ANTIDEPRESSANT OR PLACEBO?
Posted 2008/2/26
Author atracy
Now that the studies on antidepressants, which were kept over two decades from patients who needed to know, have been reviewed the conclusion is that antidepressants work no better than placebo – anyone familiar with my work surprised? For almost two decades I have repeated thousands of times over that the hypothesis behind antidepressants is backwards. “Antidepressants do not work and they in fact can CAUSE depression in those who never had it!” Yet few wanted to hear it.
But now the truth is out and how many have been left in the wake? What a worldwide tragedy!!!! But a tragedy that could become far worse before recovery begins due to the lack of knowledge by professionals of safe methods for antidepressant withdrawal.
CONCLUSION – ANTIDEPRESSANTS NO BETTER THAN SUGAR PILL
GPs in the UK have been asked to cut the number of prescriptions for antidepressants because after reviewing the studies that were kept from the public for two decades it was found that these drugs are no more helpful than taking a sugar pill. The country has put their money where their mouth is and spent 170 Million pounds to train 3,600 new therapists to help those who obviously are getting no help from the antidepressants.
From the second article listed below we read: “Govt to fund 3,600 more talking therapists…More than 3,500 therapists will be made available to help people with depression and anxiety after it emerged anti-depressant medication does not benefit many sufferers…The government has announced a £170 million investment in talking therapies, which will be used to train 3,600 psychological therapists…Echoing guidance from the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (Nice), ministers believe talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapies are as effective as medication in the short-term and more effective over the long term.”
What is frightening is the withdrawal that we will all have to experience as those who know next to nothing about antidepressant withdrawal, most doctors, work to bring people down off these antidepressants that do not work, but do produce horrific withdrawal and terrible side effects.
For information on safe withdrawal please refer patients to two decades of what patients have found will work in antidepressant withdrawal in my CD “Help! I Can’t Get Off My Antidepressant!” and PLEASE encourage them to NOT switch from one antidepressant to another thinking the withdrawal will be any easier! When the FDA warned that any abrupt change in dose of an antidepressant, whether going up or down, can produce suicide, hostility or psychosis, they meant it! Going down on one antidepressant and up on another is making that abrupt change twice and can produce any of those serious reactions listed above. We have enough bipolar patients on the planet without antidepressant withdrawal increasing the numbers any more than it already has (4000% in eight years)!!
Ann Blake Tracy, Executive Director.
International Coalition For Drug Awareness
Website: www.drugawareness.org
Author: Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? – Our Serotonin Nightmare
& CD or audio tape on safe withdrawal: “Help! I Can’t Get
Off My Antidepressant!”
WITHDRAWAL HELP: You can find the hour and a half long CD on safe and effective withdrawal helps here: http://store.drugawareness.org/ And if you need additional consultations with Ann Blake-Tracy, you can book one at www.drugawareness.org or sign up for one of the memberships in the International Coalition for Drug Awareness which includes free consultations as one of the benefits of that particular membership plan. For only a $30 membership for one month you can even get 30 days of access to the withdrawal CD with tips on rebuilding after the meds, all six of my DVDs, hundreds of radio interviews, lectures, TV interviews I have done over the years PLUS access to my book on antidepressants (500 plus pages) with more information than you will find anywhere else (that is only $5 more than the book alone would cost) atwww.drugawareness.org. (Definitely the best option to save outrageous postage charges for those out of the country!)
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE ON HIDDEN ANTIDEPRESSANT STUDIES
“We’re asking GPs to consider prescribing alternative therapies. Exercise, for example, particularly ‘green exercise’ outdoors rather than in the gym, has been shown to be very effective in combating depression. Diet can also be an important factor.”
(http://www.managementinpractice.com/default.asp?title=GPsurgedtocutnumberofantidepressantpr
escriptions&page=article.display&article.id=8706)
GPs urged to cut number of antidepressant prescriptions
Tuesday 26th February 2008
A charity is calling for GPs to reduce the number of antidepressant
prescriptions after a new study found some of the latest brands have limited benefits.
