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Uncomfortably numb

PATRICIA PEARSON

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 6:13 PM EDT 13/03/08

When Patricia Pearson's anxiety became unbearable, she joined legions of North Americans popping prescription anti-depressants. First she felt peace. Then she emotionally flatlined. That was nothing compared to the chaos of trying to get clean ...Read the full article

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  1. Blaque Jacque Shallaque from Canada writes: These antidepressant scare stories are a disservice to Canadians. I know a number of people who have been helped immeasurably by the meds.

    As with any drug, some patients don't respond well, some have side-effects, and some are prescribed the medicine inappropriately, so things don't always work out. That's why a good doctor is needed to make a decision (not a pharmacist or a nurse... or a lousy doctor).

    But to demonize a whole class of drugs that have helped so many is idiotic.
  2. Emma Hawthorne from Canada writes: It's not the drugs that flatline people as much as the fact that when their window does open, the high-quality skilled talking thereapy they need to give voice to their problems, seek mastery of them and emotional healing along with a renewed emotional strength and autonomy, just isn't there. Unless patients flatline themselves in that vacuum, they will tear themselves apart, and become far more ill than originally. Canada has the skilled psychotherapists, the psychologists and social workers, but they are not allowed to opt into OHIP because it was designed by ill-informed government mandarins and the medical establishment. Skilled therapists are excluded even though it is they who can provide efficacious, cost-effective treatments, whereas psychiatry doesn't even have treatment plans, just appointments and payments from OHIP. Psychiatrists are so afraid of skilled psychologists they have swept them out of hospitals. But as medicare is owned by the public, isn't it time that medicare provided more suitable care for sufferers? Everyone knows that psychiatry is retreating to neuro-psychiatry where it can offer a significant contribution. But biologists trained to manipulate the environment will never be effective psychotherapists anymore than line dancers will make good ballet dancers.
  3. The Oracle from Caiman Islands, Canada writes: Forget drugs alone, Persue CBT Cognitive Behavior Therapy with a vengence. Be deterrmined. Pick someone you can work with. There, now I said that.
  4. Alistair McLaughlin from Canada writes: Blaque Jacque, you are bang on with that first comment. Patricia's experience, while certainly very real, is an anecdote of ONE person, who has experienced trouble with TWO drugs. I took Zyban for smoking cessation myself about 5 years ago. It says right on the package insert that you DO NOT mix Zyban with other antidepressants. (Zyban is afterall just a repackaging of the antidepressant Wellbutrin.) This is also the first time I've ever heard of ANYONE reporting being turned gay by an antidepressent, even if only temporarily. It's just as likely that Ms. Peason may have been experiencing some other 'unresolved issues' that need examining. And while she may not have appeared drunk at the Christmas party, she doesn't mention if she consumed any alcohol. Mixing two antidepressents with even small amounts of alcohol is probably not a good idea. If her doctor could put his Palm Pilot away long enough to do a little homework, he would have known this, and could have saved her the embarrassment. I have heard many horror stories about withdrawal problems from various antidepressants, and no doubt that is an under-reported side effect that drug companies (and most doctors) would rather not explain to the patients. But a blanket condemnation of a group of drugs that have helped many people (perhaps saving lives) is not the answer. If Patricia's story teaches us anything, it is not that these drugs are bad. Rather, it is that doctors and pharmaceuticals have done a very poor job warning us of some of the potential pitfalls and side effects. This certainly should be improved. And if a patient reports feeling 'emotionally flatlined' and 'sociopathic', it is likely time to quit the drug and try another one. Withdrawal effects be damned.
  5. whatevah D from Canada writes: Blaque Jacque Shallaque from Canada writes: These antidepressant scare stories are a disservice to Canadians. I know a number of people who have been helped immeasurably by the meds

