Antidepressant No More Effective Than a Placebo According to New Research

Millons of people taking commonly prescribed antidepressantscould be wasting their time and money, research suggests.

A review of clinical trials of new generation antidepressantdrugs, including Prozac and Aropax, found they were no moreeffective than a placebo, or sugar tablet, for most people withdepression. The study included results that manufacturers hadchosen not to publish, as well as data reported in scientificjournals.

An international team used freedom of information laws to obtainall information on four members of the class of drugs known asselective serotonin reuptake inhibitors which had been presented tothe US Food and Drug Administration as part of the licensingprocess.

The team leader, Irving Kirsch, of the University of Hull inBritain, said the analysis showed that although patients got betterwhen they took the antidepressants they also got better when theytook a placebo, and the difference in improvement was notgreat.

“This means that depressed people can improve without chemicaltreatments,” said Professor Kirsch, whose study was publishedyesterday in the journal Public Library Of Science:Medicine.

The researchers concluded there was little reason to prescribethe medications to people with mild and moderate depression unlesstreatments such as exercise and conservative measures had beenineffective.

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Source: The Sydney Morning Herald and The Public Library of Science

Dr. Hooper's Comment

This study is sending shock waves through the medical community. It finally reveals the Big Pharma hoax behind antidepressant drugs.

Through fraudulent science and clever marketing, drug companies have managed to take a class of drugs that work no better than placebo and turn them into a multi-billion dollar scam.

But the truth is finally out: Taking Prozac and other antidepressant drugs of the same class is no more effective than taking a sugar pill!

Hundreds of millions of consumers have been fooled by the quack science supporting modern pharmaceutical medicine.

They don't work. Yet, they are being prescribed to 118 millionAmericans, more than 20 million Canadians and 8 million Australians each year – and the four most commonly prescribed are alsothree of those that this study found to be just as effective as poppinga sugar pill: Prozac, Effexor and Serzone (Paxil is the fourth).

It's been known for years that placebos, or sugar pills, workjust as well as antidepressants, but it is still amazing what comes outwhen you are actually able to see the whole picture.

In this case,after the researchers got their hands on all of those unpublishedstudies (by taking advantage of freedom of information rules from theFood and Drug Administration) it came out that antidepressant drugsdon't work.

Now, here's something to think about: there are 118 millionprescriptions for these drugs each year, yet, according to the NationalInstitute of Mental Health, depression affects approximately 14.8million American adults in any given year.

Who is receiving the 100+ million doses of “extra” antidepressants?People with pain, people with anxiety, people who want to quit smoking,people with sleep problems, fibromyalgia, overreactive bladders, andeven some people who simply want to lose weight.

In short, there are large numbers of people who are taking thesedrugs, and paying for these drugs, for wildly different problems, whenperhaps a simple tool that they already possess could do the samething, for free, a sugar pill.

Dealing With Depression

Depression is a serious illness and one that clearly needs to beaddressed, as it is the cause of loads of pain and suffering.

But thereason why some people experience benefits after taking anantidepressant drugs is not, as this study proves, because of the drugitself.

It is because the person BELIEVED that the pill would work!!

This is why, when given a sugar pill, it is possible to experiencerelief from a wide range of symptoms, as long as you believe the pillwill help you.

This placebo effect has, in fact, been proven to be real in one of the most prestigious journals in the world, Science.

Your subconscious mind is basically neutral. It will implement justabout any command that you continuously feed it and sincerely believein.

So what do you 'feed your mind'?

Garbage In. Garbage Out.

You move to your most dominant thought.

Do you set aside 30 minutes every day for something positive – or do you turn on the idiot box and watch another murder?

What things are you doing that have a positive impact on your life?

Definately a hard one to schedule in.

For me, the greatest 'de-stressor' is doing some weights, going for a run, or getting out in the surf. What is yours?

It does not matter so much what you do, but set aside the time for the re-building of your mind.

Read a book. Listen to an uplifting CD. Listen to a positive speech or passage of text.

Do some exercise. Kick the footy with your kids. Shoot some hoops. Walk the dog.

Eat well. Supplement well. Generate Positive Habits. Your habits will transform your life.

What else can you do to help ease depression?

• Exercise on a regular basis. Exercise is perhaps one of the best things you can do to improve your mood and combat depression. Exercise causes the release of serotonin, endorphins and other neurotransmitters that are vital preventing depression.

  Indeed one of the most common findings I see in those with ongoing depression is that they hardly ever do regular exercise which perpetuates their depression!!

  Get out in the sunshine. Go for a walk. Run around the Lake. Regular, progessive exercise is your best natural 'anti-depressant'

• Eat regular small meals as outlined in the Wellness Protocol;The best meals should always contain a quality protein source that has essential amino acids (e.g. eggs, lean meat or cold water fish). Amino Acids found in protein sources are important in providing the raw material for your brain's neurotransmitters to work correctly.
• Use a great Multimineral and Multivitamin such as Tresos B or Multiessentials.
• Eliminating grains and sugars from your diet. All grains are acidic and create a pro-inflammatory state. The more grains you eat, the more fatigued you will feel.
• Increasing your intake of omega-3 fats and consider supplementing with EPA/DHA.
• Increase your water intake. How much water should you drink?
• Consider Acupuncture as it is very good for increasing serotonin and endorphin levels. Acupuncture is very useful to help manage depression as long as it is provided by a registered TCM (Traditional Chinese Medical) practitioner.
• Get regular sleep. If you are exercising on an ongoing basis basis you will sleep better. Set aside a regular time for sleep and avoid products, foods or drinks that may disturb your quality of sleep. Don't eat too late and avoid the caffeine.

  Turn off the idiot box and read something positive prior to bed. Go to sleep with some positive thoughts on your mind as opposed to recycling the bad parts of your day. It all helps.