1. Do the benefits of antidepressants outweigh the drawbacks?
YES!
1. Patients who suffer from severe depression see improvement after use of antidepressants. http://search.proquest.com/docview/399071216 Patients with severe depression benefit most from the use of antidepressants. Patients in the severely depressed group had scores improved by an average of four points. During the experiment, patients who received the antidepressant had scores that improved by more points than the patients who received the placebo. 2. Antidepressants can help regulate and improve a patient's sleep cycle. http://zc9gn3am3j.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=The+effects+of+antidepressants+on+sleep%3A+the+good+and+the+bad&rft.jtitle=Psychiatric+Times&rft.au=Winokur%2C+Andrew&rft.au=DeMartinis%2C+Nicholas&rft.date=2012-06-01&rft.pub=CMP+Medica%2C+LLC&rft.issn=0893-2905&rft.volume=29&rft.issue=6&rft.spage=17&rft.externalDBID=n%2Fa&rft.externalDocID=293667507¶mdict=en-US Antidepressants have demonstrated to play important roles in the regulation of sleep and wakefulness as well as in the regulation of transitions between the various stages of sleep. Knowledge of how different antidepressants are likely to affect sleep can provide an important basis for selecting an appropriate antidepressant. 3. Smokers are more likely to quit smoking while using antidepressants rather than quitting cold turkey. http://search.proquest.com/docview/197464161 A year-long study of pack-a-day smokers who wanted to stop smoking found that those who used antidepressant drugs had more success than those who tried to stop smoking without antidepressants. 44% of the group using antidepressants had quit smoking while only 19% of the control group had stopped. references [8,9,10,11,12,13] |
NO!
1.May cause excessive bleeding after cardiac infarction. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21948719 Patients who an SSRI along with Aspirin or antiplatelet therapy after suffering a heart attack are at increased risk of excessive bleeding. Clinicians must weigh the benefits and risks when deciding whether to give patients SSRI therapy. 2. Impairs sexual functions. http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/9728668/reload=0;jsessionid=ZIqMntMs7PChyWU3uco4.8 Many antidepressants have a direct action on the central nervous system and can disrupt cognitive function, furthermore impairing sexual function.Antidepressants effect behavioral activities associated with sex including orgasm, erectile function, potency and ejaculation. 3. Newborns are at risk for health issues. http://zc9gn3am3j.scholar.serialssolutions.com/?sid=google&auinit=L&aulast=Garcia-Esteve&atitle=Antidepressant+treatment+during+pregnancy:+Pros+and+cons&id=doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2007.01.171&title=European+psychiatry&volume=22&date=2007&spage=S43&issn=0924-9338 Tests were performed to see if women using antidepressants during pregnancy effected the health of the newborns. It is necessary for some women to still take antidepressants during pregnancy but the choice is ultimately up to the patient and doctor. Results showed that women using antidepressants did in fact propose the risk of malformations and moderate withdraw symptom |