Do Antidepressants Really Work?Do Antidepressants Really Work?

Do Antidepressants Really Work?Do Antidepressants Really Work?

Is anxiety and depression a medical condition requiring medication, doctors and drugs?

I do not believe depression is completely a medical condition. Depression is only 20% biological. Healthy brain chemistry is the result of a healthy diet, lifestyle, work or exercise regime, and loving supportive relationships. Love and support in your relationships also helps produce serotonin (brain chemical of satisfaction, comfort and relaxation) creating and maintaining healthy brain chemistry. Exercise also balances brain chemistry through the production of endorphins, and together with correct diet the production of dopamine (brain chemical of clarity, attention, interest and motivation). Doctors are right that depression is an imbalance of brain chemistry, but the causes of this are variable and changeable environmental variables. So treating someone with antidepressant medication is ignoring the real issues.

Do antidepressant medications really work, such as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI's) like Paroxetine (Paxil), Sertraline (Zoloft) and Fluoxetine (Prozac)? Plastered all over newspapers recently is an investigation carried out by British scientists and medical researchers who are suggesting that these types of antidepressants work little better than placebos and have no real effectiveness. This is what I have always believed. I would NEVER recommend pharmaceutical medication for anxiety and depression.

Antidepressants may be nothing more that an unhealthy dependency or a moneymaking operation at others expense. It is as if the medical industry prefer to keep people sick and in darkness for the sake of making money, rather than investigate and reveal real treatments for depression. Doctors do not have the time and resources to treat depression. Antidepressants may just be a way of fobbing patients off until time manages to heal.

I think doctors generally do a good job. For example a little while ago I was ill in India with food poisoning and a doctor came to my hotel room and gave me a course of antibiotics, a drug for the fever and something for the diarrhoea. Within a day I was cured. That was a biological issue requiring medical help and the doctor did a great job. This is what doctors are good at. But for mental health issues it is a different story.

The medical algorithm for treating depression is completely wrong. How many doctors first ask about diet before they prescribe antidepressant medications? Not very many. How many suggest trying exercise first before taking antidepressants? Not very many. How many ask about relationships, sex life, lifestyle or spiritual issues before administrating a drug that may be capable of doing more harm that good? Not very many. How many doctors suggest self help books? Probably a few. If this is all the help people get from the establishment then there is no wonder we have so many suicides and depressed people. There is a need to help people be responsible for their own health and well being, rather than creating an unhealthy dependency on doctors or the medical profession for mental health issues.

Doctors may even have little faith in antidepressants themselves, but they administer these drugs anyway. The medical industry may be too frightened to look into depression more seriously because it may undermine and devalue the structure and model of the medical system. Doctors should do more to educate people on all available treatments. There is a lack of mainstream holistic health information available for depression. I can not think of a logical reason to put someone on antidepressant medication other than to make money or to keep people in depression.

My experience with antidepressants and doctors

I have seen antidepressant medications destroy people and create more hell than good. In some cases they can become a dependency like alcoholism. In my own family the main problem was that my Father was addicted to a Benzodiazepine called Lorazepam (Ativan). This is like a short term narcotic used to treat anxiety. Lorazepam (Ativan) is meant to be used for short periods of time, such as when patients are in hospital. At the time he had been on this drug for around 25 years- well before I was born. This meant he was never fully present in life. He was always tired, spending most of his day sleeping, withdrawn, depressed, irritable, abusive, critical, argumentative, ill tempered and in some kind of weird altered anxiety state- making it a horrible weird environment to live in. My Mother was the worst culprit for ignoring and denying that any problem existed, at the expense of her children. This type of dysfunctional family setup often happens with alcoholism.

This was the family secret. I only found out about this when I was 17 years old. At that time I had also been prescribed Sertraline (Zoloft) for depression and anxiety. These drugs caused me a lot of negative side effects such as further depression and nausea. My body reacted by coming out in a huge rash- especially on my hands. My hands were completely raw. I had to stop taking the medication.

Looking up Lorazepam (Ativan) on the internet showed me that my Dad should not be taking this medication. After over 20 years of taking this, it was probably causing brain damage. When he was younger he also had electroshock therapy. I was deeply disturbed by this. I told him he should come off these tablets. He said it was difficult because he had been depending on them for over 20 years. I could not believe that the doctor was allowing him to repeat his prescription for this long. When I spoke to my Mother she shouted at me and told me not to mention anything to him, that he will never be able to come off these tablets, because it would be like coming of of Heroine. After a few years my Dad had another doctor who insisted that he come off this drug and now he is a normal friendly person who you can relate to.

