Posted by SLS on July 19, 2005, at 16:49:01
In reply to Re: Bad (but expected) news about ADs, posted by Tom Twilight on July 19, 2005, at 15:43:13
> I’m very tired at the moment, but I’m going to attempt to write the best response I can.
I know the feeling. It probably takes me as much time to write one sentence as it does for most people to write a paragraph. That's why my posts are usually so short. If you want to win a debate with me, just overwhelm me with sheer volume of words. Let this be our little secret, though. OK?
> Firstly I certainly agree that many antidepressants don’t work very well for a lot of people.
I think the critical question isn't how many people will respond to a specific drug. The critical question is what is the rate of response for any one person when given access to all of the drugs available. If you look at it this way, the rate of response to antidepressants is approximately 85%. It might be higher when combinations are considered.
> In my opion this is especially true of the newer ones like SSRIs.
In my mind, SSRIs are already old - or at least middle-aged. I still get the feeling that the TCAs, Effexor, and MAOIs produce a greater rate of response than the SSRIs. Still, the SSRIs have an important place in psychiatry and may still make sense as being a first line treatment.
> Having said this there are several things to consider; firstly the term Antideprssant covers a wide array of drugs so its hard to generalise about them.
I think that's a fair comment.
> Secondly we’re all different, so even if a certain antidepressant such as Moclobemide doesn’t work for most people, it will still work well for the people it does help, if you see what I mean.
I sure do. This is why I get upset when people say they would like to see a particular drug discontinued or never make it to market. To my knowledge, there isn't a single drug approved for depression that hasn't worked magic for at least some people, even if that subpopulation be relatively small. Why take away a tool when there are people who still benefit from it. Personally, I think moclobemide sucks compared to most others. But the hell if I'm going to take it out of the mouths of those who are living their lives happily and productively because of the availability of that drug.
> Combinations of anitdepressants can also be more effective than the individual drugs, so this is another consideration.
The more tools to work with, the better. These drugs work. I can prove it, but I'm hoping I won't have to. I thought we were well beyond that by now. Why are some people so motivated to throw away the only tools we have right now? Why are they so motivated to disuade others from using them? Lastly, what are these people to offer us in lieu of these tools? I'm not implying that they don't have anything else to offer, but let us here what these alternatives are.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:530123
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050718/msgs/530189.html