Posted by JahL on March 5, 2001, at 10:13:53
In reply to What do you think?, posted by adams on March 3, 2001, at 21:32:06
> What do you think is the most effective antidepressant drug there is on average? Which drug do the most people respond to? I would like a answer from someone who has a lot of knowledge of different drugs and has been reading this website for a long time and has some idea of what drugs work better than others, knowledge just from reading peoples personal experiences on this website. I know what you are going to say, you are going to say that there is no best antidepressant but I am just saying if you were a doctor and you had to pick just one drug to use for all your patients and you were only allowed to prescribe that one drug which one would you pick.
To give a real-world example of the point Cam & John make (ie heterogeneity rules), the majority of pdocs I have seen have suggested Paxil or psychotherapy for my *apparent* presentation (dysthymia/social phobia). In fact, of some 20+ meds I've tried, seemingly only Lamotrigine-an anti-convulsant-helps. There is no history of epilepsy in my family.
How do you define best? MAOIs are generally considered more efficacious than SSRIs, but carry more serious risks. Which is best? All you can hope to do is match the appropriate drug to the patient's needs.
J.
poster:JahL
thread:55484
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010302/msgs/55613.html