I was once put on an a drug called, Quetiapine (Seroquel). I found out this was classed as an anti-psychotic drug, so that made me even more nervous and worried that I was crazy. I went back and was told that it was also used occasionally for severe anxiety. I then started to feel even more depressed because I was taking prescribed drugs. It made me feel like there was something seriously wrong with me. So I went back to the doctor and explained that I am depressed but I feel strong enough to handle this myself without any medication. His response was to give me ANOTHER drug to take AS WELL. He gave me Paroxetine (Paxil) to take as well. What a joke. I could not believe it. After an argument with the doctor I was convinced to take both medications. I was already under a powerful tranquillizer, Quetiapine (Seroquel) used to suppress the central nervous system or to sedate people with schizophrenia. So now he wanted to throw in ANOTHER drug on top of that.

I eventually threw my medication away. Sedating someone with anxiety is not going to address any REAL problems or causes of anxiety. The problem is the causes- NOT the symptoms. In my experience these doctors are not qualified to treat depression and anxiety. In medical school some doctors may have only had a few weeks training on anxiety and depression. A while back I went to a seminar and met somebody who used to council psychiatrists in the late 1970s. A lot of psychiatrists used to come to him because they felt suicidal. When asked why they felt like this, they said that it was because they have NEVER actually cured anybody. And that is the case. Although we like to depend on doctors or psychiatrists for our mental well being, a lot of time these people have never actually cured anybody.

I would say that the biggest cause of anxiety and depression in my family was down to prescribed drugs and dependency on doctors, or a misunderstanding that doctors can actually help in these circumstances. If I had carried on listening and depending on doctors I would probably still be taking medication up until this day. And who knows, they may have thrown in another third drug as well? If I had been taking these powerful drugs for years to come, who knows what could have happened to my body? I could have experienced brain damage or liver damage.

I received no beneficial help from the medical establishment and at the time there was no alternative help on the internet- I had to go on a soul search to find knowledge, happiness and peace in my life. I had to do it all on my own without any medication, practising the techniques that you will find on this website for healing. After taking up meditation and yoga I was on my way to happiness. I managed to experience a lot of healing in my life.

If you insist on taking something for anxiety and depression then look at other alternatives first. Cassava (yucca) powder is one of the highest serotonin-producing foods- if you want an extra boost of serotonin. Maca Root Power is a densely nutritious and energising super food from Puru. This will give you a good boost of dopamine. This has no negative side-effects and is full of high amounts of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and all the essential amino acids. It is a healthy replacement for caffeine, boosts energy, stamina, helps give clarity and is an aphrodisiac for both males and females. Please read the Diet and Exercise Solution by John Gray.
Is anxiety and depression a medical condition requiring medication, doctors and drugs?

I do not believe depression is completely a medical condition. Depression is only 20% biological. Healthy brain chemistry is the result of a healthy diet, lifestyle, work or exercise regime, and loving supportive relationships. Love and support in your relationships also helps produce serotonin (brain chemical of satisfaction, comfort and relaxation) creating and maintaining healthy brain chemistry. Exercise also balances brain chemistry through the production of endorphins, and together with correct diet the production of dopamine (brain chemical of clarity, attention, interest and motivation). Doctors are right that depression is an imbalance of brain chemistry, but the causes of this are variable and changeable environmental variables. So treating someone with antidepressant medication is ignoring the real issues.

Do antidepressant medications really work, such as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI's) like Paroxetine (Paxil), Sertraline (Zoloft) and Fluoxetine (Prozac)? Plastered all over newspapers recently is an investigation carried out by British scientists and medical researchers who are suggesting that these types of antidepressants work little better than placebos and have no real effectiveness. This is what I have always believed. I would NEVER recommend pharmaceutical medication for anxiety and depression.

Antidepressants may be nothing more that an unhealthy dependency or a moneymaking operation at others expense. It is as if the medical industry prefer to keep people sick and in darkness for the sake of making money, rather than investigate and reveal real treatments for depression. Doctors do not have the time and resources to treat depression. Antidepressants may just be a way of fobbing patients off until time manages to heal.

I think doctors generally do a good job. For example a little while ago I was ill in India with food poisoning and a doctor came to my hotel room and gave me a course of antibiotics, a drug for the fever and something for the diarrhoea. Within a day I was cured. That was a biological issue requiring medical help and the doctor did a great job. This is what doctors are good at. But for mental health issues it is a different story.

The medical algorithm for treating depression is completely wrong. How many doctors first ask about diet before they prescribe antidepressant medications? Not very many. How many suggest trying exercise first before taking antidepressants? Not very many. How many ask about relationships, sex life, lifestyle or spiritual issues before administrating a drug that may be capable of doing more harm that good? Not very many. How many doctors suggest self help books? Probably a few. If this is all the help people get from the establishment then there is no wonder we have so many suicides and depressed people. There is a need to help people be responsible for their own health and well being, rather than creating an unhealthy dependency on doctors or the medical profession for mental health issues.

