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Old November 8th, 2015 #12
Bev
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: England
Posts: 38,898
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Let me preface this by saying that I know some people are in genuine need of a serotonin regulator and for those people, it's great that they have something that helps them, but for the vast majority, these drugs are simply not necessary.

As I've said a thousand times before, you're not meant to be happy as a default position. An emotion - sadness, worry - whatever - is a sign that you need to make a change, not gulp a pill. Tackle the problem - don't cover it up.

My issue with anti-depressants is that it's not an exact science. It's not like, say, an infection where they culture it and then say yes, you need X amount of this antibiotic for this amount of days or whatever.

From what I can gather, they pick a pill at random and see if it works. If not, they change the dose or pick another one. What sort of science is that? If there was a recognised test they could do, like they do for diabetes or anaemia or anything else, then it might be different. But it's not - it seems to be a lucky dip as to how they treat it and, in America, it seems to be influenced by which drug reps offer the best freebies.

If I understand it correctly, in Australia, they have a checklist to diagnose if you're depressed! If you tick so many of the boxes, you're depressed! We all have bad days - any one of us could fall afoul of that sophisticated diagnostic method at any time!

I was stunned to discover that the makers of Citalopram have such demand for their drug that their factory apparently works 24/7!

All drugs - vaccines, analgesics- everything - have side effects - both short and long-term - and it's up to the individual to weigh up the benefits V the risks. It makes me laugh that people will spend months researching the best TV before making a purchase - no WAY will they trust the vested interest salesman who says that thi$ one is the best, but when it comes to drugs, they'll happily shove any old crap down their necks without ever considering if the GP prescribing it has a vested interest or if it's the right one for them. Fortunately not something we have to worry about in England since our doctors aren't allowed to take more than token gifts such as pens or notepads from reps, but in the now infamous Dr Pepper thread, I recall an American poster stating that their doctors score holidays and the like for promising to prescribe a certain drug.

Does this not ring any bells for people? You won't let the TV salesman make a twenty quid commission by selling you a better telly than the one you went in for, but you'll let your doctor sun himself for a week.

I'm thoroughly convinced that for the vast majority, these drugs are harmful. I'm not, however, convinced that they directly cause mass shootings and meltdowns. There is a frightening amount of people who have had meltdowns who are on these drugs, but perhaps they were not all there in the first place? I personally think the reason behind the over-prescribing is similar to the abuse of ADHD drugs - partly down to wanting everyone nice and quiet and partly due to the money.

But thinking of America and antidepressant usage, it would help if you didn't have vacuous celebrities telling the Oprah cameras how wonderful it is that their dogs and themselves are on Prozac and all is now sunshine and roses in their lives.
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