3 Little-Known Facts You Need To Know About Antidepressants

It is widely believed that antidepressant drugs are the best treatment for stress, depression and anxiety. After consulting with their health professional, many sufferers will be put on a course of antidepressants, but how effective are these drugs? Not very, in fact they cannot provide a permanent cure and here are the reasons why.

A good way for antidepressants to help sufferers is to "kick start" the process towards full recovery. By raising levels of serotonin, the "happy chemical" within the brain, the sufferer receives a boost and it is crucial that the root cause of stress, depression and anxiety is also treated at this time. The root cause of all if these is harmful, flawed modes of thinking and in addressing the cause, a lasting cure will be found. This is the main reason why no drug has proven to be more effective than any other and why antidepressants are ineffective for two thirds of sufferers.

Antidepressant drugs are used to treat stress, depression and anxiety because of an alleged "chemical imbalance" within the brains of sufferers. What this means is that there is a lack of a chemical responsible for regulating our moods called Serotonin. If there is a lack of serotonin in the brain, is this then the root cause of anxiety, depression and stress? Unfortunately, there is no evidence at all to support this theory. Indeed, low levels of serotonin are a symptom of stress, depression and anxiety. The issue here is that treating one of the many symptoms of these problems will only mask the cause and will therefore be unable to provide a complete cure.

When it comes to treating anxiety and depression, the common belief held by sufferers and health professionals is that antidepressant drugs such as Effexor, Prozac, Zoloft, and Celexa for example - are the most effective treatment. The problem with using drugs to treat anxiety and depression is that they only treat one of the symptoms - reduced levels of serotonin, a "happy chemical" in the brain. As soon as a person stops taking the drug, the root cause will surface and another episode of suffering results. Drugs may help you feel better in the short term, but they cannot offer you a cure.

You're now aware as to why antidepressants shouldn't form the main treatment for stress, anxiety and depression. There are far more effective treatements, especially cognitive and behavioral therapies, that can provide you with a lasting cure because they treat the root cause. Please ensure that these are also part of your treatment.

Please Note: If you are taking a course of antidepressant medication, please do not stop taking your medication until you have consulted with your health professional. They will be able to advise you on how best to withdraw from the medication in a fully controlled, safe way.