Doctors may even have little faith in antidepressants themselves, but they administer these drugs anyway. The medical industry may be too frightened to look into depression more seriously because it may undermine and devalue the structure and model of the medical system. Doctors should do more to educate people on all available treatments. There is a lack of mainstream holistic health information available for depression. I can not think of a logical reason to put someone on antidepressant medication other than to make money or to keep people in depression.

My experience with antidepressants and doctors

I have seen antidepressant medications destroy people and create more hell than good. In some cases they can become a dependency like alcoholism. In my own family the main problem was that my Father was addicted to a Benzodiazepine called Lorazepam (Ativan). This is like a short term narcotic used to treat anxiety. Lorazepam (Ativan) is meant to be used for short periods of time, such as when patients are in hospital. At the time he had been on this drug for around 25 years- well before I was born. This meant he was never fully present in life. He was always tired, spending most of his day sleeping, withdrawn, depressed, irritable, abusive, critical, argumentative, ill tempered and in some kind of weird altered anxiety state- making it a horrible weird environment to live in. My Mother was the worst culprit for ignoring and denying that any problem existed, at the expense of her children. This type of dysfunctional family setup often happens with alcoholism.

This was the family secret. I only found out about this when I was 17 years old. At that time I had also been prescribed Sertraline (Zoloft) for depression and anxiety. These drugs caused me a lot of negative side effects such as further depression and nausea. My body reacted by coming out in a huge rash- especially on my hands. My hands were completely raw. I had to stop taking the medication.

Looking up Lorazepam (Ativan) on the internet showed me that my Dad should not be taking this medication. After over 20 years of taking this, it was probably causing brain damage. When he was younger he also had electroshock therapy. I was deeply disturbed by this. I told him he should come off these tablets. He said it was difficult because he had been depending on them for over 20 years. I could not believe that the doctor was allowing him to repeat his prescription for this long. When I spoke to my Mother she shouted at me and told me not to mention anything to him, that he will never be able to come off these tablets, because it would be like coming of of Heroine. After a few years my Dad had another doctor who insisted that he come off this drug and now he is a normal friendly person who you can relate to.

I was once put on an a drug called, Quetiapine (Seroquel). I found out this was classed as an anti-psychotic drug, so that made me even more nervous and worried that I was crazy. I went back and was told that it was also used occasionally for severe anxiety. I then started to feel even more depressed because I was taking prescribed drugs. It made me feel like there was something seriously wrong with me. So I went back to the doctor and explained that I am depressed but I feel strong enough to handle this myself without any medication. His response was to give me ANOTHER drug to take AS WELL. He gave me Paroxetine (Paxil) to take as well. What a joke. I could not believe it. After an argument with the doctor I was convinced to take both medications. I was already under a powerful tranquillizer, Quetiapine (Seroquel) used to suppress the central nervous system or to sedate people with schizophrenia. So now he wanted to throw in ANOTHER drug on top of that.

I eventually threw my medication away. Sedating someone with anxiety is not going to address any REAL problems or causes of anxiety. The problem is the causes- NOT the symptoms. In my experience these doctors are not qualified to treat depression and anxiety. In medical school some doctors may have only had a few weeks training on anxiety and depression. A while back I went to a seminar and met somebody who used to council psychiatrists in the late 1970s. A lot of psychiatrists used to come to him because they felt suicidal. When asked why they felt like this, they said that it was because they have NEVER actually cured anybody. And that is the case. Although we like to depend on doctors or psychiatrists for our mental well being, a lot of time these people have never actually cured anybody.

I would say that the biggest cause of anxiety and depression in my family was down to prescribed drugs and dependency on doctors, or a misunderstanding that doctors can actually help in these circumstances. If I had carried on listening and depending on doctors I would probably still be taking medication up until this day. And who knows, they may have thrown in another third drug as well? If I had been taking these powerful drugs for years to come, who knows what could have happened to my body? I could have experienced brain damage or liver damage.

I received no beneficial help from the medical establishment and at the time there was no alternative help on the internet- I had to go on a soul search to find knowledge, happiness and peace in my life. I had to do it all on my own without any medication, practising the techniques that you will find on this website for healing. After taking up meditation and yoga I was on my way to happiness. I managed to experience a lot of healing in my life.

If you insist on taking something for anxiety and depression then look at other alternatives first. Cassava (yucca) powder is one of the highest serotonin-producing foods- if you want an extra boost of serotonin. Maca Root Power is a densely nutritious and energising super food from Puru. This will give you a good boost of dopamine. This has no negative side-effects and is full of high amounts of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and all the essential amino acids. It is a healthy replacement for caffeine, boosts energy, stamina, helps give clarity and is an aphrodisiac for both males and females. Please read the Diet and Exercise Solution by John Gray.

Labels: Do Antidepressants Really Work?Do Antidepressants Really Work?

posted by Robert Heard at 4:44 PM