Posted by Adam on April 13, 2000, at 11:12:01
In reply to Re: Joseph Glenmullen, MD and Prozac Backlash..., posted by Mark H. on April 11, 2000, at 20:33:24
Gosh, you're welcome.I suppose I should come clean with the fact that not too long ago I was given to some rather disparaging comments about the SSRIs, which I feel a bit badly about now. Especially in the case of my current girlfriend, I'm coming to appreciate their usefulness for others, even though they did me more harm than good.
I also listened to Dr. Glenmullen's interview over again, and I still feel, though I can appreciate where he's coming from, that the tone of the conversation was too alarmist. Especially in the case of the frequent discussion of extrapyramidal symptoms, more acknowledgemnt of the rarity and the questionable legitimacy of such reports was warranted.
Jim, I read your posts on Zoloft, which I also took once, and all I can say is if you fail another trial with an SSRI it might be best to look elswhere. Unfortunately, the side effects commonly caused by other classes of drugs can be just as distressing, and the cost of relief from depression is sometimes other problems. Only you can decide what is easier to tolerate.
My greatest fear about Dr. Glenmullen's book is that it will be a deterrent to those who can benefit from psychiatric care, and might turn some off to antidepressants in general, since they all can come with a number of adverse side effects. The backlash he describes may be magnified by the expectation, which I have mistakenly had in the past, that antidepressants are pain-free mood brighteners that can make you feel better than well. It's a response to the initial hype, which was misleading. I feel caution should be used to make sure the pendulum doesn't swing too far the other way.
poster:Adam
thread:29656
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000411/msgs/29842.html