Do Psychiatric medications ever help anyone?

[jonw]

Hello again,

but I would like to know if there are any un-biased scientifically valid studies that show that psychiatric medications (SSRI's, Antipsychotics) actually help people live better lives and do more good than harm?


Just curious

ps - I am new here, so I hope I am not over-posting and posting appropriately; thanks for letting me join this forum.

[Hikingsd]

Unfortunetely, I do not think anything like this exists. The funding to do the research comes from the company profiting from it, from what I have seen.

I do believe that Paxil helped me stay sane while I worked on improving aspects of my life. Now that I am withdrawaling though I wish I had been given all of the info prior to taking it. Not to say that I would not have taken it, I still probably would have. At least I would have been informed though.

[jr1985]

I don't know about any scientific evidence but I'm sure there's a lot of people who would say they've been helped by psychiatric drugs. Just because someone had a bad experience doesn't mean everyone will, that's just black and white thinking. I'm sure many would say they benefitted from Paxil, at least until they tried to come off and withdrawal hit. It's a shame doctors don't know more about the withdrawal process as it would save a lot of suffering.

[aberdeen]

I had post partum depression. I tried everything, excersise, therapy, self help books, Mom groups, visiting people, ignoring it, forcing myself onwards, keeping busy, vitamins....after 8 months of getting more and more depressed until I wanted to die, and missing all the joys of my new baby...I took Effexor and it was night and day. I don't believe for a second it was placebo- I was against meds from the start and dubious about their effect. It worked. I would take it again in that sitaution. I still am grateful for it. I regret that the Dr kept upping the dose for so long, and I REALLY regret that no one knew how slow I should have come off. That's not everyones story, but it's mine.

[jonw]

thanks for the replies here-

so is that really true - that millions of people spend billions of dollars every year taking drugs with very dangerous side effects when no unbiased scientifically validated research has show that these drugs actually help
(more than placebo)

I have scoured the literature on PubMed and all the articles I have found that
show anything positive about these drugs have drug company funding.
Any research validating negative side effects is not drug company funded.
This is what I have found.
Someone please corriect me if they have found otherwise.

thx
jonw

[iwantpeace]

Of course they have & do. If they didn't, then they wouldn't be around. The problem is not necessarily with the drugs themselves, but their over-prescription for issues that can be dealt with using alternative methods; the length of time they are used for; the expertise of the people prescribing them and their ignorance as to the severity of side-effects and long term problems.

My problem is that I was put on it at 19 years old for panic attacks after a VERY traumatizing event in my life. I was then left to rot on them for about 10 years with no mention of long term issues, etc. My problem could most likely have been dealt with in therapy. It might have taken a bit longer, but would have been worth it. Even though I was 19 - I still consider myself to have been a 'child' - I trusted my doctor implicitly and it never occured to me to try to do any research.

That being said - when they are used under the right circumstances (organic mental illness and severe depression, etc) they can be extremely helpful if monitored and used for the correct amount of time and tapered off carefully and slowly.

Drug companies have come up with some amazing drugs that are helping what would otherwise be very sick people live fullfiling and happy lives. These companies have great power. With great power comes great responsibility - the paradox of our time is that the 'responsibility' aspect is being neglected beyond words, and lives are being traded for profit.

[Backtopaxil]

I have to be honest and Paxil helped me back then. I only took 10mg and that worked for me all the time until my 1st RI.

But it is the devil in disguise. You sell your soul and then it is payback time. That is the problem.

[Brassmonkey]

Paxil helped me for many years until it started to poop out, which is when the trouble started. I think they are very helpful, but over perscribed for things that are just part of life that people need to learn to handle on their own.

[jheaney1]

I think one of the biggest difficulties with SSRI is that they are very powerful drugs that affect the mind in profound and subtle ways, but they are marketed in the same vein as once-a-day vitamins... The mental version of "You're not getting enough Vitamin C"

If SSRI were marketed and prescribed to patients who truly need them, to treat life threatening problems, this board would be fairly empty.

[jr1985]

Yeah, they seem to be considered quite benign compared to other drugs, like stimulants for instance. The irony is, my antidepressant caused me major difficulties, yet the stims have been no problem (except for when the dose was too high, but that went away as soon as I lowered the dose - no waiting weeks, etc)

[julieannboo]

Originally Posted by Backtopaxil

I have to be honest and Paxil helped me back then. I only took 10mg and that worked for me all the time until my 1st RI.

