Yes, the drugs are effective, in that they lift depression in most patients. But that benefit is hardly more than what patients get when they, unknowingly and as part of a study, take a dummy pill—a placebo. As more and more scientists who study depression and the drugs that treat it are concluding, that suggests that antidepressants are basically expensive Tic Tacs.
Placebo, no, because AD have negative side effects. If they were a placebo, they wouldn't have any.
ReplyDeleteI concur. No placebo will destroy your libido. You can also stop taking a placebo at any time without inducing a psychotic episode. If they legalized drugs, this wouldn't even be an issue. Cannabis would put Prozac out of business literally overnight.
ReplyDeleteThe point, gentleman, is NOT that antidepressants have no negative effects, but that whatever positive effects they seem to have are placebo-like.
ReplyDeleteYou cannot call something a placebo by ignoring negative effects. A placebo has no real effect at all.
ReplyDeleteYou cannot call something a placebo by ignoring negative effects. A placebo has no real effect at all.
ReplyDeleteI don't disagree with your point, but again, the comparison to a placebo is simply that the effects of antidepressants in relief of depression are due to the belief of the person taking them, just like the positive effects of a taking a placebo. No one said those drugs are the same as a sugar pill!
They should do a cupcake comparison. I think having a cupcake would cheer people up more than prozac would. That's almost like a sugar pill, if you make them real small.
ReplyDeleteThe Cupcake Treatment? Sounds like a book idea is there somewhere. I know cupcakes always cheer me up.
ReplyDeleteActually the best remediation is exercise every day.
ReplyDeleteexercise every day.
ReplyDeleteTrue! I notice since I've been walking at least 30 minutes every day my mood has much improved.
I take it back, exercise sucks! I need a cupcake reeeal bad.
ReplyDeleteHow can cupcakes not make you happy?
Warning: you can OD on cupcakes.
ReplyDeleteGinx, the difference is, in that video, those were evil cupcakes.
ReplyDeleteI think it's because she drank that water. Water makes cupcakes expand. Don't mix substances, people! If you're having cupcakes, abstain from water (street names include H20, hydro, and "the wet stuff").
ReplyDelete