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Antidepressants on a par with Placebos
by
findingDulcinea Staff
A new study questions the effectiveness of antidepressants used the world over. It claims that negative studies aren’t being published.
30-Second Summary
Antidepressants are used extensively in the West to treat depression and other mood disorders.
But a British research team from the University of Hull suggests that although the drugs did have a positive impact on people with mild depression, the improvement was not much greater than that experienced by people taking placebos, according to the BBC.
Last month, The New England Journal of Medicine published a review suggesting that negative antidepressant studies aren’t published as often as those that favor the drugs.
What is not clear, however, is whether pharmaceutical companies aren’t submitting the negative studies, or if the journals aren’t publishing them.
Meanwhile, researchers continue studying the medications. German researchers recently discovered that genetic variations may influence the effectiveness of certain antidepressants.
Though antidepressants have received a great deal of negative press, one blogger attests to the positive impact they have on his life. He writes that although there are a number of annoying side effects, antidepressants help even out his emotions, improve his sleep and reduce irritability.
“Antidepressants” are a name given to several different types of drugs that work in the brain to help treat depression.
The drugs have evolved over the years and are classified by how they act on the brain. One of the earliest antidepressants was originally designed to treat tuberculosis, then doctors noticed their patients’ improved moods.
But a British research team from the University of Hull suggests that although the drugs did have a positive impact on people with mild depression, the improvement was not much greater than that experienced by people taking placebos, according to the BBC.
Last month, The New England Journal of Medicine published a review suggesting that negative antidepressant studies aren’t published as often as those that favor the drugs.
What is not clear, however, is whether pharmaceutical companies aren’t submitting the negative studies, or if the journals aren’t publishing them.
Meanwhile, researchers continue studying the medications. German researchers recently discovered that genetic variations may influence the effectiveness of certain antidepressants.
Though antidepressants have received a great deal of negative press, one blogger attests to the positive impact they have on his life. He writes that although there are a number of annoying side effects, antidepressants help even out his emotions, improve his sleep and reduce irritability.
“Antidepressants” are a name given to several different types of drugs that work in the brain to help treat depression.
The drugs have evolved over the years and are classified by how they act on the brain. One of the earliest antidepressants was originally designed to treat tuberculosis, then doctors noticed their patients’ improved moods.
Headline Link: ‘Antidepressants “Little Effect”’
British doctors wrote more than 31 million prescriptions for antidepressants in 2006, a new record. But a study conducted at the University of Hull concludes that only the most severely depressed people significantly benefited from them. “The difference in improvement between patients taking placebos and patients taking anti-depressants is not very great. This means that depressed people can improve without chemical treatments,” Irving Kirsch, the study’s lead researcher, told the BBC.
Source: The BBC
Background: A dearth of negative studies
A review published in The New England Journal of Medicine concludes that studies that criticized a particular antidepressant were less likely to be published than studies that were favorable toward a medication, according to NPR. The lead researcher told NPR that his study doesn’t imply that antidepressants are ineffective, but it does suggest they may be less effective than the medical literature implies.
Source: National Public Radio
After reviewing studies that were submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for 12 major antidepressants, Oregon Health Sciences University released a statement saying that it was unclear whether negative studies aren’t being published because the drug companies aren’t submitting them or because the journal editors aren’t publishing them. OHSU conducted the review published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Source: Oregon Health and Science University
Related Topics: The role of genetics and a blogger’s perspective
Researchers in Germany have found that the presence of gene variations can make two medications, known by their brand names as Celexa and Effexor, less effective. The study used rats and people to draw the link. “To our knowledge, our results provide for the first time evidence that genetic variants in the (gene for P-gp) account for differences in the clinical efficacy of antidepressants, most likely by influencing their access to the brain,” the study’s authors wrote in the journal Neuron.
Source: HealthDay
One blogger, known as Raindance, has been taking antidepressants for the last 30 years. He says, despite the annoying and inconvenient side effects, “They also help me sleep, stop the irritability, reduce anxiety, even out my emotions and stop me from obsessing on troublesome ideas.”
Source: Blogster
Reference: Antidepressants overview
Dr. Charles Nemeroff discusses the different classes of antidepressants and their side effects in a short video clip. Early antidepressants had serious side effects, such as causing heart damage or contributing to strokes. Side effects in the newer drug classes are much less severe, though they still cause some people to stop taking them.
Source: WebMD
The American Academy of Family Physicians describes what antidepressants are, how they are thought to work and what types are available.
Source: American Academy of Family Physicians
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