The Herbal Antidepressant That Is NOT Safe

A popular herbal antidepressant has dangerous side-effects.

A popular herbal antidepressant has dangerous side-effects.

Kratom, a herbal antidepressant also used for pain relief and other conditions, is NOT safe, research finds.

Kratom, which is a supplement derived from a southeast Asian tree, is used by some to treat opioid addiction.

Kratom is sold as a mood-enhancer, energy booster and pain-reliever.

However, a new analysis of the US National Poison Data System, finds it has a worrying range of side-effects.

The research suggests that kratom is not reasonably safe and poses a threat to public health.

The study of of 2,312 incidents of kratom exposure found that the most common side-effects of kratom were:

  • agitation (18.6 percent),
  • tachycardia, a racing heart (16.9 percent),
  • drowsiness (13.6 percent),
  • vomiting (11.2 percent),
  • and confusion (8.1 percent).

More serious side-effects were also reported:

  • seizure (6.1 percent),
  • withdrawal (6.1 percent),
  • hallucinations (4.8 percent),
  • respiratory depression (2.8 percent),
  • coma (2.3 percent),
  • and cardiac or respiratory arrest (0.6 percent).

The supplement was listed as a cause of death in the case of four people.

Kratom is classified as a dietary supplement, so not regulated by the FDA in the US.

The active ingredient of Kratom is mitragynine, which binds to opioid receptors in the brain.

This may cause a pain relieving and sedative effect.

Dr William Eggleston, the study’s first author, said:

“Although it is not as strong as some other prescription opioids, kratom does still act as an opioid in the body.

In larger doses, it can cause slowed breathing and sedation, meaning that patients can develop the same toxicity they would if using another opioid product.

It is also reported to cause seizures and liver toxicity.

Kratom may have a role in treating pain and opioid use disorder, but more research is needed on its safety and efficacy.

Our results suggest it should not be available as an herbal supplement.”

Kratom is already illegal, or only semi-legal in many countries, including the UK, Denmark, Finland, Thailand and Australia.

Some US states have banned the herb, including Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

The study was published in the journal Pharmacotherapy (Eggleston et al., 2019).

How To Prevent Depression Relapse Without Antidepressants (M)

Four out of five people with depression will relapse at some point without treatment.

Four out of five people with depression will relapse at some point without treatment.


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The 5 Most Effective Antidepressants

The most effective antidepressants revealed by a review of 522 different studies involving 116,477 people.

The most effective antidepressants revealed by a review of 522 different studies involving 116,477 people.

Most antidepressants do work, according to a review of 522 different studies involving 116,477 people.

The review — published in the medical journal The Lancet — found that 21 common antidepressants beat placebos in strictly controlled tests.

The study’s first author, Dr Andrea Cipriani, believes this is the ‘final answer’ to the controversy over whether or not antidepressants work.

The study found that most antidepressants were better than placebo for moderate to severe depression.

However, set against this, it is well-known that common antidepressants have little to no effect for up to 50 percent of people.

5 most effective antidepressants

The five most effective antidepressants, according to this research, are:

  • Amitriptyline (known as Elavil and others)
  • Agomelatine (known as Melitor, Thymanax and Valdoxan)
  • Escitalopram (known as Cipralex, Lexapro and others)
  • Mirtazapine (known as Remeron and others)
  • Paroxetine (known as Paxil, Pexeva, Seroxat and others)

The four least effective antidepressants (although they still worked) were:

  • Fluoxetine (known as Prozac, Sarafem, Adofen and others)
  • Fluvoxamine (known as Faverin, Fevarin, Floxyfral, Dumyrox and Luvox)
  • Reboxetine (known as Edronax and others)
  • Trazodone (known as Desyrel, Oleptro, Trazorel and many others)

The study of the most effective antidepressant — known as a meta-analysis — brings together 522 different drug trials.

Some of these trials involved previously unpublished data from pharmaceutical companies.

