Broad Review of FDA Trials Suggests Antidepressants Marginally Better than Placebo

[Jabberwocky]

Broad Review of FDA Trials Suggests Antidepressants Only Marginally Better than Placebo

August 24, 2010 — A new review of 4 meta-analyses of efficacy trials submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggests that antidepressants are only "marginally efficacious" compared with placebo and "document profound publication bias that inflates their apparent efficacy."

In addition, when the researchers also analyzed the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) trial, "the largest antidepressant effectiveness trial ever conducted," they found that "the effectiveness of antidepressant therapies was probably even lower than the modest one reported...with an apparent progressively increasing dropout rate across each study phase.

"We found that out of the 4041 patients initially started on the SSRI [selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor] citalopram in the STAR*D study, and after 4 trials, only 108 patients had a remission and did not either have a relapse and/or dropped out by the end of 12 months of continuing care," lead study author Ed Pigott, PhD, a psychologist with NeuroAdvantage LLC in Clarksville, Maryland, told Medscape Medical News.

...

 

[Jabberwocky]

shit, sorry i forgot the site requires you to sign up. it only takes a minute and is free.

i get frequent email updates from medscape, some which are really interesting, but always forget to post them on here.

good site worth while joining they send free emails of articles.

 

[Dragynfyr]

http://www.wired.com/medtech/drugs/magazine/17-09/ff_placebo_effect?currentPage=all

It's not that the old meds are getting weaker, drug developers say. It's as if the placebo effect is somehow getting stronger.

For whatever reason, the placebo effect is growing haha peoples faith in medicine or something

 

[sockpuppet]

Definitely fits with what I've seen watching people all these years since the introduction of prozac. Everyone's on them now and the average mood seems just as bad as ever. I see people who swear by them but see people who swear by their "I-Renew" bracelets or inactive homeopathic preparations too....

Probably some significant benefit for a small number of people and some small benefit for a larger number of people but generally useless over the long haul and with horrible side effects. 90% scam....

 

[SilverFeniks]

Probably some significant benefit for a small number of people and some small benefit for a larger number of people but generally useless over the long haul and with horrible side effects. 90% scam....

Well spoken for a Greenie!

Based on my prescribed experience as an adolescent (13-14 at oldest) and many years of reflection, observation, logic, and illicit drug use, I have come to the same conclusions.

Of course, the billionaire drug companies admit it themselves in their direct marketing attempts ...

Our garbage chemical Rx is thought to work by affecting the levels of ...

 

[indelibleface]

I believe a short Zoloft course of therapy did save me from a particularly punishing bout of depression that I had been suffering about three years ago, but in retrospect, it could have easily been mostly placebo. I feel like it made things clearer and allowed me to see how silly being sad all the time really was, but I could have easily come to those conclusions on my own. Who knows?