"Do Antidepressant Drugs Really Work?"

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/do-antidepressant-drugs-really-work/

Short summary: in almost all cases, antidepressants perform no better than the placebo, but do have significant side-effects. This has been known for quite some time, but the strong lobby for these drugs has kept these results from reaching the public.

 

No antidepressants do not work for T. Also have serious side effects like T worsening and hearing loss.
If you have depression is more safe one dose ketamine from using ssris snris tricyclics tetracyclics etc..
Only 1 dose ketamine has effect in depression to 70% after 24 hours antidepressant have effect to to 30% after 2 months use

 

Thanks. The first link states that "Most of the studies were supported by funds from pharmaceutical companies [...]".

My willingness to try antidepressants is significantly decreasing.

No one said that they did, but the link in my first post says that they almost never work for depression either.

 

Antidepressants have helped me but I've had depression for years before T. I think Lexapro is a good drug.

 

I've had depression before T too. At some point I tried duloxetine (Cymbalta) but it totally destroyed me.

The psychiatrists/psychologists over here are really really keen on prescribing medication. For a while I was considering trying it again, but after reading that article that's no longer the case.

 

Do what you got to do! I would take it with a grain of salt.

 

Thanks for the advice. I'll think about it some more.

 

I am on bupropion, it has helped my with my chronic depression. I was in a pretty bad place before I started taking it.

 

Of course AD's work! Do they work perfectly for everyone, of course not. For those of you that think you need them, of course you should do your homework and work with a caring, reputable Pscy. They have save my life on more than one occasion and it definetly was not "a placebo effect'. I will admit it bothers me when people automaticaally bash a medicicne- yes they have side effects for some people, yes they do not help everyone, yes- the drug companies hype them to make money- that is their job, but come on- if they did not help millions of people you would be hearing alot more negativity about them. People who have gotten better with their depression are just like better that have gotten better with their T- they stop coming to web sites because they have moved on and are dealing better with their illness. Yes I am pro ADs in the right situations, even thought they might have caused my T because I know how much they can help someone who is really strugggling. Are they over prescribed- probably yes. but please if you are really struggling with depression, dont be afraid to look into them, they could save your life

 

I take effexor, brain labotimy with zero effect on my depression caused by T. In fact they make me feel totally aweful. Walking around with no brain is not a solution in my opinion. Im pretty sure if you huff gasoline or sniff markers you can kill brain cells at the same rate? Or maybe some glue?

I am on half the entry dose of 37.5 mg and can not get off this poison, the side effects of withdrawl are not good. Also my T explodes if I try and taper. Sleeping with this mind junk is tough, from what I have read you can not enter REM sleep mode while taking ssri's. I sweat at night, constantly have heart palpitations, restless sleeps. I cant believe people take this stuff.

 

Anti depressants really helped me with my tinnitus. I've had it for nearly 3 years now. I have been on Citalopram for about 3 months now. The difference has been night and day for me. I can sleep in a quiet room and be totally unaware of my normal high pitched T. In fact I hardly hear it at all, and when I do it has little effect on me.

 

Is your T actually lower or is your reaction just better? Just curious as some people report lower T.

 

FYI: Many anti-depressants are Ototoxic. Need to do your homework to find out which are.
Paxil, Wellbutrin, Venlafaxine, Nortriptylin are examples. Remember, most doctors can prescribe anti-depressants but are experts in a very specific area. For these meds., I feel they should be prescribed/monitored by a psychiatrist, so you can get the right info. and if you -actually- require them or just need to VENT to someone rather than medicate. If prescribed from a general practitioner, you can always ask pharmacists (who are VERY knowledgeable of drugs than most Drs) of their side-effects including hearing-loss/tinnitus.
An ENT informed me of this (unfort. much later). Paxil has a history of horrible side-effects and I believe a number of lawsuits involved. Wellbutrin is just as bad in creating T, which I believe is also under the name "Bupropion".
Short-term possibly helpful, but the long-term? Irreversible side-effects such as T and dementia.
Some people are unaware of, that the same drug can be under different names.
I would provide more info. but just too tired at this time. T is taking it's toll.

 

@Telis have you ever try Remeron ?

 

Honestly man, I'm a little nervous. My T seems to be getting worse. It has progressed so much from the start. I'm wondering if it's not plateauing becasue I'm on these pills. Things around the house I could hear 3 months onset I don't hear anymore. I keep waking up with new tones etc. maybe I should switch. I don't even like this stuff, the only reason I'm depressed is becasue I'm debilitated by H mosty and secondly terrible T. I don't know what to do. I have woken up a couple of days lately with it slightly lower, first time in ages but then it's back up in the dayor even 20 min. And I might wake up with it worse the next day. The general trend is worse and worse. I would quit taking these pills but I'm scared to. Frustrating mate! I'm lost. I'm not sure if switching is the answer or tapering off totally.

Ps-too bad you guys lost iggy last year. I'm a flames fan, sad day here in calgary when he was traded a couple of years ago.

