Antidepressants
Antidepressants during pregnancy
04/Oct/11 05:58 PM Filed in: Depression | Pregnancy
by Kate Whimster, BCom, MIFHI, ND
I just read this great blog called Effexor Babies by Tracy Malone at Wellpath Clinic and I had to share it!
She shares her own experiences with patients and a link to this article on the CBC website that highlights the potential adverse effects of taking antidepressants during pregnancy. As far back as 2004, the FDA and Wyeth issued a release warning of potential complications arising from taking Effexor during the third trimester. Please check out this blog and share it with anyone you know who could benefit.
Antidepressants are incredibly common and have many adverse effects, besides the fact that they are not long-term effective for most people taking them. There are so many naturopathic and other non-pharmaceutical treatments for depression that can improve your response to medication or reduce your need for it. These treatments are safe and effective, so please seek out the right treatment for you.
I just read this great blog called Effexor Babies by Tracy Malone at Wellpath Clinic and I had to share it!
She shares her own experiences with patients and a link to this article on the CBC website that highlights the potential adverse effects of taking antidepressants during pregnancy. As far back as 2004, the FDA and Wyeth issued a release warning of potential complications arising from taking Effexor during the third trimester. Please check out this blog and share it with anyone you know who could benefit.
Antidepressants are incredibly common and have many adverse effects, besides the fact that they are not long-term effective for most people taking them. There are so many naturopathic and other non-pharmaceutical treatments for depression that can improve your response to medication or reduce your need for it. These treatments are safe and effective, so please seek out the right treatment for you.
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Mythology of science-based medicine
by Kate Whimster, BCom, MIFHI, ND
This blog emerged after reading several different articles about the state of conventional medical care and some of the misperceptions surrounding efficacy of conventional medical treatments.
First, an article titled The Mythology of Science-Based Medicine provides examples of conventional medical interventions considered to be safe, valid, or effective when in fact they lack scientific basis or have been proven ineffective. This article provides links to sources and some responses from the authors and other medical experts in the comments. Here is an addendum to that article further addressing comments.
Second, an article titled How Common Are Medical Mistakes? which delves into the startling fact that the third leading cause of death of Americans is iatrogenic causes, meaning caused by doctors, medical treatment, or diagnostic procedures.
Finally, a few of my thoughts on this topic:
The “gold-standard” of medical research is the double-blind randomized controlled trial, which attempts to isolate the effect of a single intervention and control all other factors (including many features of patients such as pre-existing conditions, medications, lifestyle, diet, etc.) This makes sense in a research context but has little bearing on reality, in which medical interventions are used in conjunction with other treatments in a wide variety of patients. It is important to understand that a clinical trial is only the first step in evaluating treatment. It provides information on how something works and verifies safety in the short-term but is most definitely not a verdict on the effectiveness in the real world. This can only truly be gauged in the context of an uncontrolled patient population over time.
Something important to note about bypass surgery and angioplasty is that while they do not extend life (which is the case for many common medical treatments), this is not the only important measure to consider! Quality of life is also incredibly important and these procedures can make a major difference here. Patients with cardiovascular disease who in the past would not have these options would be severely limited by the inability to engage in even the most basic everyday activities but would also not be ill enough that they would pass away. These procedures have allowed many patients to return to a more normal level of activity and participation in life which is invaluable, even if their lifespan remains the same.
Regarding antidepressants, it should not be surprising that they are not very effective except in cases of severe depression. In most cases, antidepressants are the sole treatment prescribed despite mountains of evidence that combining them with other treatments (most notably psychotherapy) is far more effective. For many patients with depression, there are valid reasons to feel depressed, such as grief, declining health, emotional stressors, post-partum changes, etc. Depression is a natural human response to life’s ups and downs. Unfortunately most of us are just not equipped to accept and work through life’s challenges on our own. Psychotherapy can be enormously helpful in arming patients with coping and self-care skills. There are also many patients for whom antidepressants are very useful in boosting them up enough so that they can actively seek other treatments to address the underlying causes of depression, but the key here is that the cause must be addressed and corrected. Otherwise antidepressants either just don’t cut it or simply mask a problem that will re-emerge once the patient discontinues the medication. This is common considering the many uncomfortable and intolerable side-effects of these medications. There are so many proven and safe treatments for depression (such as nutrition, exercise, supplements, lifestyle changes, homeopathy, therapy) that can be used in place of or in conjunction with antidepressants to achieve much better outcomes.
This blog emerged after reading several different articles about the state of conventional medical care and some of the misperceptions surrounding efficacy of conventional medical treatments.
First, an article titled The Mythology of Science-Based Medicine provides examples of conventional medical interventions considered to be safe, valid, or effective when in fact they lack scientific basis or have been proven ineffective. This article provides links to sources and some responses from the authors and other medical experts in the comments. Here is an addendum to that article further addressing comments.
Second, an article titled How Common Are Medical Mistakes? which delves into the startling fact that the third leading cause of death of Americans is iatrogenic causes, meaning caused by doctors, medical treatment, or diagnostic procedures.
Finally, a few of my thoughts on this topic:
The “gold-standard” of medical research is the double-blind randomized controlled trial, which attempts to isolate the effect of a single intervention and control all other factors (including many features of patients such as pre-existing conditions, medications, lifestyle, diet, etc.) This makes sense in a research context but has little bearing on reality, in which medical interventions are used in conjunction with other treatments in a wide variety of patients. It is important to understand that a clinical trial is only the first step in evaluating treatment. It provides information on how something works and verifies safety in the short-term but is most definitely not a verdict on the effectiveness in the real world. This can only truly be gauged in the context of an uncontrolled patient population over time.
Something important to note about bypass surgery and angioplasty is that while they do not extend life (which is the case for many common medical treatments), this is not the only important measure to consider! Quality of life is also incredibly important and these procedures can make a major difference here. Patients with cardiovascular disease who in the past would not have these options would be severely limited by the inability to engage in even the most basic everyday activities but would also not be ill enough that they would pass away. These procedures have allowed many patients to return to a more normal level of activity and participation in life which is invaluable, even if their lifespan remains the same.
Regarding antidepressants, it should not be surprising that they are not very effective except in cases of severe depression. In most cases, antidepressants are the sole treatment prescribed despite mountains of evidence that combining them with other treatments (most notably psychotherapy) is far more effective. For many patients with depression, there are valid reasons to feel depressed, such as grief, declining health, emotional stressors, post-partum changes, etc. Depression is a natural human response to life’s ups and downs. Unfortunately most of us are just not equipped to accept and work through life’s challenges on our own. Psychotherapy can be enormously helpful in arming patients with coping and self-care skills. There are also many patients for whom antidepressants are very useful in boosting them up enough so that they can actively seek other treatments to address the underlying causes of depression, but the key here is that the cause must be addressed and corrected. Otherwise antidepressants either just don’t cut it or simply mask a problem that will re-emerge once the patient discontinues the medication. This is common considering the many uncomfortable and intolerable side-effects of these medications. There are so many proven and safe treatments for depression (such as nutrition, exercise, supplements, lifestyle changes, homeopathy, therapy) that can be used in place of or in conjunction with antidepressants to achieve much better outcomes.
