Surprise, surprise, what do you think about this news - PROZAC?

LONDON (AFP) - Best-selling anti-depressants like Prozac and Seroxat are barely more effective than placebos in treating most people with depression, according to a study published on Tuesday.

The research, which analysed 47 clinical trials, breaks new ground by incorporating data not previously released by drug companies which researchers obtained under US freedom of information laws.


Its findings prompted some academics and mental health campaigners to question whether people with mild and moderate depression should be prescribed drugs like Prozac, which has been taken by 40 million people worldwide.


"The difference in improvement between patients taking placebos and patients taking anti-depressants is not very great," said Professor Irving Kirsch of Hull University, who led the team.


"This means that depressed people can improve without chemical treatments.


"Given these results, there seems little reason to prescribe antidepressant medication to any but the most severely depressed patients unless alternative treatments have failed to provide a benefit."


The study, published in the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Medicine, looked at Prozac, Seroxat, Effexor and Serzone and found the drugs were only better than a placebo for some people with severe depression.


Kirsch's team said it was one of the most thorough probes into the impact of new generation anti-depressants or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).


Drug companies strongly questioned the findings.

Why wouldn't they? Must put a dent in business if they have 40 million users.

No wonder it's all in the head!

All cases are different so I dont think you can be so general and say they have no affect - I haven`t done research into their effect but they are used to treat all types of things and thus untill a wide variety of reserch has been taken into the subject - id take this latest information with a pinch of salt

Doesn't suprise me one bit. It has been illustrated in hundreds of articles and hournals that Prozac is one of the most over distributed drug in the world. Overdiagnosing is listed in the DSMIV-TR in several chapters to illustrate the importance of all of the incorrect diagnosis of ADHD, ADD, Depression, etc.