Professor Carmine Pariante, at the London Institute of Psychiatry, who was not involved in the research, said:

“…the paper analyses unpublished data held by pharmaceutical companies, and shows that the funding of studies by these companies does not influence the result, thus confirming that the clinical usefulness of these drugs is not affected by pharma-sponsored spin.”

Professor Allan Young, Director of the Centre for Affective Disorders at London’s KCL, who was not involved in the research, said:

“…we should be aware that these findings only apply to major depressive disorder and are calculated from group data so individual patients may differ significantly in their responses.

A range of treatment choices should therefore be maintained.

Also a lot of “antidepressants” are used for other disorders (such as anxiety or OCD) or off-label (where the drug is prescribed for something other than the original condition for which it was officially approved) and this evidence does not apply in these instances.

However, the top line is that these findings should be considered good news as they confirm existing evidence that antidepressants do work and, for most people, the side-effects are worth it.”

Most of the studies involved using antidepressants for around 8 weeks — so the results don’t tell us anything about using them long-term.

They also cannot tell us which drugs are most suitable for individuals.

Are the side-effects worth it?

Although the side-effects of antidepressants are frequently pointed out, Professor Anthony Cleare at KCL (also not involved in the research) believes the benefits are worth it:

“…it is interesting that for almost all antidepressants, patients are no more likely to stop treatment early when taking an antidepressant than when taking a placebo.

Some treatments were even better tolerated than placebo.

This suggests that, overall, patients judge that the greater effect of antidepressants in relieving depression counterbalances any side effects.

Other scientists are not so sure.

For example, one review looking at antidepressants’ effect on the whole body concludes they may do more harm than good, although it may be that these ‘side-effects’ can be attributed to the underlying psychiatric conditions people are being treated for, rather than the drugs themselves.

Surveys of antidepressants side-effects also frequently find higher than expected levels of emotional numbness, sexual problems and even suicidal thoughts associated with the medication.

Indeed, it is common, in the first few weeks of treatment, for common antidepressants to cause increased anxiety and fear.

→ Read on: Antidepressants: Pros And Cons And How They Should Be Prescribed

The study was published in the journal The Lancet (Cipriani et al., 2018).

Antidepressants Have A Confusing Effect On Emotions

A little-known antidepressant side-effect on emotions and motivation.

A little-known antidepressant side-effect on emotions and motivation.

People taking antidepressants find it harder to identify their feelings, research finds.

The drugs may cause emotional blunting, lower levels of empathy and even apathy.

The difficulty identifying emotions and apathy could be two sides of the same coin.

SSRI antidepressants in particular are sometimes said to make people indifferent: apathetic towards their emotions and any activities.

People taking the drugs feel less motivation and less emotion — whether positive or negative.

For the study, 57 people taking antidepressants were compared to a control group of 441 people.

The results showed that people taking the antidepressants were more likely to have trouble identifying their feelings.

The study’s authors point out that their research doesn’t necessarily show that taking antidepressants causes this side-effect.

However, it is thought that up to one in five people taking antidepressants have emotional side-effects.

Some studies, though, suggest the rates of apathy and emotional blunting after taking SSRI antidepressants could be even higher, perhaps approaching 50%.

The antidepressants people were taking in the study were mostly SSRIs, which target the serotonin system and include most modern antidepressants such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil and many, many more.

Some were also taking older style tricyclic antidepressants, such as clomipramine.

The study was published in the journal Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology (Kajanoja et al., 2018).

Depression NOT Caused By Low Serotonin Levels, Large Review Finds (M)

About 90 percent of people believe that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain.

About 90 percent of people believe that depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain.


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This Class Of Antidepressant Reduces COVID Deaths

The research found that people taking these antidepressants were 28 percent less likely to die of COVID.

The research found that people taking these antidepressants were 28 percent less likely to die of COVID.

SSRI antidepressants reduce the risk of dying from COVID, a large analysis finds.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, include most modern antidepressants such as Prozac or Seroxat.

