Antidepressants not effective as thought

Published: Feb. 26, 2008 at 10:53 PM
Order reprints
HULL, England, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Antidepressants, such as Prozac, are prescribed for clinical depression, but may not be as effective as believed, a British meta-analysis found.

Irving Kirsch of the University of Hull and his colleagues did a meta-analysis on the clinical data from all the trials submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for four drugs: fluoxetine, or Prozac; venlafaxine, or Effexor; nefazodone, or Serzone; and paroxetine or Seroxat/Paxil.

The researchers included unpublished, as well as published, trials.

The meta-analysis, published in PLoS Medicine, found the improvement in depression among patients receiving the trial drugs, as compared to those receiving placebos, was not clinically significant in mildly depressed patients or even in most patients who suffer from very severe depression.

"Although patients get better when they take antidepressants, they also get better when they take a placebo, and the difference in improvement is not very great," Kirsch said in a statement. "This means that depressed people can improve without chemical treatments."

The researchers conclude there is little reason to prescribe new-generation antidepressant medications to any but the most severely depressed patients unless alternative treatments have been ineffective.


© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.



Puppy transporter charged with cruelty (5 min)
Study: Play ball after shoulder surgery (10 min)
MLB: LA Dodgers 12, Milwaukee 8 (10 inn.) (12 min)
GM considers new car listings on eBay (17 min)
Broken main floods Philly neighborhood (21 min)
MLB: Houston 6, Washington 5 (22 min)
UPI Sports Calendar for Sarurday, July 11 (33 min)
fark
Only the Royals would consider Yuniesky Betancourt a 'major trade'. Second paragraph- 'Betancourt,...
Probably the most spectacularly disturbing suicide you'll read about today
Photoshop these creepy earrings
Patronizing Tijuana hookers while on drugs may be unhealthy, according to Dr. N.S. Sherlock, of...
Defense lawyers request words like "polygamy,""cult" and "compound" not be used in their client's...
TSG Mugshot roundup: Twin billing