    I agree too. I'm on an anti-depressant (due to post partum anxiety/depression) which I will be weaned off of starting this spring. However, I've had none of these effects; I have not told my bosses off nonchalantly, and I have not stopped crying at tv shows, movies or death anniversaries. The difference: i have a doctor who listens when I talk, a doctor who essentially saved my life when I was going through my issues and found the best possible help for me... my treatment was a combination of the medication and talk therapy, CBT.
  6. Marisa Hagertay from Newmarket, Canada writes: Everyone has a different experience. In my case, Zoloft made my life bearable, and I was in no way emotionally compromised. I also had unbelievably good therapy through an OHIP-funded psychoanalyst. I took Wellbutrin to help counteract the weight gain from the Zoloft, and it worked well for a while.
    I'm off the Zoloft now. I gained a lot of weight and became diabetic. I've also heard that the SSRIs do something to the way glucose is processed in the body and this can, in some people, lead to diabetes.
    However, if I ever become severely depressed again, I would take an SSRI.
    It all depends on the severity of your condition and what works for you.
    Withdrawing from Zoloft was awful, and the drug companies are doutbtless to blame for minimizing or outright hiding studies that showed how difficult withdrawal is. And if Zoloft and other SSRIs can cause diabetes, I hope and pray better drugs for depression are discovered.
    In the meantime, I would have had twenty years of misery without Zoloft.
  7. John Deriso from Edmonton, Canada writes: Well, at least we can thank God that medical science is not run on the back of personal anecdotes and short stories.

    But then again, data and facts have never sold that many books.

    Do you trust the businessman, or trust the research scientist?
  8. Doug Dewan from Calgary, Canada writes: When as a society do we realize that this is a side affect of how we live?....half the people I know are on antidepressants and anti anxiety drugs. WHY? Our culture is creating a society where the only way you can function or live in it is if you are numbed or medicated to it..... everyone take your soma!
  9. Alistair McLaughlin from Canada writes: Doug Dewan, the Brave New World metaphors are completely useless when discussing antidepressant use. They have no place in an informed debate. By the way, people have always felt anxious, depressed, etc., there were just no formal diagnoses or available medications before. You're mistaking an increase in media coverage for an increase in prevalence.
  10. Martin . from Canada writes: Well said Doug. I realized some time ago that I knew more people who were on medication than people who weren't. It scared the hell out of me.

    And for all of you discounting this article based on her anecdotes, did you miss the part where she refers to actual medical studies on subject? The excerpt doesn't even mention those research studies that were supressed by the Pharmaceutical companies showing just how bad the adverse effects could be.

    Not to mention the fact that these pills are handed out like candy people under the age of eighteen when little or no research has been done concerning their effects on developing brains....

    When as a society will people say enough is enough? Or are we all too busy watching our Health Sector Mutual Funds grow our RRSPs?
  11. Just a Lucky So-and-So from Tirana, Canada writes: Awesome story!

    After 3.5 years on SSRI's I was so numb I said enough! and threw them in the garbage..... it took me several months to get back my equilibrium and it was very emotional. That's the story the pharma's don't want you to hear.

    Bravo Patricia Pearson!
  12. T.M. Lyon from Vancouver, Canada writes: Caution: taking these drugs may cause a loss of sense ......of humour. After taking anti-depressants for 18 years I finally weaned myself off. I went to my Doctor to get checked out, after all, how many people in the world had been eating this drug for so long? Wasn't I worthy of study for long range side effects? 'What can I do for you?' he asks,checking my file,' re-new your prescription?' 'Oh' he says 'You've stopped taking them, so what do you want from me?' He seemed a tad fearful as if he felt guilty for recommending that I stay on this medication for the rest of my life. 'It's like vitamins for you' he said. I said ' I thought maybe the drug company might be interested in what happened to me, you know in the interests of science.' He visibly relaxed, so I began my report. I told him the divorce had gone well but as the new single father with custody of the kids I found it a bit challenging to keep all the balls in the air. What with a history of chronic pain, depression and family of origin issues (for which I was in counselling) I was somewhat scared shitless to go off my meds at the time. But ridding myself of a cheating wife had started a chain reaction of good things. I had begun playing music in a band and through a strange series of events found the Alexander technique, which ended my chronic pain. No wife, no pain, maybe no depression I thought ,so I weaned myself over 5 months. Just to see if he was paying attention I told him I had noticed one disturbing side-effect, I was sexually attracted to lesbians. He didn't bat an eye. Later we were talking about women and he said 'Wait, when you say she, are you referring to your lesbian lover?' 'Wut?' I ses, I forgot I had sed that. 'Did you write that down?' I asks. 'Yes' he ses. Well write this down I ses 'That, was a f@#king joke' He looks at me and ses 'I wondered how that could work?' It can't' I ses 'That's the point, let's sue Pfizer, I'll cut you in.' Humour me.
  13. Paul G from Toronto, Canada writes: There was another Globe story recently about a person with severe anxiety who suffered agoraphobia. She took the drugs and got counseling. After she built herself back up she weaned herself off the drugs and found that running/exercise was a great way to stabilize herself physically.
    ...
  14. Just a Lucky So-and-So from Tirana, Canada writes:

