Paper numero dos
Mood:  incredulous
Now Playing: my laptop crunching away
Topic: School
This has been an eye-opening paper... I can't believe all of these side effects! Here's what I have so far:







Depression is a mental illness that affects millions of Americans. Unfortunately, it is often left untreated, resulting in thousands of deaths due to suicide each year in our country. It is regrettable that so many people resort to suicide, since it is estimated that eighty to ninety percent of cases can be effectively treated. The universal options of treatment for those suffering from depression include antidepressant therapy, psychotherapy, and electroconvulsive (ECT) therapy. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements for antidepressant medications, commonly of the newer class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). What medications are available? Why are they effective for treating depression and how do they work? How safe are SSRI medications? These are all questions that should be asked before beginning any medication treatment for depression. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have been proven effective for the treatment of depression, but are they the best option? After a careful investigation of these medications, the patient must make a decision of whether the benefits of taking SSRIs outweigh the risks and side effects.
Society wants a quick fix; a magic pill. Today, most SSRIs are viewed as that magic pill. SSRIs made their first appearance in 1987 with the FDA approval of Prozac (fluoxetine). Prozac is one of the most commonly prescribed medications and has been prescribed to more than 40 million people worldwide (Prozac). How do Prozac and other SSRIs cure depression? According to Prozac's website:
[A] growing amount of evidence supports the view that people with depression have an imbalance of the brain's neurotransmitters, the chemicals that allow nerve cells in the brain to communicate with each other. Many scientists believe that an imbalance in serotonin, one of these neurotransmitters, may be an important factor in the development and severity of depression. PROZAC may help to correct this imbalance by increasing the brain's own supply of serotonin. Some other antidepressant medicines appear to affect several neurotransmitters in addition to serotonin. PROZAC selectively affects only serotonin. ("Prozac")
The discovery of Prozac has been the equivalent of settlers striking gold in California. Since Prozac has been so effective at treating depression, other pharmaceutical companies have followed suit and developed their own medications.
At least seven new SSRI medications have gone on the market since Prozac was first introduced. These medications include Celexa (citalopram), Cymbalta (duloxetine), Effexor (venlafaxine), Lexapro (escitalopram), Luvox (fluvoxamine), Paxil (paroxetine), and Zoloft (sertraline). Dr. Dennis Charney, M.D., Chief of Mood and Anxiety Disorder Research Program at NIMH and Dr. Charles Nemeroff, M.D., Ph.D., of Emory University School of Medicine discuss Celexa: "Celexa is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). The Celexa molecule more selectively targets the serotonin reuptake pumps than most other SSRIs do. It is as effective as other SSRIs and has similar side effects" (Charney and Nemeroff 106). What are these side effects? Celexa reports that the most frequent side effects reported are nausea, dry mouth, drowsiness, insomnia, increased sweating, tremor, diarrhea, and problems with ejaculation ("Celexa"). Although they claim that some patients notice an improvement (after taking Celexa) in as little as one week, as with most SSRI medications, Celexa states that most patients feel better after four to six weeks.
Cymbalta is a recent addition (2004) to the medication market and boosts levels of both serotonin and norepinephrine (another neurotransmitter implicated in the treatment of depression). In studies, this drug has had relatively mild side effects including nausea, dry mouth, constipation, decreased appetite, fatigue, sleepiness and increased sweating ("FDA Approves Lilly's Cymbalta"). According to an article published by the Associated Press, "Cymbalta is approved to treat major depression for up to nine weeks. In one study, Cymbalta users were almost three times as likely to achieve remission of their depression as patients given a dummy pill, said Lilly's Dr. Madelaine Wohlreich" ("FDA approved new antidepressant"). However, in February a college student taking part in a study of the drug hung herself in a company research facility. Lilly maintains that there's no evidence that the drug was to blame.
The next SSRI we will explore is Effexor, which raises the levels of serotonin and norepinephrine, like Cymbalta. Dr. Charney and Dr. Nemeroff state that "some patients, particularly those with severe depression, seem to respond better to Effexor than to medications that work primarily on only one neurotransmitter, though it may also produce a wider range of side effects" (Charney and Nemeroff 107). A check of the listed side effects of Effexor confirms Charney and Nemeroff's statements regarding side effects: nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, abdominal pain, or loss of appetite or weight; dry mouth; drowsiness or dizziness; mild tremor, anxiety, or agitation; insomnia; abnormal dreams; sexual problems such as impotence, abnormal ejaculation, difficulty reaching orgasm, or decreased libido; sweating; yawning; or increase in blood cholesterol levels ("Venlafaxine").



Yeah, the introduction looks familiar, doesn't it? I'm going to change it around a bit, I just needed a starting place. Back to work.