7 Facts about Antidepressants the Pharmaceutical Companies Don't want You to Know

2) SSRIs commonly experience relapse rates of up to 80%
SSRI exhibit such alarmingly high relapse rates because they focus on altering the "chemical imbalance" in the brain while ignoring the cause of those imbalances; therefore when the medication is denied, serotonin levels again fall and the depression relapses. In only approx 20% of cases the mood lift effects of depression medications are sufficient to push them past a minor stressful event.

3) SSRIs are highly addictive often resulting in dependency
Since the FDA approved Paxil (Paroxetine) in 1992, approximately 5,000 U.S. citizens have sued its manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline. Most of these people feel they were not sufficiently warned in advance of the drug's side effects and addictive properties. It's not the ingredients in SSRIs that are addictive but rather the feelings they invoke by increasing serotonin. Sufferers become "addicted to the happy feelings" caused by the medication, a scenario that often leads to long term use and increased probability of serious side effects.

4) SSRIs side effects include aggression, violence and suicidality
A 2004 FDA docket states "Strong obsessive suicidal thoughts emerged after Prozac treatment. The serotonin system enables us to dismiss normally fleeting and transient suicidal thoughts and prevents us from acting on aggressive impulses. Excessive augmentation may render us unable to dismiss these thoughts, leading to uncharacteristic obsessions."

In data from Sertraline (Zoloft) paediatric trials submitted by Pfizer, "aggression was the joint commonest cause for discontinuation from the two sertraline placebo-controlled trials in depressed children."

5) SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome
A condition that occurs during or following the interruption, reduction or discontinuation of regular SSRIs. The most common symptom being "Brain Zaps" which are said to defy description for whoever has not experienced them, but are described as a sudden jolt likened to an electric shock originating in the brain itself, with associated disorientation. These symptoms are considered to be caused by the brains attempts to readjust after such a major neurochemical change in a short period of time.

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In January 2007, Hugh James Solicitors in the UK commenced litigation against GlaxoSmithKline on behalf of several hundred people who allege withdrawal reactions through their use of Seroxat (Paroxetine). The issue at the heart of this action claims Seroxat is a defective drug in that it has a natural tendency to cause a withdrawal reaction.

6) SSRIs prescribed to children can be a lethal combination
Currently the only SSRI that is FDA approved for depression treatment in children and adolescents is Prozac; all others have been banned from paediatric use as their safety and efficacy have not been proven. Despite this in 2002 there was 10.8 million antidepressant prescriptions dispensed to children under the age of 17 by U.S. physicians with less than 1 million of those being for Prozac.

In March 2004 the FDA proposed that the makers of all antidepressant medications update the existing black box warning on their products' to include warnings about increased risks of suicidal thinking and behavior, known as suicidality, in young adults.

7) The Fastest, Easiest and Most Effective permanent depression treatment is NOT medication
Excessive stress results in depression, yet the quantity and intensity of stress one experiences is not determined by any particular external circumstances but rather by ones perception of how those circumstances will impact their life. In addition the body's natural reaction to stress is to activate serotonin re-uptake; hence when you reduce your stress the serotonin levels return to normal, boosting your mood without medication.

By utilizing specifically designed subconscious techniques it becomes quite simple to create a mindset based on positive perceptions in only a few days, thereby breaking the cycle of stress, anxiety and depression - permanently.

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Reprint Rights - Permission is freely granted to use and republish this article so long as it is not altered in any way (including all links) and the author biography remains unchanged.

About the Author
Gregory Park is the Director of Research at Depression Perception.com, a company whose commitment and dedication to the research and development of advanced depression treatment techniques is proving exceptionally beneficial to many people. Their techniques work by re-writing the minds negative thought patterns with positive new perceptions, thus removing the cause of depression.

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