    T.M. Lyon from Vancouver: welcome back! Glad your sense of humour survived!
  15. Imperial K from Toronto, Canada writes: Well the problem in my opinion, is that they are prescribed too easily. I think some people getting them don't really need them, and they do worse then they help.

    For myself, they too flat lined me emotionally...but that was far better then a pit of despair that I was in. They got me through a rough patch, and of course a bit comes back when you quit them...but during the 'darkest' times, they helped me stay away from a jump off a bridge or other nasty ending.
  16. David any from No job at 50?, Canada writes: I agree with the flatlined emotion phenomenon. But that is what I need to survive. Being too sensitive to life is a curse. I think Cassandra could have used a little effexor in her life. She foretold the future but no one would take her seriously because she was always overwrought. I take a small dose every day. Otherwise I would spiral down into a black hole that has no end. I still drink and occasionally when I have more than 5 or8 drinks I suffer the black out and embarassing situation ordeal. On effexor I have regained a life. I have two beautiful children and a great X wife. I have a great Girlfriend. I travell every year. I am not horribly depressed anymore and sometimes when it happens I always know it can get better. Yes I worry about ongoing related health concerns to the drug. I talk to my doctor. He has had the same problems. That is cool. I muddle through this life remarkably well for someone who should have been institutionalized. My life has been better with them. Perhaps it is horrible for some and you are wise to not take them. Yes it is awful that so many in our society take them. I think it is a problem that our society isn't really one where sensitivity is appreciated or encouraged. I worry about my daughter who is too sensitive. I want her to be less sensitive. That said... Now I am going to run to work and work really hard to get a better car than my neighbourafter all hats what life is about.
  17. Jaliya Temple from Canada writes: SSRIs seem to be a mixed blessing. I've been taking one since 1996; was in therapy for a decade before that. The SSRI arrested some severe impulse-control and affect dysregulation that nothing else touched. For this, it's been miraculous. ... I understand, though, the emotional numbing; I experience this and it concerns me. Patricia Pearson's feeling of being 'mildly sociopathic' nails it. I believe that appropriate emotional expression -- and the ability to emote -- are pivotal in forming an ethical, relational way of thinking and being. ... I think that antidepressants are overprescribed in our culture; research evidence suggests that they only work with severe mood disorders. Big Pharma loves its profits, and it surely serves the less ethical powers-that-be to have people drugged and unthinking/unfeeling. Physicians and users of these medications need to weigh the benefits and the potential damage/side effects that the drugs can cause. I would love to be off this medication...but I know what the result could be. Fortunately, my doctor is a kind and wise man who only resorts to long-term drug use when absolutely necessary. We made the choice together over a period of several months. ... Patricia, thank you for your article. I will read your book.
  18. Jake Richardson from Kingston, Canada writes: I was on Paxil for 2 years, and like Patricia, it made me feel like a hollowed out shell, just wandering around life blissfully unaware of reality. The depression was better.

    In the end, the only thing that helped was changing the things in my life that made me depressed. If drugs are used as a tool to prevent the lowest lows in unison with therapy and lifestyle changes, then they're useful. Otherwise, they're deceiving and lead to a false sense of, well, everything.
  19. Ursula Seawitch from Canada writes: Anti-depressants have become the new 'Mothers little helper' Almost every peri and post menopausal woman I know has been prescribed some kind of anti depressants. They are supposed to be helpful for night sweats.

