Books

Dr. Joseph Glenmullen’s The Antidepressant Solution
I just finished this book. Some of it I agree with and others I don't trust. This Author/Doctor does seem to believe that all people on antidepressants needed to be on antidepressants and only if they meet certain criteria would he start them with the tapering process. He criteria is vague and is really an opinion based reasons. Some of which are hard to determine.

His tapering plans are too liberal in my opinion the tapers are to great. One thing is the reduction in the medication. He doe snot mention what to do if the medication does not come in the micro doses necessary for people who suffer from severe withdrawal symptoms. He does say that some medication come in a more expensive liquid form (and who knows if insurance would cover this) plus he has his patients come at least three times during a taper (30 days) and I know my insurance would not cover these visits.  If I had to pay for just one month of this process each visit would cost me 150.00 dollars and the medication would be well over 100 dollars for one month supply. If my insurance would pay their part for the visits that number would change from 150.00 to 90.00.

 Everything else in this book is redundant and common knowledge on the Internet. Paxilprogress.org has all this information and more! This author does not have any recommendations in nutrition or supplements that might help people facing withdrawing from antidepressants.  I would not recommend his book unless it was for tapering (drug and dose information) however in my opinion paxilprogress.org has the same knowledge with more  helpful information and spreadsheets to help with micro doses for free. It is a group of people who are either gone through it or in the process of going through it.

Irving Kirsch's The Emperor's New Drugs: Exploding the Antidepressant Myth 

I also just finished this book. And I have to say that in the beginning of it when they explain the process of data gathering and meta data analysis I was a bit lost and had to re-read certain parts. But it was an eye opener on how the drug companies work and how the FDA let me down along with a lot of people stuck on these drugs. I learned about published and non published studies and trials and how they favored the positive drug studies and hide the negative. Also how these important facts were hidden from us and because of this we were blindly lead to this entrapment of these drugs. Also how the FDA after approving them asking drug companies to hide the negative reports under the guise of "not scaring" people from these drugs).

Also the little difference in these tests between an antidepressant and placebos. These answers are int he trials and studies and in published and non published trials and studies results. The Author tracked down all the data and did a massive analysis. Their "dirty little secret"  is out and now for us the public to become informed.

In my world all those involved would be punished to the highest extent and also the FDA. After reading this book I trust no one to be my advocate. It is going to take me along time to trust any "professional" that pushes drugs of any kind. What is really angering is that the Doctors rely on the drug salesman for drug information and this is how the people were mislead and trapped.

I guess publication with people with credentials in the field that validates what we are going through helps. How long have we been thinking that all this was all in our heads :(

TooDazed