Are antidepressant medications saving lives or are they puttingthem in danger? That is the question that is facing many parentsand physicians nationwide thanks to recent findings.
With millions of American children currently usingantidepressants, researchers have found reason to doubt the safetyof some of the drugs. As a result, The Food and Drug Administrationhas assembled an advisory panel to look into claims that childrenand teenagers on antidepressants were more likely to commitsuicide.
More than 1 million Americans under 18 take antidepressants suchas Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft. But with even the slightestpossibility of risk, why are we shoving these pills down ourkid’s throats? Common knowledge confirms the appallingreality that most antidepressants haven’t been thoroughlyresearched on children.
The truth of the matter is that nobody really knows the problemsthat can occur due to prolonged use of a certain drug. Thecomplexity of the human brain may never be fully understood.Antidepressants and other drugs that interact with the brain, andsubsequently alter the manner in which the brain functions, lackstatistical research that could help determine future consequences.Much of the information that is currently known is simply educatedguesses.
But the problems will continue to grow. Sadly, we are a countrythat is obsessed with using drugs to fight endless bouts with ourbodies. Suddenly, hair loss, erectile dysfunction, and even reallybad allergies can be straightened out.
Pharmaceutical companies have a miracle drug for everything. Wehave all seen those commercials on television. Sure enough they allbegin with images of everlasting happiness associated with peoplethat use the drug. But without fail, the end of the commercial isused to enlighten us about the potential side effects associatedwith the particular drug. For example, the antidepressant drugCelexa has over a hundred possible side effects cataloged as morecommon, less common and rare.
The common side effects include abdominal pain, agitation,anxiety and diarrhea. People on this drug may also suffer fromamnesia, attempted suicide and confusion. The rare side effectsinclude abnormal dreams, acne and aggressive behavior. It almostseems that the side effects of the drug might prevail over thebenefits.
Ed Board is not disputing the importance of some drugs, but inmost cases, taking the drug alone is not enough. People need torealize that the pharmacy is not the best answer to theirproblems.