    They may help with that but they make sure you have nothing else to sweat about in bed. As in your libido goes out the window and it is impossible to achieve orgasm.

    I told my doctor that every woman he prescribed those drugs to he was ruining their sex life.

    Antidepressants have their place but they are prescribed way too frequently.
  20. whatevah D from Canada writes: Imperial K from Toronto, Canada writes: Well the problem in my opinion, is that they are prescribed too easily. I think some people getting them don't really need them, and they do worse then they help.

    For myself, they too flat lined me emotionally...but that was far better then a pit of despair that I was in. They got me through a rough patch, and of course a bit comes back when you quit them...but during the 'darkest' times, they helped me stay away from a jump off a bridge or other nasty ending.

    I agree with everything you said and had a similar experience (although I don't feel flat-lined) but the drugs saved me. I'm sure I would have taken my life without them. Looking forward to getting weaned off though, but I have to say I'm a bit nervous.
  21. Duh Work Farce Virtually Alive from Canada writes: Emma Hawthorne from Canada: Excellent post. Toxic chemicals that enrich the pharmaceutical industry and make the doctors' job easier are a bad susbstitute for human contact, counselling and mentoring. The relief many feel on anti-depressants is proving to be a placebo effect. Meanwhile, thousands are destroyed and suicidal, some homicidal.Like many other bad drugs, anti-depressants are being exposed as 'cures' in search of a disease, a theory seeking a practice. There are no chemical short cuts to mental health and spiritual enlightenment - only love, compassion, good works and self-discipline - four things requiring immediate increased production.
  22. David Roy from Montreal, Canada writes: So many comments from those who haven't taken these drugs yet seem to be very knowledgeable

    Yes these drugs work wonders but the withdrawal is brutal. Like having someone trying to rip out half your brain - one cell at a time.
    And it goes on for weeks.

    I stopped Effexor because if I forgot my morning pill, I would have to drive home at lunch hour just to take one - or face consequences.

    I decided that my anxiety was preferable to being chained to a pill.
  23. Sheila Dalton from Newmarket, Canada writes: I think it's true the drugs are overprescribed, that Big Pharma lies and obfuscates to sell drugs, and that therapy and lifestyle changes are important.
    I also think it's sad that very sensitive people are at a huge disadvantage in our society (most societies?) and truly do benefit from being damped down a little. I speak from experience.
    Nothing is ever perfect. I don't credit the drug companies for the good that SSRIs can do. It's almost in spite of them!
    But they help immensely, and I have no desire to got back to the days when depression was not only under-diagnosed but seen as a character defect.
    Recently, I took a drug for migraines which, I later learned, can make you depressed. It made me depressed. Suddenly, everyone looked ugly, all effort seemed useless, and the sad realities of this world (violence, cruelty, illness, death) made it impossible for me to enjoy the good things.
    I stopped the drugs. Instant recovery.
    Depression is chemical. I know from experience it can be cured chemically. Good therapy is terrific. It's also rare, and in the wrong hands, can be just as dangerous as the wrong drug.
  24. Sue City from Canada writes: '...the fact that SSRIs may help to relieve depression or anxiety – although placebos have been shown to work nearly as well...'

    Get off the pills and go see your local naturopath.
  25. Sue City from Canada writes: 'A family friend who had forgotten her pills at home when she travelled for a weekend had fallen down and had a seizure in a department store. '

