All You Need to Know About Anti-Depressants » drugs http://www.anti-depressant.org Sat, 22 Oct 2011 09:25:54 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 Interesting Statistics and Facts About Anti-Depressant Use in the US http://www.anti-depressant.org/2010/01/interesting-statistics-and-facts-about-anti-depressant-use-in-the-us.html http://www.anti-depressant.org/2010/01/interesting-statistics-and-facts-about-anti-depressant-use-in-the-us.html#comments Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:07:31 +0000 Anti Depressant http://www.anti-depressant.org/?p=8 Antidepressants are given to patients suffering from a variety of depression and anxiety issues that are so deep rooted they require medication to regulate.  Here are a few facts and statistics about the use of anti-depressants.

The rate of Americans who use anti-depressants has doubled since 1996. Women are 2 times more likely to use anti-depressants than [...]]]> Antidepressants are given to patients suffering from a variety of depression and anxiety issues that are so deep rooted they require medication to regulate.  Here are a few facts and statistics about the use of anti-depressants.

  • The rate of Americans who use anti-depressants has doubled since 1996.
  • Women are 2 times more likely to use anti-depressants than men.
  • Antidepressants are most commonly prescribed for adults between the ages of 50 and 64.
  • Roughly 18.8 million US citizens are suffering the effects of depressive and anxiety disorders.
  • As many as 4% of preschoolers are now considered to be clinically depressed and are being given anti-depressants for treatment.
  • While it’s thought that anti-depressants help by helping to regulate the level of serotonin and other chemicals in the brain, the truth is the reason these drugs work isn’t actually clearly defined.
  • Children and adolescents who take anti-depressants are more prone to suicidal and depressive thinking.
  • Eating Disorders can and often are, treated with anti-depressants.
  • People under the age of 24 are most likely to experience suicidal thoughts while on anti-depressants.
  • There are studies that find the risk of developing breast cancer is higher for women who take anti-depressants.
]]> http://www.anti-depressant.org/2010/01/interesting-statistics-and-facts-about-anti-depressant-use-in-the-us.html/feed 0 History of Anti-Depressants in the US http://www.anti-depressant.org/2010/01/history-of-anti-depressants-in-the-us.html http://www.anti-depressant.org/2010/01/history-of-anti-depressants-in-the-us.html#comments Sat, 23 Jan 2010 01:04:37 +0000 Anti Depressant http://www.anti-depressant.org/?p=6 Antidepressants were first used in 1957 with the first MAOI Iproniazid, a drug that was discovered while trials were being done to evaluate new tuberculosis drugs. While the drug was effective in treating depression, it also came with many side effects that often proved dangerous for those who took them. This remained true with many [...]]]> Antidepressants were first used in 1957 with the first MAOI Iproniazid, a drug that was discovered while trials were being done to evaluate new tuberculosis drugs. While the drug was effective in treating depression, it also came with many side effects that often proved dangerous for those who took them. This remained true with many of the MAOIs that came along after it and so treatment with these medications was considered a mixed blessing. Depression had been linked to chemical imbalances and not just situational depression as it had been before. These drugs were also far less damaging than the electroshock therapy that was a common form of therapy before these drugs were developed.

The first SSRIs came in 1987 with the development of Prozac. Over time, more of these SSRIs were developed that began to evade some of the issues that came up with Prozac’s side effects.  As SSRIs became more common and better understood, regular doctors were able to treat depression with prescriptions for these drugs while previously this was the domain of psychiatrists. As this became more common, depression became more commonly diagnosed and the rate of anti-depressant prescription rose with it.

In the late 2000s, the effects anti-depressants had on children and adolescents who were prescribed these drugs became clearer. This caused a black box warning to be placed on these drugs warning about the suicidal thoughts and depression that could be arise in those who were younger than 24. Now a fresh look is being taken on the effectiveness of these drugs for less serious cases of depression (more serious cases seem to be helped a great deal by the drugs).

]]> http://www.anti-depressant.org/2010/01/history-of-anti-depressants-in-the-us.html/feed 0