But it is the devil in disguise. You sell your soul and then it is payback time. That is the problem.

That last line is a great quote.

It worked for me for 9 years even though i over ate, didnt care about my appearence, felt apathy towards people, etc.

Then it stopped working and then the payback was huge in the form of health anxiety.

The docs didnt tell me that it wouldnt work forever or any side effects i may have.

[julieannboo]

Originally Posted by iwantpeace

Of course they have & do. If they didn't, then they wouldn't be around. The problem is not necessarily with the drugs themselves, but their over-prescription for issues that can be dealt with using alternative methods; the length of time they are used for; the expertise of the people prescribing them and their ignorance as to the severity of side-effects and long term problems.

My problem is that I was put on it at 19 years old for panic attacks after a VERY traumatizing event in my life. I was then left to rot on them for about 10 years with no mention of long term issues, etc. My problem could most likely have been dealt with in therapy. It might have taken a bit longer, but would have been worth it. Even though I was 19 - I still consider myself to have been a 'child' - I trusted my doctor implicitly and it never occured to me to try to do any research.

That being said - when they are used under the right circumstances (organic mental illness and severe depression, etc) they can be extremely helpful if monitored and used for the correct amount of time and tapered off carefully and slowly.

Drug companies have come up with some amazing drugs that are helping what would otherwise be very sick people live fullfiling and happy lives. These companies have great power. With great power comes great responsibility - the paradox of our time is that the 'responsibility' aspect is being neglected beyond words, and lives are being traded for profit.

Great post. I agree with what you have said.

Like you i was 19 when i was first put on paxil.
Looking back it blows my mind.

[sicksaviourX]

well from what i've heard it can be extremely beneficial to some and completely disastrous to others.. i mean i've been doing a lot of research and i've watched quite a few videos on youtube. and some people think paxil use contributed to the suicides of their friends, lovers, relatives etc, and there was one man who commited homicide and his girlfriend or wife whatever she was, thought it was because of Paxil even though he had only started taking it three days before the killing....i believe it definitely causes very adverse affects in some people, and so far for me personally the side effects are unpleasant but once i have food in my system its not so bad. i believe its helps some people, harms others and shouldn't be used as a long-term way of treatment

[Junior]

I can't speak for research but I can definitely say that psych drugs DO help some people.

My mother has a long history of depressive episodes (we now know she is Bipolar II) and hated taking the anti-depressants that were prescribed (the old tricyclics). She doesn't like drugs and doesn't trust doctors, preferring natural therapies instead. And this was 30 years ago! Effexor has helped to some degree but the drug that helps her the most is lithium.

My younger sister has Bipolar I - correctly diagnosed I might add. Her first depressive episode was at 15. At 24 she was hospitalised with mania. Lithium kept her stable for many years. So much so that she went from 'being' her label to denying it and came off lithium. Sadly she spent much of last year in and out of hospital and PARCs (in Victoria we have places called Prevention and Recovery Care; a step up from the community and a step down from hospital). She didn't want to go back to lithium as she doesn't like the side effects so a number of other drugs were tried. With no success. She'd either be depressed or having a mixed episode. None of the poor diagnosing I've heard about on here either. I spoke to her on the phone many times myself. (I have training in psychology and was working in Community Mental Health at the time). She finally accepted her diagnosis and agreed to go back on lithium. She stabilised quickly and has been stable for several months now.

I have a maternal uncle who also has Bipolar I, among other problems. When he feels good he goes off his lithum. It usually lands him in hospital.

As my sig says I am a sufferer of Major Depressive Disorder. I've taken tricyclis and SSRI's at different times. The best drug for me was Paxil - until it pooped out on me.

So YES - psych drugs DO work - when they are correctly prescribed to people who can genuinely benefit from them.

[jheaney1]

Originally Posted by Junior

So YES - psych drugs DO work - when they are correctly prescribed to people who can genuinely benefit from them.

That's one of the very difficult things about SSRI. They do help in some instances, and hurt in other instances. These drugs have such a duplicitous nature, making concrete declarations about them is very hard. The people who are harmed by SSRI may not even know they are being harmed by the drug, just as the people who are being helped may not know they're being helped.
The line between re emergence of pre existing conditions and withdrawal symptoms are similarly vague.