    Geezus.
  26. Karolina Polak from Toronto, Canada writes: Reading this article felt like I was reading almost the exact replica of my life for the past few months. I was diagnosed with mild Fibromyalgia, which according to my pill-happy doctor, was a result of depression. Seeing how I was once put on anti-depressants, and weaned myself off of them due to the terrible side-effects, I was hesitant to start that therapy again. But with the muscle pain not getting any better with physiotherapy, I decided to take the prescribed medication. Not only did it make me extremely hyper, it caused the mild anxiety to become more intense, and my heart constantly felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. Apparently this is the sort of thing that some patients experience when taking Cipralex. Those feelings subsided after a couple of weeks, and I once again did not care about anything. Everything was fine, nothing could rattle me. I did get a referral to a psychiatrist, who at first seemed to be a good one. But after one session she not only prescribed another pill, Amitryptyline, but also Wellbutrin. In essence I was taking an upper in the morning, and a downer at night to get me to sleep. I do whole-heartedly agree that sometimes, as in my case, a psychiatrist is not the answer, as she seemed not to bother to get down to the root of the problems, those that were buried in the past and were the backbone of my issues at the moment. Every session all that was asked was: ' how are you feeling now? you look good. What else?' There was no sense of a connection of the shrink to my problems. I can honestly say, that I stopped attending those sessions, weaned myself off the meds, and instead focused on yoga, getting grounded. I took up running again, and pushed through that mental road block by myself. Now I'm not saying that this is a good route for everyone, having the right doctor who actually listens is the most important thing when battling with depression and anxiety.
  27. David any from No job at 50?, Canada writes: Sue City...you may be a great business person but you are insensitive. I am sure there are good natural remedies but depression is not some glib cocktail discussion for those of us who have suffered it.
    I don't like my mental problem...I've tried lots of things...like light therapy, Vitamins,Herbals... Spending 4 months a year in Mexico works great as a matter of fact...but isn't a solution for lots of people.
    Rolling your eyes and making a comment like your previous one is ...well...insensitive...
  28. whatevah D from Canada writes: David Roy from Montreal, Canada writes: So many comments from those who haven't taken these drugs yet seem to be very knowledgeable

    Yes these drugs work wonders but the withdrawal is brutal. Like having someone trying to rip out half your brain - one cell at a time.
    And it goes on for weeks.

    I stopped Effexor because if I forgot my morning pill, I would have to drive home at lunch hour just to take one - or face consequences.

    I decided that my anxiety was preferable to being chained to a pill.

    That's interesting. However, my anti-depressants haven't had the same effect on me. I'm on Celexa and I've forgotten to take one here and there. No issues though. I think like anything certain treatments work for certain individuals.
  29. El Christador from Vancouver, Canada writes: My experience is that depression is an uncomfortable deadness. Anti-depressants didn't make me feel drugged, they removed the incapacitating drugged feeling. It's depression that's the deadened, dehumanized, sedated, zombie state. The drugs bring you back to being a human being. At least in my case.
  30. El Christador from Vancouver, Canada writes: I stopped Effexor because if I forgot my morning pill, I would have to drive home at lunch hour just to take one - or face consequences.

    I kept some pills at work for that sort of situation.
  31. Tanya Kessler from Chapleau, Canada writes: I am not anti-antidepressant. They brought me back from the brink of suicide. Or worse: I would have continued to act out my life as a happy stable person while my mind got sucked deeper and deeper into the abyss. If it wasn't for effexor, and my therapist I wouldn't be where I am now. Genuinely happy. Having lived through several major depressions I know I will face the abyss again. But now I have the tools.

    One day last week, I was out of town for the day and realized I had forgotten to take my effexor. The horror! The withdrawl had started to kick in... I went to a pharmacy and begged for one pill. The pharmacist told me that with the extended release that I shouldn't feel any withdrawl symptoms for at least a week... I told her that obviously she had never taken effexor.

    And effexor has been the best antidepressant for me--mostly free of side effects (unless you forget to take it!!). But antidepressants work differently on different people. I still take it. I'm afraid not to. I lowered the dose, then had a quick peak into the abyss, and upped the dose again. One of these days I'll take the plunge. Hopefully not into the abyss.
  32. Alistair McLaughlin from Canada writes: El Christador, you bring up a good point. It could just as easily be that Patricia Pearson is not getting enough of an antidepressant effect from her Effexor. The Effexor may not be deadening her. Rather, it may be that it just isn't working well enough.
  33. confirmed agnostic from Montreal, Canada writes: As the comments here make clear, responses to SSRIs seem to be as subjective as attitudes to their use. Some facts are indisputable, however:

    1) they have fewer side effects than the drugs that preceded them
    2) they flatten emotional affect to one degree or another; that's what they do
  34. J S from Toronto, Canada writes: 'Blaque Jacque Shallaque from Canada writes: These antidepressant scare stories are a disservice to Canadians. I know a number of people who have been helped immeasurably by the meds.'

