Posted by Penny on October 17, 2003, at 15:44:32
In reply to Why do you take these drugs?, posted by Ron Jones on October 17, 2003, at 13:33:51
I take them b/c my brain is NOT normal. If it was normal without them, I wouldn't take them! It HAS been shown in laboratory studies that untreated depression (which is my problem) causes damage to the neurons in the brain, and antidepressants help to counteract that damage. I just read an article last week in a scientific magazine that stated that the hippocampus of individuals with *untreated* depression were smaller than the hippocampus of 'normal' individuals, but that treating the depressed individuals with antidepressants (namely, the SSRIs) helped to counteract that, and they actually showed evidence that the ADs helped regrow and protect the neurons.
Here's the article:
http://www.discover.com/issues/nov-03/rd/pumped-up-on-prozac/Do psych meds work for everyone? No. Everyone's brain is not the same. Does everyone who is *mildly* depressed need a drug? Of course not. Are they being overprescribed? Most definitely.
But there are many of us who, even with the side effects and even with the meds not working perfectly, are better off taking them than not. I'm one of those people. I would prefer to not have to take meds. Really and truly. But I've been off of them altogether in the past (after reaching a 'good point' for a while), and my depression relapsed with a vengence.
P
poster:Penny
thread:270235
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031015/msgs/270291.html