The NHS on antidepressants

Quite laughable and contradictory if you ask me.

Information from NHS Foundation Trust

The page is entitled 'How SSRIs (probably) work'

Probably?

Straight away I have a tendency to take the information given with a pinch of salt.

The NHS giving information on how SSRi's probably work?

It's a bit like a car dealer telling you that the car you are about to buy will probably get you from A to B and you probably will be safe despite the engine not being thoroughly tested. Oh, and you will probably be safe wearing a seat belt with this particular model sir because it's probably passed all the test regulations!

How can the NHS get away with such vagueness? How have the MHRA got away with it for years? How have GlaxoSmithKline got away with it regarding Seroxat?

I'm sitting here with a wry smile on my face - there is nothing more left to do than to smile at the hypocrisy of it all.

The NHS site How SSRi's (probably) work kicks off with a marvellous piece of patronization.

It states:

In order to try to understand a little about how drugs work, it is best to first learn a few facts about the brain. Each human being has:

One head

One brain

Thanks for clearing that up - What would we do without you?

They then go on to explain to the layman (or the paupers) about brain cells and nerve fibres. They then tell us that... and I quote, 'the brain is an extraordinarily complex part of the body.'

Really?

Who needs to study a beginners course in psychology when we have the wisdom of the NHS!!!

Next up for us mere mortals is an explanation of synapses.

They state:

Synapses are very important because;-

There are a lot of them

Thank you oh wise ones. I sit in utter disbelief at your confound wisdom.

They then tell us what happens when a brain cell decides to send a message to another cell in order to make something happen.

This is all highly educational. There's talk of transmitters, electrical impulses, nerve fibres, and receptors.

Then our good friend Serotonin or 5-HT makes an appearance.

The NHS explain:

In the body, 5-HT is involved with blood pressure and gut control.
In the brain, it controls mood, emotions, sleep/wake, feeding, temperature regulation, etc.

More so they tell us what happens if problems get out of balance:

Too much serotonin and you feel sick, less hungry, get headaches or migraines
Too little and you feel depressed, drowsy etc.

Hmmm

In 2007 the MHRA told us “A variety of factors can contribute to an individual’s predisposition to depression. Although it is believed that depression may be caused by a biochemical imbalance and it is recognised that serotonin plays a role in the development of depression it is considered that there is more than one final common pathway in the aetiology of depression, and we are not aware of an internationally agreed ’proper chemical balance of serotonin in the brain’ that would prevent or reduce the likelihood of experiencing depression."

They added

"As the precise role that serotonin plays in depression is still subject to ongoing research we really are not best placed to provide you with a response on this particular issue.”

Hang on - The NHS say:

Too much serotonin and you feel sick, less hungry, get headaches or migraines
Too little and you feel depressed, drowsy etc.

Whilst the MHRA state:

"As the precise role that serotonin plays in depression is still subject to ongoing research we really are not best placed to provide you with a response on this particular issue.”

So what about GlaxoSmithKline? What exactly is their take on the whole serotonin issue?

In 1997 the patient information leaflet [PIL] that accompanied Seroxat told us that Seroxat:

"...boosts the levels of serotonin in your brain and that’s what makes you stop feeling depressed"

9 years later, GlaxoSmithKline had moved the goalposts. The patient information leaflet read:

"...It is not fully understood how Seroxat and other SSRIs work…"

Even more confusing is GlaxoSmithKline's Australian web page. It's now 2008 and they tell us:

"Aropax [Seroxat] corrects the chemical imbalance and so helps relieve the symptoms of depression."

Back to the NHS - Here they explain depression:

"In depression, it is known that there are reduced levels of serotonin and noradrenaline. These reduced levels lead to a lowering of mood. The full reasons are not fully known but stress may well play a part in causing this."

It is known that there are reduced levels of serotonin? The full reasons are not fully known...?

Thanks. That's clear as day!

Section 6 of the NHS page is entitled:

'HOW SSRI ANTIDEPRESSANTS PROBABLY WORK'

*Coughs*

Don't you just love the way they cover themselves [Probably]?

Face it. The NHS, the MHRA and GSK have not got a clue how this drug works, more importantly they went into this with eyes shut firmly and when the brown stuff hit the fan their eyes remained shut. People have died as a result of their probabilities, people have...and still are suffering because they cannot decide how the hell a drug works.

This is like some recurring nightmare. I may buy myself a chemistry set and manufacture a pill. I will tell the MHRA that it corrects the chemical imbalance of the brain - I'm sure it will get a licence, though Ian Hudson may be a stumbling block as he is head of licensing at the MHRA - he used to work at GSK [then SKB] and may see my new pill as a threat to his former employees miracle pill.

Hey, if it gets passed by the MHRA and later down the line I claim that it is not known whether or not it actually corrects the imbalance of serotonin then I'll still be sitting pretty. The MHRA won't remove it from the shelves even though I was adamant that it corrected the imbalance when I first told them but now I wasn't so sure?

Section 8 of the NHS page - 'DO THE SSRIs WORK, AND FOR HOW LONG?'

"We do not know for certain what happens after five years. Many people may be advised to carry on with an antidepressant for longer but that is a decision for you and your doctor to make."

Gee thanks. Talk about washing your hands of a problem!

Personally, I was on Seroxat for 6 years and now I read 'We do not know for certain what happens after five years'

So where does that leave me?

I have short term memory problems and an undesirable sleep problem - both of which I never had before taking Seroxat. I take it that the NHS don't know why I have this problem? Would they lean toward prolonged use of Seroxat? I think a court of law would don't you?

What kind of half assed system are we under here?

We have the NHS giving out messages contradicted by the MHRA who in turn are contradicted by GlaxoSmithKline!

It's an utter farce. A health system giving out information that is not scientific fact, a medicines regulator ignoring the problem of SSRi withdrawal and a manufacturer being allowed to do as it pleases. What a nightmare!

The Health Minister role in the UK changes like the wind - I have no idea who the current one is. Whoever it is I hope you sleep well.

The CEO of the MHRA is Kent Woods. I hope he sleeps well.

The CEO of GlaxoSmithKline is Andrew Witty. I hear rumours that on taking over his new role he turned to Garnier and said 'That's another fine mess you've got me into' - I hope he sleeps well.

I'd be embarrassed to show my face to any of my friends or family if I were any of the above.

Fid


Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE


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