    I disagree. I think it's important for Canadians to hear these types of stories before taking the medication so they can make a fully informed choice. I have one of these anti-depressant horror stories. I've lived through a drug making my migraines worse. By making my migraines worse it made me miss enough work to be fired. To top things off, I needed to see 4 different doctors, do all kinds of blood work, and have a CAT scan before I could convince my psychiatrist to let me ween off the drug. Weening off the drug was as bad as going on the drug with horrible side affects - dizziness, vomitting, confusion, etc. I tell as many people as I can about my experiences. I hope it makes them go back to their doctor to ask more questions.
  35. De Wolcott from Lubbock, United States writes: Patricia speaks the truth. The medications do cause flatlining, especially when the person taking them shouldn't be on them, i.e. situational anxiety/depression, carpal tunnel, gallstones...

    Yes, they have been prescribed for way more problems than they actually help. Extreme cases of anxiety/depression can see improvement. Cases where they are not needed or are not approved, the results can be horrendous. Even deadly. And for the record, SSRI's can bring on events of hypersexuality.

    I am one of the survivors. Thank you, Patricia.
  36. CD W from Canada writes: Anxiety is tough, the person only seems to hurt themselves overtly, though not really in their control. Be not fooled the other areas of mental illness, when folks refuse their bi polar meds, often lead to the injury or death of vulnerable children. So be not fooled.
  37. Marisa Hargitay from Newmarket, Canada writes: Steve Allan:
    More men than women commit suicide.
    Does that make them the stronger sex?
  38. CD W from Canada writes: No it means that they the courts leave them no hope.
  39. Mark Brown from Toronto, Canada writes: Whatever saves you. One person's salvation can be another person's downfall, or something like that.

    I've been on these drugs for 8 years now, and they've helped me at times, but sometimes they haven't. I don't know what will cure me of my illness, but I've learnt that pills alone won't solve everything. They're a great tool, but not the be-all and end-all of treatment.
  40. dan donahue from wpg, Canada writes: Sue City is so typical of the 'new age' mindset. The last time I encountered the validity of a naturopath's wisdom was in watching a friend led down the garden path by one such practitioner who claimed he could cure her cancer.
    Eventually he threw in the towel and by the time she arrived at a hospital, it was too late. Naturopaths indeed have their place as does anyone who can assist a person attain a better overall state of physical and mental well being but in acutely precarious situations, they are not the 'one size fits all'
    solution.
  41. grey street from San Francisco, United States writes: As an Effexor user for 2 years I can say that my initial experiences were very positive as well. Since I felt 'better' on my initial dosages 75-150mg/day, I thought I would feel 'great' on more. So after a few months my doctor suggested that I go to 225 and eventually to 300mg. I hesitated on the last jump but some things had already started to fall apart by then so it seemed ok to go up, and my doctor again suggested it.

    I can say that for me, (and anyone's mileage may and likely WILL vary here) the results were almost tragic. It nearly destroyed my 24 yr marriage - I separated for a year - spent money foolishly, dabbled in several recreational drugs and other aberrant behavior, and became a borderline alcoholic (needing nearly a bottle of wine every night to calm myself).

    I was finally referred to a psychiatrist, where I was diagnosed as bipolar 2, which l have since learned about and agree with (especially looking back over my entire life experiences prior to being treated for depression).

    What happened to me was simply that the higher dosages of Effexor threw me into a hypo (just below) mania state - where I didnt care about anything, lost my ability to concentrate, and either felt either a 'high' that needed 'expression and release' or worse, a mania mixed with depression - called a mixed state. Very dangerous and this is where suicides happen. I fortunately escaped but not without some self-inflicted knife wounds. The moral of the story here for me was that these drugs can be beneficial in the right dosages but they need to be administered by skilled professionals and monitored CLOSELY, by doctors and family members. I am now down to 75mg Effexor and on my way to total elimination hopefully. I now take a mood stabilizer for the bipolar 2 and things are looking up after a long time in mental hell. I highly recommend the book 'Why am I still depressed' by Jim Phelps or go to his website - http://psycheducation.org/
  42. Northern Princess from Canada writes: steve allan from Welland, Ontario, Canada writes: Ever notice that 90% of the people who take antidepressants are women. There's a reason they're referred to as the 'weaker' sex.
    ______________________________________________________
    What a pathetic comment!

