PureInsight | October 10, 2005
Suicide warning labels are now to be placed on antidepressant drugs. This was the order given by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. After studying statistics by major drugs manufacturers like GlaxoSmithKline (makers of Paxil), the F.D.A. discovered "a small but 'real' increased risk of suicidal behavior associated with these drugs." For many this is only one addition to the long list of dangers associated with antidepressants.
In the most recent edition of the British National Formulary, the side effects of antidepressants are stated as headaches, nausea, paresthesia (tingling or numbness in the extremities), dizziness and anxiety. It promises that these side effects are "mild" and "short lived."
Every day, though, the Internet is flooded with stories of severe and oftentimes long-term withdrawal symptoms.
I have experienced the miserable reality of being on antidepressants. Several years ago I was on a regular prescription for Paxil. While taking the drug I suffered from drowsiness, excess sweating, constant rapid heartbeat and a chronic dry mouth. While withdrawing from the drug I suffered electric shocks in my body. I would certainly not describe this as mild. Other severe reactions are known to include tremendous weight gain, insomnia, seizures, mania, birth defects, impotence and constipation.
Despite these worrying risks, antidepressants are now being consumed on a global scale. In the UK alone, an excess of 6 million people are on long-term antidepressant use. Figures also show an increase from 10 million prescriptions for antidepressants in 1992 to an astonishing 26 million in 2002. Canadians, for example, filled 30.3 million prescriptions for antidepressants in one year—an increase of 40 percent since 1997.
Does the cure really lie in a magic pill? The beautiful dream of taking a magic pill to solve life's problems can be traced back to as early as 1860. At that time, doctors were prescribing alcohol and opium to tackle depression. Later came the use of morphine, heroin and cocaine. Inevitably these drugs were discovered to be not only harmful but also addictive. This led to the use of chloral hydrate, bromides and barbiturates. And once again, the magic pill was found to be harmful and addictive.
The story continues into the 1960s with the use of Valium, Librium, Ativan, Xanax and Halicon. Alas, 20 years later these drugs were declared harmful and addictive!
The present-day remedies for depression date back to the early 1990s. That decade saw the introduction of drugs such as SSRIs (Selective Seretonin Reuptake Inhibitors), which increase levels of chemicals in the brain, and "lifestyle drugs" such as Prozac. History is now repeating, as the evidence grows daily—these drugs are harmful and addictive.
One out of every four people will at one point suffer from depression. A continuation of the current trend will see depression as the second biggest disability by 2020. Could there be a way other than a magic pill for sufferers to find relief?
