Reply To: Is every other Woman on Zoloft?

My problem with it is it appears that antidepressants act only as placebos for mild to moderate depression, and the chatter I read back and forth between psychiatrists on medical websites gives me the impression that they mostly aren’t prescribing them except for severe depression anymore, that it is family docs handing out these prescriptions like candy. there is a serious concern I recently became aware of, that in the LONG TERM, these drugs are causing harm – they change your serotonin receptors in your brain, and that may be permanent – nobody knows. and it isn’t natural or fixing a chemical imbalance either – lack of serotonin was disproved as a cause of depression 2 decades ago – nobody knows if it is a chemical imbalance or what the heck is the cause of depression, even today! withdrawal from antidepressants can be very difficult for some people, but the docs never warn you about that. Your brain adapts to the drug, and if you go off the meds, you can be a total wreck.

For mild to moderate depression, the most effective treatments known are counseling, getting a lot more aerobic exercise, increasing social support, using a light box in fall and winter if there is a seasonal component to your moods and stuff like that. there are self-help books at the library and a lot of those books have good advice in them. If your depression is mild to moderate, why take the risk of medications when they appear to work no better than placebo according to even the drug companies’ data when there are proven strategies with no risk? these strategies are STILL bona fide depression treatment.

Why are we running to pop pills?