    If you don't have any intelligent comment to make, go get educated on 'Depressions', 'Anxiety', 'Panic Attacks', then come back, if you have something intelligent to contribute ... if not, turn off your computer!
  43. Russ Barth from Ottawa, Canada writes: after I quit pharmaceuticals and turned to medical marijuana.....

    I had none of the groggy, underwater feeling that comes with the pills

    i had none of the sexual dysfunction that came with the pills

    and I was far more able to get into touch with my emotions and feelings, and thus, work through them.

    the pills just muddy the waters and made the symptoms more sluggish
  44. garlick toast from Canada writes: all those drugs and yet pot is illegal.depressed?turn off the t.v.,stop reading the news,smoke a joint and go for a walk.
  45. jeff franklin from Canada writes: And yet the Harper Gov't wants to jail people who find that Cannabis alleviates their symptoms of depression and anxiety.

    Tony Clement, Federal Minister of Health and staunch anti Cannabis crusader. Interestingly enough, Mr. Clement has many private holdings in the pharmaceutical industry. Holdings that would seem to rely on generating profit$$ at the expense of Canadians Health

    God made Cannabis,

    The pharmaceutical industry make little pills with MAJOR health/ side effects.

    I'll trust God on that one.

  46. whatevah D from Canada writes: Right Steve Allen from Welland (no surprise you live there!): Women are the weaker sex. That's why they give childbirth. Ever think maybe women are the ones strong enough to actually admit they are suffering from an illness and willing to seek help. AFter all, isn't suicide the cowardly way out?
  47. Kim Philby from Ottawa, Canada writes: Following numerous panic attacks I was diagnosed with disthymia - chronic, difficult-to-treat depression. I was on various SSRI's for years; at one point I was taking two different kinds.

    They did work, but I had this nagging feeling that I wasn't quite sure who I was any longer; it seemed my personality was being subsumed by the meds. It was a weird feeling - difficult to describe.

    I told my doctor I planned to wean myself off them. (After doing so I learned the last one I was prescribed - Serzone - was causing liver damage (sometimes fatal) in patients.)

    My substitute "medication" was vigorous exercise in the form of jiu-jitsu classes (currently a brown belt). Now, the depression sometimes threatens to be overwhelming, and now and then I need to pop an ativan (what I call my Milk of Amnesia pill) under my tongue. I have to report, though, that working up a big sweat pounding my Wavemaster with a few hundred roundhouse kicks can work wonders evening out my frame of mind.
  48. Rae Vandenberg from Canada writes: What really needs to be done is the decriminalizing of street drugs. Really, what is the difference between prescribed drugs and street drugs? People taking either kind of drug are trying to numb themselves somehow. Don't get me wrong. I'm not anti-drug nor pro-drug. I'm anti-hypocrisy. I also think any kind of drug use is a health issue and not a crime issue.
  49. Cheryl Nelson from Bloomington, MN, United States writes: Alistair McLaughlin from Canada writes: Doug Dewan, the Brave New World metaphors are completely useless when discussing antidepressant use. They have no place in an informed debate. By the way, people have always felt anxious, depressed, etc., there were just no formal diagnoses or available medications before. You're mistaking an increase in media coverage for an increase in prevalence. __________ No, the Brave New World metaphors are not completely useless. Ideally, antidepressants should be prescribed for those suffering from anxiety or depression over a prolonged period. Too many doctors, however, prescribe them to patients who don't have a track record documenting prolonged anxiety or depression. Not long ago, my mother suffered complications following surgery which left her in a non-responsive coma. I was shocked to find that a doctor had prescribed an anti-anxiety drug to my 73 year-old dad to "ease" him through the ordeal. He had no track history of either anxiety or depression. I researched this drug and found out that it was one of those which patients must wean themselves from before discontinuing. He was also prescribed a mild sedative to help him sleep at night. The reason Dad was given these drugs would make anyone anxious! For cases like this one, it's a Brave New World indeed!

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