 

ADs may help some with depression and anxiety but should be complemented by CBT. For those who believe ADs lowered their T, I suspect it is more likely that the T did not change but their perception of it did with the help of an AD. For those who experience an increase in T with an AD, discontinuance (following a doctor's orders) should resolve that so one shouldn't be scared to try. Remeron knocked me out at night and helped with insomnia but it accelerated my heart rate even at low doses (7.5mg) so I could not tolerate it. Lexapro was cleaner and better but it took a few weeks to really work. I tapered off based on my doctor's advice after 6 months. For me, CBT was most helpful in bringing me perspective in handling anxiety from the onset of my T. Today, my T is not any quieter (it is always loud in a quiet room) but I do not focus on it and often don't notice it at all. When I do, I am not bothered by it. Hope this helps.

 

I hear you man I never took anything other then supplements for training but I too try to tapper off multiple times off of different ADs and just keep going back to Remeron ....Been on GABA , Nortriptyline , then they put me on Paxil that was the worst of them all.....Rem seems to be the safest and does help me from getting totally bummed out.
The B's pull one out over the Leafs last nite they needed the win badly...we could of used iggy this year that for sure.

 

I took Zoloft when I first had tinnitus and it was a life saver. It made me more anxious for a week or so which I believe is quite normal but when it started working it was wonderful. Did it lower the t? No, not at all but I couldn't have cared less about it. Every now and then I would become aware of it and wonder why I'd made such a fuss. It had no effect on the volume whatsoever but it had a massive effect on my anxiety so I changed my reaction to the t which is what it is all about really. When I stopped taking it I gradually became much more bothered by the t again even though absolutely nothing had changed so it was at that point that I understood that it really is your attitude and reaction to it that counts. I didn't go back on the Zoloft because I felt it was a crutch which had been necessary for a while (I was suicidal) and I wanted to sort it out myself. It took time but I did it. My t is no different, I wake with it screaming so much that I wince sometimes but when I get busy doing things it goes from my mind and I don't hear it.

"You may want questions about your tinnitus answered and that is quite understandable but to keep seeking answers indefinitely is not helpful and will delay habituation as you are still giving your brain the message that it needs monitoring.
At some point, in order to neutralize the meaning of it one must get the questions answered and then put them aside so they are no longer drawing your attention to it. You must become acutely aware that as difficult as it may sometimes be, you are free to select your attitude to it and the attitude that you choose will determine your success or failure. there are no exceptions to this rule."

 

I strongly suggest to avoid ADs because are all otoxic.
It maybe make you feel better but your T has good changes to worsen 0% to improve.
At the end you will have double problems same or worse T and numerus psychologic problems
induced by ADs.
So simple stay away at the end are life destroyers ...

 

So what do you suggest as to cope with depression , anxiety and lack of sleep

 

Agreed. I take Remeron 30 mg two hours before sleep time. I don't know if it helps against my depression. I would know if I would taper off. I even don't know if it really helps for my sleep. But I sleep like a baby without any interruption, sometimes 10 hours. But maybe it is also because sleep is my only relief from T.
I have zero side effects. I will stick with 30 mg for some more time. If things become really bad, I take a lorazepam.
Remeron is prescribed very often for T patients here in Germany.

 

I actually agree with most of what you say and believe that our immune systems are designed to cope with almost anything as long as it is working OK but stress is one thing (THE thing really) that stops it working and so leaves us more prone to diseases. All drugs are toxic in some way and I have avoided them for the last 5 years BUT if I had some life threatening problem I guess I'd change my mind. As tinnitus is one of the biggest causes of stress it is difficult to tell someone not to take ADs when they feel that life has no meaning. If life is so bad that they don't value it any more (and for many t suffers it is) then they are willing to take something which may not be good for their body but makes them more able to cope. I don't think I could judge anyone in that position.

 

You ever notice when looking up alot of these drugs they say " We don't quite understand how this (insert drug name here) works but.."

I've read the studies regarding placebo, I've heard moderate exercise is just as effective for MILD depression and CBT is best overall.

However if it's placebo I don't care, if I feel better, great!...oh except it might worsen my T and H..so..no..not great.

I believe the future is probiotics but what the hell do I know.

 

I think it is a bit of both. If you were to ask me how loud my tinnitus is. I would say it's not to loud. Yet I can hear it almost everywhere. I can be in a loud bar or soccer game and still hear it. It has that pitch that just layers itself above everything. White noise or any sort of masking could give my ears something else to listen to, but I could still hear it.

But I think the ad's have had a circular effect. It has helped my care less about my T therefore my T seems lower. I used to think sometimes when my T was as its worst that it was insane how loud it could get. It seemed like someone blowing a whistle in my head. The sound was totally alien. Yet now it's nothing, I can tune into it and its there, but it fades from awareness.

 

Intersting, thanks for the detailed awnswer.

 

Martin, you won't know if you taper offf. You will be in withdrawal causing depression. Depending on how long you have been taking and your dosage, you could have protected withdrawal symptoms for years from discontinuation.

 

Thanks man. Appreciate the feedback.

Yeah every point really counts now, those nasty sens are creeping up of late!