The best-selling depression drug with a potentially fatal secret

Depression is a mysterious condition. And antidepressant drugs are just as mysterious.

Researchers know that these drugs work for some, but not for others, and it’s impossible to predict who will benefit.

What’s less puzzling about antidepressants is what the medical mainstream won’t tell you: These are dangerous drugs — which, all too often, turn fatal.

A few weeks ago, I told you about a new study that revealed a dire side effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor drugs (SSRIs). In a study that examined Medicaid records for nearly 120,000 kids between the ages of 5 and 20, researchers found that prolonged SSRI use almost doubled the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Unfortunately, that study isn’t a one-of-a-kind outlier. It’s a confirmation of previous research that somehow isn’t getting widely reported.

For instance, a 2014 study that followed almost 50,000 antidepressant users for more than two years found that, compared to non-users, their risk of developing type 2 diabetes was significantly higher, especially when the drugs were used at higher doses.

And after a UK team analyzed 22 antidepressant studies, the lead author said, “When you take away all the classic risk factors of type 2 diabetes; weight gain, lifestyle etc, there is something about antidepressants that appears to be an independent risk factor.”

But believe it or not, as bad as that is, it’s not the worst damage SSRI drugs are capable of.

In a recent study from Canada’s McMaster University, researchers analyzed 17 studies to assess antidepressant use and all-cause mortality.

The McMaster team linked antidepressant use with a 14 percent increase in new cardiovascular events, and a whopping 33 percent increase in death from any cause.

The lead researcher didn’t mince words when he assessed the study for Medscape Medical News. He said, “The common wisdom is that antidepressants are safe and effective… However, research over the last decade has shown that antidepressants are much less effective than we had thought. Our research is part of a body of research that suggests that antidepressants are [also] much less safe than we had thought.”

And yet, the terrible dangers of these drugs are not getting shouted from the rooftops. No surprise there. A class of drugs that racks up the massive sales that SSRIs do is always going to get preferred treatment from the FDA, the medical establishment, and the mainstream media.

Their mantra seems to be: “Let the buyer beware — just make sure he keeps buying…”

Depression is a devilish mystery to unravel, but in many cases, three simple, drug-free interventions can make a world of difference:

  1. Get 30 minutes of exercise daily
  2. Cut out all processed junk food
  3. Remove sugar from your diet

Unlike SSRIs, these easy steps will improve your health and boost your mood with zero chance of booting mortality risk.

 

SOURCES

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/886015?src=wnl_tp10n_171228_mscpedit&impID=1521438&faf=1
Antidepressants Tied to a Significantly Increased Risk for Death
Medscape
September 21, 2017

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266553.php
Antidepressants linked to higher risk of type 2 diabetes
Medical News Today
September 25, 2013