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The problem with Prozac

By David McEvoy

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 05Mar2008
Word count: 733
Viewed: 231 time(s)

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Recent news reports have highlighted a major problem with Prozac, basically that it doesn't actually work. Incredible isn't it? It all stemmed from a major study by Hull University into the available data on drugs obtained under the Freedom of Information Rules, the results of which revealed that Prozac, the number one drug which has been prescribed over 40 million times for depression and anxiety, is no better than a placebo. In fact, you may as well be taking a sugar pill according to the reports. Not only that, but other drugs in the same class don't work either, namely SSRIs or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. This is shocking news for those who are currently taking Prozac believing it to be putting them back on the right track to good mental health.

But is it true?

According to the data, patients who had been given Prozac had improved whilst taking it, but no more than those who were given a placebo. However, another study by US researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital suggests that whether we respond to drugs like Prozac or not could be influenced by our genes. This would go some way to explaining why some people appear to respond to SSRIs where others don't.

It is interesting that in the Hull University study, people who were suffering from severe depression did experience an improvement in their symptoms, it was those who had milder depression that did no better than those taking the placebo. Regardless, these results will understandably cause concern not only for those who are currently taking Prozac but also because it casts serious doubt on the reliability of so called reports from major drug companies proclaiming the benefits of the latest miracle pill.

So what happens now?

Doctors are likely to face a few challenges if it is no longer appropriate to prescribe Prozac for mild to moderate depression and will be left with the problem of finding suitable alternative forms of treatment for these patients. Despite the fact that the NICE guidelines (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) do recommend that some form of counselling or talking therapies are tried first before resorting to drugs, in reality, most doctors are under pressure because of a lack of therapists to refer their patients to and up until now, have been left with little option other than to hand out a prescription.

Things are about to change though as the government have just revealed their new strategy "The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Programme" which outlines their plan to train almost 4000 more psychological therapists to help treat the one in four of us that are suffering from some form of mental health problem at any one time. According to the Department of Health, half of those treated for depression will be cured and around 25,000 will stop claiming benefits because of their mental health problems and will return to work.

Cognitive behaviour therapy has undoubtedly proved highly successful for many people according to reports and is often recommended in conjunction with some sort of medication, if you are fortunate enough to be able to access it that is. The prospect of having more counsellors available and less people relying purely on drugs alone has got to be a good thing. Drugs carry side effects, we all know that, and Prozac is no different. Some evidence has linked Prozac to an increased risk of suicidal thoughts, particularly amongst younger people. Other side effects include nausea, dizziness, loss of libido and impotence.

In the light of these latest reports many people currently taking Prozac will be left wondering what they are supposed to do and may worry about whether they should continue taking Prozac or not. If you are on Prozac at the moment or any other prescribed drug then it is absolutely vital that you do NOT stop taking these drugs without first consulting your doctor for advice. Abrupt withdrawal of some types of drugs can cause serious side effects and be extremely harmful to health.

No doubt we will be hearing a lot more about Prozac and similar drugs used to treat depression in the near future. If nothing else, this latest information forces us all to look at the available options for treating depression and if we can find ways to successfully treat depression without the use of drugs, that's progress.

Depression and anxiety are serious mental health conditions that can strike anyone at anytime. For more information about depression and selp help come and visit our site.

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