The research found that people taking fluoxetine, which is marketed under names such as Prozac, Sarafem and Adofen, were 28 percent less likely to die of COVID.

Another SSRI antidepressant called fluvoxamine was linked to a 26 percent reduction in the risk of dying from COVID.

Fluvoxamine is branded Luvox and mainly used in the US to treat OCD and social anxiety, and elsewhere for depression.

Dr Marina Sirota, study co-author, said:

“We can’t tell if the drugs are causing these effects, but the statistical analysis is showing significant association.

There’s power in the numbers.”

For the study, researchers analysed almost half-a-million health records.

The results showed that taking any kind of SSRI antidepressant was linked to an 8 percent reduced chance of dying from COVID.

The apparent protective effect was particularly strong for fluoxetine and fluvoxamine.

While the benefits are not as strong as those shown by new antivirals developed by Merck and Pfizer, the results are still significant.

Dr Tomiko Oskotsky, the study’s first author, said:

“The results are encouraging.

It’s important to find as many options as possible for treating any condition.

A particular drug or treatment may not work or be well tolerated by everyone.

Data from electronic medical records allow us to quickly look into existing drugs that could be repurposed for treating COVID-19 or other conditions.”

SSRIs have anti-inflammatory properties

A previous study found that fluvoxamine may reduce the risk of hospitalisation with COVID by 32 percent.

Fluvoxamine’s and other SSRI’s beneficial effect is thought to be due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

The drug may help to fight the so-called ‘cytokine storms’ which are a feature of severe COVID.

Cytokine storms are when the body’s immune system becomes overactive.

The study was published in JAMA Network Open (Oskotsky et al., 2021).

How Antidepressants Affect Long-Term Quality Of Life (M)

While antidepressants have been shown to reduce depression symptoms in the short-term, less research has looked at their long-term and wider effects.

While antidepressants have been shown to reduce depression symptoms in the short-term, less research has looked at their long-term and wider effects.


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One Reason Antidepressants Don’t Work For 50% Of People

Antidepressants may give the brain a chance to recover from depression, but more is needed.

Antidepressants may give the brain a chance to recover from depression, but more is needed.

It is well-known that common antidepressants have little to no effect for up to 50 percent of people.

Ms Silvia Poggini, author of a study on the subject, said:

“There is no doubt that antidepressants work for many people, but for between 30 percent and 50 percent of depressed people, antidepressants don’t work.

No one knows why.

This work may explain part of the reason.

The research suggests it is at least partly down to people’s environment whether or not antidepressants work.

Antidepressants may give the brain a chance to recover from depression, but more is needed.

The rest could be down to being exposed to relatively low levels of stress.

Ms Poggini explained:

“In a certain way it seems that the SSRIs open the brain to being moved from a fixed state of unhappiness, to a condition where other circumstances can determine whether or not you recover.”

The researchers tested their theory on a group of stressed mice.

Some mice were later moved to a more comfortable environment, while others were kept under stress.

The results showed that the unstressed mice showed fewer signs of depression after being treated with antidepressants.

The stressed mice continued to show the biological signs of bodily inflammation, as well as higher levels of depression.

Ms Poggini said:

“This work indicates that simply taking an SSRI is probably not enough. To use an analogy, the SSRIs put you in the boat, but a rough sea can determine whether you will enjoy the trip.

For an SSRI to work well, you may need to be in a favorable environment.

This may mean that we have to consider how we can adapt our circumstances, and that antidepressant treatment would only be one tool to use against depression.”

The study was published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity (Alboni et al., 2016).

Antidepressants: Pros And Cons And How They Should Be Prescribed (M)

About one-in-six people takes antidepressants, with the rate being 50 percent high among women.

About one-in-six people takes antidepressants, with the rate being 50 percent high among women.


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The Science of Antidepressants Is Based On Totally Backward Facts (M)

For 50 years scientists and the public alike have been completely wrong about the biological basis of depression.

For 50 years scientists and the public alike have been completely wrong about the biological basis of depression.


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