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Depressing effectiveness of anti-depressants

Posted Jan 22nd, 2010 at 8:59 PM and seen
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This is depressing: according to an article by Andrew Gottlieb, anti-depressants don’t work better than placebos unless you’re “very severely” depressed. Note: these are the results of a “meta-study”—or examination of other studies, and the two drugs looked at were imipramine and paroxetine.

Click through to read more details because there’s a lot of details to consider including the medical definitions of the degree of depression.

A few years ago I had several major attacks of vertigo every year. One treatment was to take an anti-anxiety drug called lorazepram, so I start taking one every time I flew and every time I spoke. I got six standing ovations in a row, but I decided that there was no way that I, Guy Kawasaki, would need drugs to give a good speech.

I haven’t taken one to give a speech in years, and I’ve found that hooking and tripping people while playing hockey is the best anti-anxiety drug for me.

More on mental health.

Photo credit: Fotolia

 Guy Kawasaki

Comments (12)

Jan 22, 2010
Levi said...
I also found that there are better ways to beat anxiety and depression.
Jan 23, 2010
writersblock said...
How did you finally get over the vertigo?
Jan 23, 2010
Rebecca said...
Was the dizziness due to your inner ear? If it's BPV (Benign Positional Vertigo) there are procedures to correct it. BPV frequently resolves itself but tends to return. Thankfully, it appears that an Epley procedure can always be done to remedy. (I'm consulting an ENT right now on converting his med software and have stumbled across a lot of vertigo info:) Thanks for the Tweets on depression.
Jan 23, 2010
Guy Kawasaki said...
Writersblock and Rebecca,

I have Meniere's which is "incurable." I just get vertigo a lot less often--knock on wood. My vertigo is not BPV. That would have been too easy!

Guy

Jan 23, 2010
writersblock said...
Mine is neither BPV, nor Meniere's, but may be related to migraines, even without having a headache. I had never heard of it being common, but, since I "came down with it," I have found I know several people with it, all from different causes.

How about a holykaw topic on Vertigo?

Jan 23, 2010
ML said...
Ha ha. We're hockey fans, so we get your anti-anxiety program.
Jan 23, 2010
Guy Kawasaki said...
Writersblock,

Vertigo.alltop would be tough because vertigo is a symptom of many afflictions. We have Menieres.alltop and deafness.alltop. But let me think about this.

Thanks,

Guy

Jan 23, 2010
Anna said...
I'd be interested to find studies on more recent antidepressant drugs (effexor and lexapro come to mind since they're the ones I've had been prescribed in the past).
Jan 23, 2010
flysumd34 said...
Taking anti anxiety it help, but if you take too much it's not good either. Going to the gym everyday it's good medicine,it make you strong,feel heathy, relief the strees and burned alot of calories.
Jan 23, 2010
maren said...
I have had antidepressants prescribed a couple of times in my life. I took them because Dr. thought appropriate, but neither time did I feel they made any difference, or any real difference. Truly, the best treatment for depression is to get outside of yourself. Volunteer, hooking & tripping people while playing hockey (that was good. I liked it), go to funny movies, go to the opera and sing along, stuff like that.
Jan 23, 2010
maren said...
If you do go to the opera and sing along, you will be asked to leave.
Jan 24, 2010
Brent W. Hopkins said...
Really interesting article, Guy! I have also suffered from bouts of severe vertigo in the past. I was told it was BPV. Coincidentally, I was prescribed imipramine as a teenager... I took a pretty heavy dose throughout my high school years. It really had a negative effect on my math skills, by the way. I went from being an A student to a D student. Just couldn't do math when I was on it. For that reason, I am not a fan of medicating teenagers. I think there are better alternatives like counseling and structured activities like after-school programs.

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