Study: Antidepressants like Prozac, as good as placebos

After an evaluation of clinical data, a study concluded that SSRIs,
the new antidepressants are the third generation, as well as
ineffective

Millions of people are treated with antidepressants. New drugs will
work better because they are new and enstpringen the advanced state of
research. A study has the effect of the new selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which also most be prescribed once a
closer look at using a statistical analysis of many studies and
concluded that they are little better than placebos. The study and its
publication is brave, because it reveals not only a helplessness of
modern medicine to the most common mental illness, but could also
undermine a market that has brought the manufacturers billions of
euros.

The American, British and American research team used in its study
data from the clinical trials for approval of the drugs fluoxetine
(Prozac), venlafaxine (Effexor), Nefazodonbei (Nefadar, already back
from the market) and paroxetine (Seroxat) in the United States Agency
FDA evaluated. To unpublished data, they came after the entry of
applications to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). With
meta-analytic techniques were then, as the scientists explain in their
article that appeared in the latest issue of open access journal PLoS
Medicine, examines the successes, the drug achieved.

This revealed that the effect of this new, third generation of
antidepressants "below recommended standards for clinical
significance" layers. For weak depression there had been no practical
difference to the administration of placebo, in patients with major
depression, only a "small clinical insignificant seed" difference.
Only with severe depression was found between placebo and the SSRI's,
a clinically significant difference. This effect is, however, the
scientists immediately damped, since it is mainly due to the fact that
people with severe depression respond to placebos little, so the
effect was not caused by the antidepressants.

In particular, new drugs that are introduced with appropriate fanfare
in the market promise to improvement and cure, the doctors create for
themselves and others the impression that they know what they do when
they prescribe the alleged drugs that patients are hoping that drugs
accomplish this, should do what they promised and by manufacturers and
experts, will deserve and the pharmaceutical industry. There is always
a probability between 5 and 15 percent, to a (temporary) depression to
cancer. In Germany alone, four million people suffer from depression.
But antidepressants are taken not only to treat serious mental
problems, such as Prozac, but also to increase performance and improve
mood or just when you're bad at it.

At least as effective in depression may be to the study of the SSRIs,
which are also so dear prescribed, because they should have fewer side
effects, be cost-effective prescribing placebos instead of the pills
from the scientific laboratories could think of to other therapeutic
measures especially since there is little significant is whether
pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo or another is used to exorcise the
demons of depression. Finally, the effect of placebos in psychiatric
disorders is higher than in other cases, anyway. The researchers write
that there is no reason why these drugs - including the fashionable
drug Proxac - to prescribe only in people who suffer from very severe
depression, one could consider if other treatments have proved
ineffective. Professor Irving Kirsch from the University of Hull, and
one of the authors says: "In the best interest of patients, it is time
to focus on non-drug treatments and to reserve these drugs for very
severely depressed patients."

GlaxoSmithKline, manufacturer of Seroxat, said the studies have
evaluated only a very small amount of available data. Regulatory
authorities around the world have made extensive studies with all
data: "This one study should not serve to cause unnecessary alarm for
patients." Similarly, when you are Pahrmakonzern Eli Lilly, which
sells Prozac: "Extensive scientific and medical experience has
demonstrated that fluoxetine is an effective antidepressant.".