Are SSRI's over prescribed?

[manlymatt83]

My friend and I were having a debate last night about SSRI's (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) (Text) and how we feel they are way too overprescribed.

For instance, and all of my examples are girls, but I'm sure this happens to guys too:

1) My friend went to the doctor (the girl I was having this talk with) and complained of migraines. The doctor immediately, within the first few seconds, prescribed her an SSRI to "cure" her migraines. She walked out and found a new doctor.

2) My friend's friend recently was put on anti-depressants because she lost her boyfriend of 2 years, and their friendship is fading now.

I'm just wondering - are these things used WAY too much for people who don't need them? Enlighten me ATOT, perhaps I'm being ignorant.

-Matt

 

[upsciLLion]

Yes.

 

[ISAslot]

I think so, and I'm on one. The drug companies are good at marketing them to be helpful for so many issues.

 

[bsobel]

Absolutely, positively, and without a doubt they are overprescribed. To the point it's apparently amazing any of our parents and grandparents where functioning adults since they didn't have such wonder drugs available to them.

 

[KB]

All drugs are overprescribed. Its easier to give a patient drugs and send them on there way than it is to convince them they are just fine and need to change their diet, exercise etc.

 

[manlymatt83]

Originally posted by: KB
All drugs are overprescribed. Its easier to give a patient drugs and send them on there way than it is to convince them they are just fine and need to change their diet, exercise etc.

When I lost my ex, besides bickering a lot on ATOT, I also changed my diet, started running every day, and lost 70+ pounds now since that day (its been about 2 years now). I feel great now.

 

[SlowSpyder]

My sister is a single mother, being a single mom must be difficult. She has, from what I can tell a very ordinary 9 year old son. She took him to the doctor because she feels that he is too hyper, immediately they determined he has ADD and now he takes drugs daily to calm him down. I believe he's a perfectly normal kid, but I imagine being a single mother may make her feel like he's worse then he is. It's somewhat of a sore point between her and the family. It's not anti-depressent meds, but as someone already mentioned it seems like doctors are quick to diagnose and prescribe mood altering drugs too easily.

 

[BrownTown]

Yes, I also think it has to do alot with the trend to categorize ever person who isn't a complete stereotype as having a "mental disease". For one thing, its entirely normal to be depressed sometimes like when you break up with a significant other, or are stressed out at work etc... "Depression" as a disease means that you are depressed no matter how your life is going, and these are the people who might actually need the SSRIs, not just everyone who is having a bad week. Same goes for most other mental disorders, there seems to be a trend towards just blaming everything that goes wrong on some chemical imbalance and thinking some drugs can cure it when what the person really needs to do is man up and deal with their problems. Obviously there are people who DO have such imbalances, but I would say ore than half of those who are prescribed these drugs don't really have the medical condition to require them. Also, it should be noted that there are adverse side effects to many of these drugs, and if you don't have any real problems you could be doing yourself more harm than good by taking them. Further, while these drugs might help you feel better, they arent nescecarrily helping your life out any. For example I might have taken some benzodiazapenes before, and they make you feel like you have no worries in the world, unfortunately you DO still have worries and getting high on drugs (even medically prescribed ones) aint gonna make them go away.

 

[Nocturnal]

Originally posted by: BrownTown
Yes, I also think it has to do alot with the trend to categorize ever person who isn't a complete stereotype as having a "mental disease". For one thing, its entirely normal to be depressed sometimes like when you break up with a significant other, or are stressed out at work etc... "Depression" as a disease means that you are depressed no matter how your life is going, and these are the people who might actually need the SSRIs, not just everyone who is having a bad week. Same goes for most other mental disorders, there seems to be a trend towards just blaming everything that goes wrong on some chemical imbalance and thinking some drugs can cure it when what the person really needs to do is man up and deal with their problems. Obviously there are people who DO have such imbalances, but I would say ore than half of those who are prescribed these drugs don't really have the medical condition to require them. Also, it should be noted that there are adverse side effects to many of these drugs, and if you don't have any real problems you could be doing yourself more harm than good by taking them. Further, while these drugs might help you feel better, they arent nescecarrily helping your life out any. For example I might have taken some benzodiazapenes before, and they make you feel like you have no worries in the world, unfortunately you DO still have worries and getting high on drugs (even medically prescribed ones) aint gonna make them go away.

Paragraphs are overrated.