A group of experts from the Department of Psychology at the University of Hull analysed 47 clinical trials submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
These included studies on Prozac, Efexor, and Seroxat, and the researchers claim they show little clinical improvements in depressed patients.
Alison Cobb, policy officer at Mind, said: “This research is a serious
challenge to the predominance of drugs in treating depression.
“Antidepressants do help many people, but by no means all, and some people experience severe side-effects with them.
“Nine out of 10 GPs say they’ve been forced to dish out drugs because they don’t have proper access to ‘talking treatments’ such as cognitive behavioural therapy, which are recommended as the first-line treatment for mild to moderate depression by the government treatment advice body, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
“The government is making very welcome investment in new talking therapies services, but they won’t be online for some time yet.
“We’re asking GPs to consider prescribing alternative therapies. Exercise, for example, particularly ‘green exercise’ outdoors rather than in the gym, has been shown to be very effective in combating depression. Diet can also be an important factor.”
Copyright © PA Business 2008
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“Echoing guidance from the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (Nice), ministers believe talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapies are as effective as medication in the short-term and more effective over the long term. ”
(http://www.politics.co.uk/news/opinion-former-index/health/thousands-more-therapists-as-doubts-cas
t-on-anti-depressants-$1207665.htm)
Thousands more therapists as doubts cast on anti-depressants
Tuesday, 26 Feb 2008 14:46
Govt to fund 3,600 more talking therapists
More than 3,500 therapists will be made available to help people with depression and anxiety after it emerged anti-depressant medication does not benefit many sufferers.
The government has announced a £170 million investment in talking therapies, which will be used to train 3,600 psychological therapists.
Echoing guidance from the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (Nice), ministers believe talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapies are as effective as medication in the short-term and more effective over the long term.
The announcement coincides with a review of clinical trials, published in the Lancet medical journal, which found anti-depressants are little more effective than placebo bills for many sufferers.
Health secretary Alan Johnson said the additional 3,600 therapists would help secure access for anyone that needs it, with the eventual target that all GP practices are able to access psychological therapies.
Mr Johnson said: “The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme has already captured the imagination of primary care trusts up and down the country and is transforming the lives of thousands of people with depression and anxiety disorders in the areas that have been involved so far.
“This document describes how that transformation can begin to be delivered in every strategic health authority area over the next few years.”
Health minister Ivan Lewis explained one in six people suffer from mental health problems at any one time, with GPs spending a third of their time dealing with common problems such as stress, anxiety and depression.
“For many people, prescribing medication is a successful treatment but psychological therapies have proved to be as effective as drugs in tackling these common mental health problems and are often more effective in the longer term,” Mr Lewis said.
“Today’s guidance is another step towards giving people with mental health problems a real choice of treatment, helping to reduce dependence on medication.”
The Liberal Democrats have campaigned for greater access to talking therapies and said today’s Lancet review reinforced its importance.
Health spokesman Norman Lamb said: “A genuine choice of treatments for depression must be a core health service priority, not a neglected afterthought.
“Patients should have an individual entitlement to safe and dignified treatment in mental health hospitals and other facilities within 13 weeks.”
The extra therapists announced today will treat patients with both mild and severe conditions, using either high or low intensity therapy.
The government expects they will enable 900,000 more people to be tested for depression and anxiety, of whom 450,000 will be completely cured.
Adverse reaction 6yrs (symptoms not believed & dose upped got worse & still am) 8mths ìnto reducudìng efexor xr (150-75mg) withdrawal worse btwn mths 4-7. Sìnce August 7 GPs not 1 takes seriously! Cant prove to DWP & am without income. ìm lost?
Effexor has one of the very worst withdrawals! How fast are you dropping down at one time – one bead out of the pill or one entire pill at a time? If you are changing your dose any more than one single bead at a time, it is much too fast from what all those coming off of this drug report. And the 4 – 7 month period has always been reported to be the worst.
Why would GPs take it seriously? They are the drug pushers! Admitting what you are experiencing is implicating them – they will not do that. Write to me at the contact on this site and let me know what part of the country you are in. Maybe we can find you a doctor who will listen.