It's not just medications: A third of U.S. adults take medications that can cause depression, study finds

in healthwar •  6 years ago  (edited)

Feeling depressed? Blame the pharmaceutical industry. This study says many common pharmaceutical drugs increase the risk of depression and taking multiple ones increase the chances even more.

More than a third of adults in the United States may be taking prescription medications that have depression or suicidal thoughts as possible side effects, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

The study also found that people who take these medications are more likely to be depressed than those not taking them — and the risk increases with each additional drug they’re prescribed.

The finding is troubling, particularly given that drugs with either depression or suicidal thoughts as potential side effects are some of the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States. They include birth control pills, proton pump inhibitors to treat acid reflux, beta blockers for high blood pressure, anticonvulsants, corticosteroids and painkillers (including ibuprofen).

This study looked at over 200 drugs that increase the risk of depression which includes common drugs like birth control and ibuprofen.

Americans are Taking Too Much Medication

From children to seniors, every American age group is at risk for being diagnosed with a condition they may not actually have, and being prescribed medications they do not need.

Americans live in a very a very litigious environment

Attorneys advertise for clients who may have had a missed diagnosis or experienced a side effect from a prescribed medication, and physicians are caught within their desire to individualize care for their patients and the need to follow published standards of care to protect their practices and licenses.

Almost half of all adult Americans take a prescription drug. It's estimated that the pharmaceutical industry makes over 80 billion dollars off the American public each year.

http://www.livetradingnews.com/americans-taking-much-medication-55391.html#.WyMKD2fmqUk

Major depression, anxiety levels on the rise in United States

Feeling a bit depressed or in a state of high anxiety? Do you have the feeling that you are not alone when it comes to being racked by such feelings? You may be on to something.

According to a newly released report from Blue Cross Blue Shield of America, major depression is on the rise among Americans. Meanwhile, a separate report from the American Psychiatric Association reveals that most Americans experienced increased anxiety levels during the past year.

http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/c-force-major-depression-anxiety-levels-on-the-rise-in/article_ef03839a-cbf0-5387-9a58-8f064321f60d.html

How many of these depressed people are taking other pharmaceuticals? My guess would be the fast majority of them take other pharmaceutical drugs.

While it doesn't help that these drugs increase depression there are ways to fight depression without taking pharmaceuticals drugs. One link to depression is low vitamin D levels in the body.

The Link Between Vitamin D and Depression

It’s estimated that 350 million people have depression and one billion people are deficient in vitamin D worldwide. (1, 2)

Many scientists, doctors, and researchers think that the occurrence of these two epidemics is not a coincidence and that there’s a direct link between vitamin D and depression. (3)

First let’s take a look at the many ways vitamin D supports brain health and function and how it works to mitigate depression.

https://bebrainfit.com/vitamin-d-depression/

I'm not surprised that all these drugs have depression of one of there side effects. Most drugs have a list of side effects about 10 pages long and when you see these drug advertisements on TV half the ad is warning people out the possible side effects.

What I was surprised about is seeing birth control and ibuprofen on the list of increasing side effects. It makes me wonder if big pharma can manufacture anything that is free of side effects. Probably not because I don't think they are in the business of curing disease but rather in business of making more money off sicker and sicker people.

My advice to people with depression or any other disease is to look into natural ways to cure yourself like increasing your intake of vitamin D before you turn to pharmaceuticals and if you're on pharmaceuticals look in the side effects or the possibility of getting off the drugs.

There's a reason why the healthiest Americans take the least amount of drugs.

Source: https://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2018/06/third-us-adults-take-medications-can-cause-depression-study-finds

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Not surprising at all. I was expecting something like this. Almost no medicine gets properly tested for long term effects and we have no idea how the active ingredients of each medicine interact with some other medicine as many people take a cocktail of medicine for various hings.

Yup, no long term studies on vaccine side effects either.

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Proton pump inhibitors, also known as PPI's caused kidney failure in one woman the nightly news with Lestor Holt reported one night. Less than a year on them she became extremely ill, she went to the doctor and found her kidney's were failing. I am assuming they were talking prescription strength. When I asked my doctor when he wanted to put me on a PPI for acid about the report of kidney failure his response was we all die of something. Now I just watch better what I eat and if it gives me heartburn I add it to a list of things I need to watch when eating.

Heartburn sucks. I use to have really bad heartburn but taking high quality supplements cured me. It's caused by a calcium deficiency.

I didn't know it was caused by a calcium deficiency. You take calcium supplement and that gets rid of it?

  ·  6 years ago (edited)

Yes, easily absorbed calcium citrate not the calcium bicarbonate crap you find in walmart vitamins. You also need vitamin D and magnesium to properly absorb it. Calcium is needed for proper muscle memory. If you don't have enough of it the little flap in your stomach that keeps acid from getting into your esophagus will not fully close and that's why you have heart burn. Also, if you sometimes get twitches/ticks in your face or muscle spasms in your arms and legs it will fix those problems as well.

I didn't know it was caused by a calcium deficiency. You take calcium supplement and that gets rid of it?

I used to work at a pharmacy, and I’m so glad I got out and never looked back. It will drive you mad, especially some of the customers you have to deal with. And yes, everyone and their dog is on some type of antidepressant or anti-anxiety med.

Just think of all the extra problems we have in society because of all the side effects in these pharmaceutical drugs.

I was a teacher the past two years and got to see kids getting on medications for the tiniest things. Some issues require medication, other issues are just children being children. Adolescence already drug the body up, why are we medicating our youngsters to add to it?

Hot cheetos are a favorite, or takis. They both are garbage and not only are they awful for the kids, but they are fucking up their taste buds. Shit is crazy.

That's sad a lot of these problems in kids can be solved by simply eating healthier.

Meds are bad mmmmkay!

I have an idea, lets over medicate society to the point of depression, then lets tell them that any and everything goes and if something goes wrong we will just take there guns away. (the plan is fool proof)

Just my opinion, but some of the blame should fall on the people falling prey to taking the medication especially the parents that are allowing them to be given to their kids. There are natural ways of correcting the system imbalance that causes the problems, one as you mentioned is Vitamin D. Eating healthier would probably go a long way to solve our ailments. We are a society of fast food junkies. Do they still teach about the food pyramid in school anymore? As far a better nutrition, that school lunch program set the 'eating healthier' drive back decades. I am in favor of healthier eating habits but I think the parents should by the impetus not some government program. Very informative post.

Drug makers should be required to pay for longterm studies of the longterm effects of their drugs.

  ·  6 years ago (edited)

I've been on medication for depression and anxiety (I'm off it now). It sounds counter-intuitive, but the mere fact that I was on medication made me anxious and depressed! I didn't like being dependent on pills to numb the pain I felt. I hated the numerous side-effects. I hated being in a semi-daze and not being able to feel the full range of my regular emotions. I could feel that the drugs made my body and mind "not normal" and that worried and depressed me further.

While I would not advocate stopping medication when it is required (it does help, just at a high cost), I would recommend getting off the pills as soon as you can safely cope without them.

Honestly; sometimes I feel I still need them (for example: I had a bad week now, especially today), but I have decided to rather change my lifestyle and do everything I can to remove myself from my stressful environment. It will also come at a great cost to me (in this case financial), but I value my happiness and quality of life over money.

Yeah those drugs can really zombify someone. I've heard they can be addicting and hard to ween off too.

Zombifying is indeed the correct term for how you feel on them!