Taking antidepressants may raise the risk of heart disease in men. They can thicken artery walls through an as yet unknown mechanism.
The drugs seem to accelerate atherosclerosis by increasing the thickness of the "intima media", the inner and middle layers of the arteries. They particularly affect the carotid arteries that feed blood to your brain.
According to the Los Angeles Times:
"... [T]he intima-media thickness of men taking antidepressants was 37 microns (about 5 percent) thicker than that of men not taking the drugs. When the team looked at 59 twin pairs in which one twin was taking the drugs and the second was not, the artery was 41 microns thicker in the twin taking the drugs."
Source: Los Angeles Times April 2, 2011
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
My recent article on the dangers of psychiatric drugs ignited a firestorm of controversy. Part of the outrage may have been caused by some general misunderstandings, which I hope to clear up here.
This is particularly important at this time as it is abundantly clear that suicide rates rise as the economy worsens. The image of people jumping from windows after the stock market crash of 1929 graphically illustrates this risk. Many may not agree, but I have been studying the economy for over 30 years now and it seems crystal clear to me that the economy has yet to hit bottom, and this will only serve to increase the risk of depression.
My Personal Experiences with Depression!
First of all, I would like to set the record straight as many were confused about my personal experiences with depression. They believed I had none, and therefore there is no way I could understand this disease.
Well let me tell you, nothing could be further from the truth.
Mental and emotional problems exact an extreme toll on family units and in some cases extended circles of friends. I've personally been a witness to the struggles of two people near and dear to me who suffered from deep chronic depression for a number of years that actually resulted in multiple suicide attempts. Suicide is a common complication of depression, and is one of the primary reasons why it must be taken seriously as it can become a terminal illness.
Many also might be unaware that I was a full-time practicing physician for over 20 years before I determined that I could help more people by committing myself full time to this newsletter and web site, than treating patients one on one. Before making that choice however, I treated tens of thousands of people for all sorts of problems, and I've seen my fair share of depressed patients.
I became acutely aware of the importance of managing depression in the early 80s. Unfortunately, at that time the only tools I had in my toolbox were drugs and exercise. So I became an expert in the first generation antidepressants and literally prescribed them for thousands of patients. I had as much experience in dosing patients with drugs as many psychiatrists.
So please realize from both a personal and professional perspective I have had enormous experience in this area.
It took me nearly 10 years to break out of the drug model and realize that the drugs never treated the cause and only served to palliate the symptoms. They simply were NOT the solution.
Is Depression Really a "Chemical Imbalance"?
Most people have heard the "chemical imbalance" theory and believe it is true. It is important to realize that there is no scientific evidence for this theory. There is no credible scientific lab test showing the presence or absence of mental disease.
There is simply no way you can measure this imbalance.
It sounds scientific, but the drug companies merely use the chemical imbalance theory as a useful metaphor that justifies their aggressive use of antidepressants to correct this alleged "imbalance."
If you carefully study the history of psychiatry you will find that a biological explanation had to be found to justify the failing image of psychiatrists as respected scientific professionals.
About 60 years ago, the chemical imbalance theory was created and the actual phrase originated from the scientific study of brain chemistry in the 50s. The basic concept is that neurotransmitter imbalances within your brain are the main causes of psychiatric conditions, and that these conditions can be improved with medication that corrects these imbalances.
Everyone knows that you can see cancer under a microscope and a pathologist can easily identify its cell type. However, there is NO objective blood or urine test, No X-ray, MRI, PET scan, or biopsy that has ever validated the theory that something is biochemically wrong in a depressed patient.
For complete article..."They Cause 40,000 Deaths a Year"