[sicksaviourX]

lol jheaney1, love the emoticon on your 40 mg/day time period lol thats comical... and yeah i agree with you completely

[Junior]

Originally Posted by jheaney1

That's one of the very difficult things about SSRI. They do help in some instances, and hurt in other instances. These drugs have such a duplicitous nature, making concrete declarations about them is very hard. The people who are harmed by SSRI may not even know they are being harmed by the drug, just as the people who are being helped may not know they're being helped.
The line between re emergence of pre existing conditions and withdrawal symptoms are similarly vague.

Agreed. The thing that concerns me is the total over-prescribing and for reasons that have nothing to do with mental illness. Or for so called mental illness that is not clearly defined; mental illness that does NOT fit existing criteria; or for the 'diagnoses' of mental illness that occur AFTER a person has been taking psych drugs, totally ignoring diagnostic criteria such as 'cannot be diagnosed if the change is due to medical conditions or drugs' or words to that effect.

And yes, the line between the re-emergence of pre-existing conditions and w/d is very vague. It's interesting that the medical profession has already been through this - with benzos. Why can't they see that a similar thing is happening with modern anti-depressants?

[aberdeen]

Originally Posted by Junior

Agreed. The thing that concerns me is the total over-prescribing and for reasons that have nothing to do with mental illness. Or for so called mental illness that is not clearly defined; mental illness that does NOT fit existing criteria; or for the 'diagnoses' of mental illness that occur AFTER a person has been taking psych drugs, totally ignoring diagnostic criteria such as 'cannot be diagnosed if the change is due to medical conditions or drugs' or words to that effect.

And yes, the line between the re-emergence of pre-existing conditions and w/d is very vague. It's interesting that the medical profession has already been through this - with benzos. Why can't they see that a similar thing is happening with modern anti-depressants?

Does benzo withdrawal have that strange way of going away and leaving you feeling good but then creeping back up on you at irregular intervals on and off for a while? Even up to a year or more? If so then how can Dr's not see this is the same deal?

[Junior]

Hi Aberdeen

I was actually referring to the re-emergence of the symptoms for which benzos were prescribed in the first place. That is, it was prescribed for anxiety and when people tried to come off it, they suffered MORE anxiety. I see a similar pattern with depressive symptoms and anxiety in a/d w/d. I guess the problem is compounded though by people experiencing depressive and anxiety symptoms in w/d when they'd never had them before. Hence the medical profession choosing to believe that the drugs have uncovered a disorder. How you can believe that a drug can uncover a disorder is beyond me...but anyway....

As for your question - I was never addicted to a benzo so I can't really comment.. but from what others have said... I think the answer would be yes.

Cheers
Junior

[aberdeen]

Originally Posted by Junior

Hi Aberdeen

I was actually referring to the re-emergence of the symptoms for which benzos were prescribed in the first place. That is, it was prescribed for anxiety and when people tried to come off it, they suffered MORE anxiety. I see a similar pattern with depressive symptoms and anxiety in a/d w/d. I guess the problem is compounded though by people experiencing depressive and anxiety symptoms in w/d when they'd never had them before. Hence the medical profession choosing to believe that the drugs have uncovered a disorder. How you can believe that a drug can uncover a disorder is beyond me...but anyway....

As for your question - I was never addicted to a benzo so I can't really comment.. but from what others have said... I think the answer would be yes.

Cheers
Junior

Thanks! That makes sense.

[trixiemom]

Originally Posted by Junior

Agreed. The thing that concerns me is the total over-prescribing and for reasons that have nothing to do with mental illness.

You mean like migraines??? That's what got me into this mess!!!! And yeah I'm sorta pissed off about it. But what's done is done and now I know better... but it still amazes me that they just give these meds like candy for all kinds of maladies.

[calamityjane]

There was one drug- the old TCA clomipramine, that was an absolute miracle for my OCD. It was the only psych drug that never caused me any kind of neurological reactions whatsoever. Unfortunately, it altered something dangerous in my heartbeat, and I was taken off of it permanently. It did, however, stop my horrible obsessions and compulsions cold, and never made me feel "chemically happy" or like my personality had been jacked, etc. I was myself, only in peace for the first time in many years.

I must admit, grudgingly, that these toxic drugs do help some people, sometimes. If I didn't admit as much, I'd be no better than Tom Cruise.