Weak Points in Medication?

Have you ever wondered if your medicine is actually working?

I’ve never really had the chance to wonder, because almost all of the medications I’ve taken so far have been painkillers and antibiotics for minor ailments. However, as mentioned in my first blog, I have depression and anxiety, and I haven’t had the privilege of being able to afford the medications that are believed to help me live with my illnesses. For a long time now, I’ve been wondering if my life would be a lot easier with them. Antidepressants are by no means meant to be a cure for depression (there’s no such cure as of today), but they’re meant to lessen the effects of the disorder. When I think of antidepressants, I think of the mornings I can’t drag myself out of bed, or the days where I feel empty and lost. I tend to think that, if I were taking antidepressants, these days would be far and few, or they would be easier to manage.

But to my own surprise, there are multiple studies saying that antidepressants simply don’t work. An article by Mark Hyman, MD opened my eyes to this idea, and now I’m taken aback. How can this be true? The article itself states that, “In 2006, spending on antidepressants soared by 130 percent”. As the years go by, we’re spending much more money on antidepressants than we used to, so it’d make sense to think that the medicine is getting a higher and higher reputation, thus the explanation for its popularity. Doctors are more willing to prescribe a medicine they feel confident works, right?

Except that confidence may come from drug companies manipulating information, Hyman explains. Hyman says that drug companies are not forced to publish the results of every single study they’ve taken on their medicine. So why would a company publish any kind of study that has a negative outcome, when these companies are only looking to make a profit? Hyman writes that The New England Journal of Medicine found that while “looking at 74 studies involving 12 drugs and over 12,000 people, they discovered that 37 of 38 trials with positive results were published, while only 14 of 36 negative studies were published”. And then, the studies that were published played with the wording to make it seem as though the negative results were actually positive.

Not only this, but antidepressants are also thought to have extreme side effects. Hyman writes, “86 percent of people taking antidepressants have one or more side effects, including sexual dysfunction, fatigue, insomnia, loss of mental abilities, nausea, and weight gain”, and he hasn’t even mentioned the one side effect that has always scared me. I’m sure you’ve all seen antidepressant ads before, so you know the little fine print talk they do at the end of each commercial where they list potential side effects. I’ve never seen an ad which didn’t list “suicidal thoughts” during that time, and that’s always scared me. Why take a medicine that might worsen the problem it’s trying to solve?

Now, am I totally convinced that every antidepressant out there is bogus, and I should never try to take them if I get the chance? Absolutely not. I’ve had friends and family who’ve experienced positive results through medicine, and I’d feel wrong if I didn’t just try. However, Hyman’s article isn’t advising against antidepressants because “depression isn’t real” or “drugs are just toxins”, and he’s given some sources to follow up his argument. Overall, I feel perplexed, and I believe this is a subject worth prying at.

Because if antidepressants really, truly don’t work, could drug companies be lying about other medicines as well?