The drugs do work

OK, I know everyone and their dog today has been reporting the fact that the drugs don't work, but they're wrong.

Prozac or, to give it the name that is likely to be on the packaging when you pick up your prescription, fluoxetine, does work.

Patients given this drug do see an improvement in their symptoms of depression and, for many, it is a helpful stepping stone out of depression.

The headlines should not be "Prozac doesn't work" but more "Placebos do work." Amazingly a little sugar pill will work just as effectively to cure depression as Prozac...in most cases.

I've used Prozac. Despite the reports today I still believe that Prozac helped me. I think placebos may also have helped me but I believe Prozac would have proved more effective in my case.

I believe my depression was caused by a sudden hormonal change. I think I suffered a severe drop in oxytocin. Oxytocin can be described as the love hormone and it generates a feeling of well-being. If one imagines being on this "drug" for over a year, then sudden withdrawal could have a negative effect on mood, especially if this coincided with a stressful life.

Taking a mood enhancing drug until I felt I was back in control of my life helped me. I reached a point where I felt I didn't need the drug anymore.

It could be that I needed a prop. Maybe a placebo could have been the crutch that I needed. I think a placebo would have done half the job, but Prozac did the extra half that made my recovery that much more effective. But maybe that's the thing. And to test whether a placebo would have been fully effective for me, we'd have to wind the clock back a few years and take me to a place I'd rather not revisit.

I'll stick with the little green pills thank you.