Posted by OldSchool on February 7, 2002, at 10:54:38
In reply to Re: Forest Labs gets US conditional approval for Lexa., posted by Bekka H. on February 6, 2002, at 19:15:21
> Old School, those are my sentiments exactly! I've had it with those wimpogenic, fat-causing, impotence causing, sedating, apathy-producing compounds. I have yet to understand how a drug that makes most people fat, impotent, wimpy blobs could be considered an ANTIDEPRESSANT.
The above side effects are the least of my concerns. I could care less an antidepressant makes me gain some weight or causes sexual dysfunction. My beef with the SSRIs is that these drugs simply DO NOT WORK good enough in a percentage of depressed people...approximately 20% to 30% of those with major depression. For me, SSRIs are better than nothing and I take them gladly. The side effect profile to me is rather benign considering the severity of my depression when Im off medication. As I said before, I could give a f*ck about SSRI side effects. My attitude is "suck it up" at least it makes your depression better. At least the SSRIs allow me to sleep and stuff.
But again, Id like to see something better developed. Im not anti-SSRI by any means. I think SSRIs are great meds and work for the majority. Just not for everybody. What about those people? What happens to them? Are they just f*cked for the rest of their life, relegated to a life of disability, maintenance ECT and hanging out on psychobabble, looking for that next "better" drug?
>It's all in the marketing and in paying off the doctors who run the clinical trials to tell the public what it wants to hear. I believe that there MIGHT be a few exceptions, but most of the people I know of who have been on SSRIs are not happy with the results. Quite frankly, I think the SSRIs are quite dangerous in some cases. Patients get so apathetic on them that they stop caring that they don't care; consequently, they are unlikely to report some of these adverse effects to their doctors. And I think a lot of doctors like the SSRIs because their patients get so wimpy and complacent on them that they don't bother their shrinks as much. They stop complaining about things they should be complaining about, and their docs can spend more time thinking about golf or the stock market.
>
> I'd also like to know why these scientists can't come up with an effective drug that doesn't cause weight gain. And, if they did produce such a drug (for example, a Remeron-type medicine WITHOUT the Remeron weight gain), I'll bet the FDA wouldn't even approve it. They'd be too afraid that, like amineptine, it might make people feel too good (Oh my Lord, what a concept!), and they'd ban it for eternity.Weight gain is not a concern of mine. When youve been to the bottom of the pit...super duper severe clinical depression and your sleep locks up on you and you lose 20 or 30 lbs without even trying...you get to a point where you could care less about weight gain from drugs.
Id like to see some antidepressants developed SPECIFICALLY for that 20% to 30% of depressives who do not adequately respond to SSRIs, Effexor or tricyclics. Side effects for me is a nonissue...as long as it activates good consistently for long periods without poop out, restores my cognition, sleeping and ability to work would be satisfactory to me.
Old School
poster:OldSchool
thread:91928
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020131/msgs/93178.html