Depressed About Antidepressants

By Dr. Mercola

Antidepressants are the most commonly prescribed class of medication other than antibiotics, taken by more than 1 in 10 Americans (and 1 in 4 among women aged 50 to 64).¹

Many assume that such pills are the best available treatment for symptoms of depression, but in fact the difference between antidepressants and placebo pills is very small — and both are ineffective for most depressed patients.²

In a meta-analysis published in PLOS Medicine, only the most severely depressed showed any response to antidepressants at all and that response was quite minimal.³ This lack of effectiveness must be taken into consideration along with the drugs’ side effects — of which there are many.

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SSRI Stories: Antidepressant Nightmares

The potential side effects of antidepressants stretch far and wide. For instance, research suggests taking an SSRI may double your risk of bone fractures.²³ This is because serotonin is also involved in the physiology of bone.

If you alter serotonin levels with a drug, it can result in low bone density, boosting fracture risk. A large study of post-menopausal women also found that those taking tricyclic antidepressants or SSRIs were 45 percent more likely to suffer a fatal stroke.²⁴

The research also found that overall death rates were 32 percent higher in women on the drugs, while other research linked antidepressant use to thicker arteries, which could contribute to the risk of heart disease and stroke.²⁵ Among the most concerning side effects, however, especially to society as a whole, are suicidal thoughts and violent behavior.

At SSRIStories.org, you can browse through a collection of more than 6,000 stories in which prescription drugs, primarily SSRIs, were potentially linked to serious side effects, including violent behavior. Categories include murder-suicide, postpartum reactions, road rage, school and other mass shootings, workplace violence, and more. According to the site:²⁶

“The stories on this site include many where young people have been casually given prescriptions for antidepressants, for situational conditions such as loss of a loved one, bullying by classmates, or anxiety about school or relationships. Too often, the treatment intended to cushion the impact of unhappy life experiences results in suicide, homicide, alcoholism, or drug addiction.

 It is axiomatic that had the families known of the risks, they would [have] tried to have prevented their loved one from taking the drug. But families do not know, because they are not told. If they ever realize that the antidepressant was the problem, it happens only after serious damage has been done, which in too many cases is death.”

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Non-Drug Options for Treating Depression

Research confirms that there are safe and effective ways to address depression that do not involve unsafe drugs. This includes addressing your gut health, as mentioned above, and more:

• • Dramatically decrease your consumption of sugar (particularly fructose), grains, and processed foods. (In addition to being high in sugar and grains, processed foods also contain a variety of additives that can affect your brain function and mental state, especially MSG and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame.)

There’s a great book on this subject, “The Sugar Blues,” written by American writer and news desk assistant editor William Dufty more than 30 years ago, that delves into the topic of sugar and mental health in great detail.

• • Increase consumption of probiotic foods, such as fermented vegetables and kefir, to promote healthy gut flora. Mounting evidence tells us that having a healthy gut is profoundly important for both physical and mental health, and the latter can be severely impacted by an imbalance of intestinal bacteria. Avoiding sugar will also help toward this end.

This is especially important during pregnancy, because if mother’s flora is abnormal, her baby’s flora will also be abnormal. Whatever organisms live in her vagina end up coating her baby’s body and lining his or her intestinal tract.

• • Get adequate vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 deficiency can contribute to depression and affects one in four people.
  • Optimize your vitamin D levels, ideally through regular sun exposure. Vitamin D is very important for your mood. In one study, people with the lowest levels of vitamin D were found to be 11 times more prone to depression than those who had normal levels.²⁹

The best way to get vitamin D is through sun exposure or use of a high-quality tanning bed. A vitamin D3 supplement can be used if these aren’t possible, but you’ll need to monitor your levels regularly.

• • Get plenty of animal-based omega-3 fats. Many people don’t realize that their brain is 60 percent fat, but not just any fat. It is DHA, an animal-based omega-3 fat, which, along with EPA, is crucial for good brain function and mental health.³⁰

Unfortunately, most people don’t get enough from diet alone. Make sure you take a high-quality animal-based omega-3 fat, such as krill oil, or consume sardines or anchovies regularly.

Dr. Stoll, a Harvard psychiatrist, was one of the early leaders in compiling the evidence supporting the use of animal based omega-3 fats for the treatment of depression. He wrote an excellent book that details his experience in this area called “The Omega-3 Connection.”

• • Evaluate your salt intake. Sodium deficiency actually creates symptoms that are very much like those of depression. Make sure you do not use processed salt (regular table salt), however. You’ll want to use an all-natural, unprocessed salt like Himalayan salt, which contains more than 80 different micronutrients.
  • Get adequate daily exercise, including high-intensity exercise, which is one of the most effective strategies for preventing and overcoming depression. Studies on exercise as a treatment for depression have shown there is a strong correlation between improved mood and aerobic capacity.

So there’s a growing acceptance that the mind-body connection is very real, and that maintaining good physical health can significantly lower your risk of developing depression in the first place.

• Get adequate amounts of sleep. You can have the best diet and exercise program possible, but if you aren’t sleeping well you can easily become depressed. Sleep and depression are so intimately linked that a sleep disorder is actually part of the definition of the symptom complex that gives the label depression.