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How long should a person stay on anti depressant drugs e.g. cipramil
50 yr old, Female
asked Sep 09, 2009 at 08:05PM in Other
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0Votes
answered Sep 11, 2009 at 09:50PMMost think people stay on the antidepressant for 1/2 to 1 year. You then can be slowly taken off the med and reassessed for depression. In some people this is enough, others need to continue the drug for longer periods of time.
There is no one rule here and the answer will differ from patient to patient.
Sorry for the vague answer. -
0Votes
answered Oct 10, 2009 at 12:28PMA recent analysis showed that effects of anti-depressants like cipramil are clinically irrelevant. When their effects are studied, you find a small effect that is 'statistically significant; but it is that small, that it is below the size that clinicians consider relevant. In adolescents there are conflicting observations that these pills may increase suicide.
If there is any use for anti-depressants, it is in very severe, clinical depressions; only because in these patients the effects of placebo's are less.
So, the average person should not stay on anti-depressants at all. Psychotherapy is a more meaningful approach. I favor existential, experiential and interpersonal appoaches.
http://medicine.plosjournals.org/archive/1549-1676/5/2/pdf/10.1371_journal.pmed.0050045-S.pdf -
0Votesanswered Oct 10, 2009 at 07:22PMI don't agree with Johannes at all.
These drugs without question help people in the acute phase of their disease after it is diagnosed.
Therapy can takes months to years and these drugs work relatively quickly. (yes I know they can take 2-3 weeks to have a full therapeutic effect)
Lastly I can give you references to 100's of articles in respected journals that show they do work much better than placebo. -
0Votesanswered Oct 11, 2009 at 08:52PMThank you both for your comments. I tend to be in agrreance with Edwin with regards the rapid improvement in quality of life with certain antidepressants, that has cwertainly been personal experience but I am sure interpersonal approaches are very important too, perhaps in tandem, as sole tx if depression only mild, or as prevention measure to reduce the recurrence of the depression. Thank you .
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The content on or accessible through Medpedia.com is for informational purposes only. Medpedia is not a substitute for professional advice or expert medical services from a qualified health professional.
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Unfortunately, your personal overview does not stand up against the reference that I included: in most depressed patients the effects of anti-depressant are statistically significant but clinically irrelevant. As a doctor we learn to treat patients, not numbers. Treatment should be clinically relevant, not statistically. These drugs, most often, are not.
Your overview unfortunately carries many papers with several biases, one of them being that studies with positive outcomes are more likely to be published than negative ones. Farmaceutically paid studies contribute to this.
#2 - While I do agree that drug therapy should be the last option it does help people quickly unlike your method of treatment. Getting a patient out of the woods quickly is sometimes very important and could be life saving. You said as a doctor you treat the patient not numbers, I don't remember mentioning numbers at all. I am only talking about getting people better quickly and safely. I also think my opinion does stand up. Your 2 references out of maybe 10's of thousands is not something I woul