bypass the conscious mind and change those subconscious thoughts. Simply put, this is really the best, most empowering way to lead most out of depression. It all starts with what we think about ourselves. Not to sound like Tom Cruise, who is too fanatic and one-sided for my taste when it comes to this issue, but he is on to something with this concept. He just fails to include we need to also change how we live and interact with one another. The System helps contribute to people experiencing depression, for certain.

If you feel you may need medication to help with depression, get your neurotransmitter's tested (neuroscience is one such company). This will show definitively which neurotransmitter(s) needs to be balanced. A typical panel costs around $200 and if you're lucky enough to have insurance, most will cover it, if your doctor codes it correctly. They offer formulas of herbal and amino acid remedies to help balance things out, such formulas being MUCH cheaper than anti-depressants and offering far fewer side effects.

It's almost malpractice to me to randomly assign drugs that are supposed to effect brain chemistry without knowing exactly what is going on to begin with. Antidepressants do have their place with some individuals. But my god, they're handed out like candy anymore by well-meaning but ill-informed physicians who rely way too much on pharmaceutical companies and the information, often misleading and flat out wrong as this article shows, they provide.