 

[Triumph]

SSRI's and other anti-depressants don't do anything if you aren't really depressed. It's not going to get you high like crack or marijuana. So they're not over prescribed in the sense that they're hurting society, but they certainly are helping the pharmaceutical company's bottom lines, perhaps needlessly.

 

[imported_vr6]

Originally posted by: Triumph
SSRI's and other anti-depressants don't do anything if you aren't really depressed. It's not going to get you high like crack or marijuana. So they're not over prescribed in the sense that they're hurting society, but they certainly are helping the pharmaceutical company's bottom lines, perhaps needlessly.

you are wrong sir. It will have an effect, even if you are not depressed. They are presriptions drugs for a reason.

oh yea and they are over prescribed.

 

[Triumph]

Originally posted by: vr6

Originally posted by: Triumph
SSRI's and other anti-depressants don't do anything if you aren't really depressed. It's not going to get you high like crack or marijuana. So they're not over prescribed in the sense that they're hurting society, but they certainly are helping the pharmaceutical company's bottom lines, perhaps needlessly.

you are wrong sir. It will have an effect, even if you are not depressed. They are presriptions drugs for a reason.

oh yea and they are over prescribed.

Ok I'm wrong because you say so. I've done alot of reading about it and I've never come across anything that says people who don't need it are going to be tripping like they're on acid. There's a million reasons why a drug will be controlled by prescription, the ability to get "high" off of them is only one.

 

[manlymatt83]

Interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSSD

 

[Ronstang]

Doctors these days are no longer doctors anymore. They have become glorified pill pushers instead of medical problem solvers.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Triumph

Ok I'm wrong because you say so. I've done alot of reading about it and I've never come across anything that says people who don't need it are going to be tripping like they're on acid. There's a million reasons why a drug will be controlled by prescription, the ability to get "high" off of them is only one.

It won't make you "high like you're on acid", but antidepressants DO affect your mood, even if you're not 'clinically depressed'.

 

[NanoStuff]

It does not mean you must take what you're being prescribed or be locked up for avoiding a prescription. If you have an issue with taking it, don't take it. Medicine is a business. I doubt you would let someone tell you what car, tv, house to buy. Some decisions are important enough to make for yourself, for some reason people decide it's ok to be stupid on the thing that matters most.

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Originally posted by: vr6
you are wrong sir. It will have an effect, even if you are not depressed. They are presriptions drugs for a reason.

Yeah, any one or more of 11ty billion side effects you wouldn't want.

 

[cherrytwist]

Never saw Brain Candy?

Yes, they are overprescribed.

And it's not that uncommon for certain SSRIs to be prescribed for migraines. There is a pharmacological basis for it.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

And there is Effexor, which in some cases you can never get off of.

Kinda nice they can prescribe something that you have to pay for the rest of your life, even if you want to quit.

 

[moshquerade]

To answer the original question: Absolutely.

For one thing, anti-depressant meds should *never* be prescribed until therapy is tried first, and we don't see it happening that way much, do we?

 

[zinfamous]

I would think that this (top poser on this page--not the trollish OP) member would have a response in this thread. Considering he has a strong opinion on the subject, and that he also can't seem to get what he wants in the US of A, I'm surprised he hasn't offered any insight here....

 

[Lounatik]

Originally posted by: moshquerade
To answer the original question: Absolutely.

For one thing, anti-depressant meds should *never* be prescribed until therapy is tried first, and we don't see it happening that way much, do we?

6 weeks ago i fell off of my work truck and landed square on my head and gave myself a concussion. I fell about 11 feet onto my dome. CT scans showed no fracture and I was okay. I finally got an appointment to see a neuorologist because I am having a severe case of post concussive trauma. Constant ringing in my ears, sleep about 2-3 hours a day (crappy sleep at that) irritable beyond what a normal person should be and a semi-constant "fog" that feels like I am hung over perpetually.I have been having a hard time even trying to name simple objects. No fun for sure.

He proceeded to tell me that when you get a concussion, your seratonin levels "bottom out" and your brain is slow to regain it. Whether it is true or not is not for me to decide. He gave me an anti-depressant and quite honestly, I haven't felt this well in the last two months. I am out of the damned fog I was in and I have actually been able to get a few nights rest. Therapy obviously was not going to do any good for me. The horror stories I hear about what this crap can do to you has me a bit worried, but I cannot believe what a difference they have made to me.


Peace

Lounatik