Antidepressant Tied to Attempted Suicides

It works for depression but causes depression in incontinent women????

What an odd drug!

Yes, it seems to be quite a controversial drug, as you can read in the source link that I have supplied below.

Here is partial information from that page:

Clinical Worsening and Suicide Risk -
Patients with major depressive disorder, both adult and pediatric, may experience worsening of their depression and/or the emergence of suicidal ideation and behavior (suicidality), whether or not they are taking antidepressant medications, and this risk may persist until significant remission occurs. Although there was been a long-standing concern that antidepressants may have a role in inducing worsening of depression and the emergence of suicidality in certain patients, a causal role for antidepressants in inducing such behaviors has not been established. Nevertheless, patients being treated with antidepressants should be observed closely for clinical worsening and suicidality, especially at the beginning of a course of drug therapy, or at the time of dose changes, either increases of decreases. Consideration should be given to changing the therapeutic regimen, including possibly discontinuing the medication, in patients whose depression is persistently worse or whose emergent suicidality is severe, abrupt in onset, or was not part of the patient's presenting symptoms.

Source[/color]

At least Depends have no lethal side effects.

Weird. In a couple of ways.....

First I have never heard of using Cymbalta as a treatment for incontinence. I can't understand the benefit of that one.

Secondly, it is not uncommon for the rate of suicide to increase when a new medical treatment using anti-depressants is begun or ends abruptly but it is usually witnessed more often in adolescents and young adults rather than older adults. And that is with any anti-depressant, not just Cymbalta. The only case I have read about, and it was widely publicized, was when Cymbalta was in its trial stages and one Lilly employee (the company that makes Cymbalta) was taking it and abruptly stopped taking it. Shortly after, she committed suicide.

I reckon I better read your sources before I spout off any more!

I only supplied one, 'J'. If you do a search, you can come up with quite a bit more.

Thank you, Reyn.

I have been to that site before and read all of the info regarding anti-depressants. In my own opinion, that particular site is anti any pharmaceutical company and its efforts to develop medicines that actually can help some people who are in need. I think the caution needs to lie with the prescriber of any medication to be informed, not just with the medicines being prescribed, but also very informed regarding the patient they are prescribing them to. AND I believe the consumer must make him or herself as knowledgeable and informed as they possibly can be before taking any medication prescribed to them. Being in control of ones own health makes for the best doctor/patient relationship of all.

In any situation where medicine is prescribed and taken, there is always a risk versus benefit.

People who are depressed might become suicidal even without taking any anti-depressants. Suicide is always a possibility with any severe depression.

One problem is that the anti-depressants are often not prescribed by only psychiatrists. In fact, more internists, gynecologists, cardiologists, etc. seem to be prescribing these drugs because they have far fewer side effects than the previous types of anti-depressants which were on the market. So you have these drugs being pushed by physicians who are not fully qualified to evaluate the different types of depression, let alone consider the many treatment options. And their knowledge of these drugs may be limited to what they have read in ads in medical journals, or what drug salesmen have told them.

In addition, even when psychiatrists prescribe these drugs, they often do not combine this treatment with psychotherapy, or refer the patient to a psychotherapist. Among other things, psychotherapy, on at least a weekly basis, allows for better monitoring of the patient's depression and state of mind. You can recognize suicidal tendencies or ideation more rapidly and institute an intervention of some kind. The average psychiatrist prescribes an anti-depressant and tells the patient to come back in a month, sometimes two. They continue to "monitor" the patient on monthly (or less frequent) intervals, and, if the patient continues to complain of depression, they simply up the dose. But they do not generally take the time to really understand what the patient is going through, nor do they see the patient frequently enough to really know that person.

Taking medication for depression is not like taking an aspirin for a headache. Depression is a potentially life-threatening condition. But the cost factors of health care have tended to reduce treatment for depression to prescribing a pill and, maybe, checking on the patient at monthly intervals. That's how you offer treatment on the cheap, regardless of whether or not this is the best treatment that could be offered.
But all the research has always shown that the best treatment for depression is a combination of medication and psychotherapy, and, in cases of mild-moderate depression, psychotherapy alone is quite effective. But psychotherapy costs insurance carriers more money then just prescribing pills. And substantial training in psychotherapy is not something which many psychiatrists have. So the consumer/patient winds up getting the short end of the stick.

The newer anti-depressants can be wonderful drugs, particularly when properly prescribed and when combined with psychotherapy. But that is not what's generally happening.
Before one blames the drugs themselves for suicidal ideation or suicidal behavior, one should take a good look at who is prescribing these drugs (and why), and what sorts of additional treatments are or aren't being given for the depression.

Before I'd malign the medications themselves, I'd point my finger at the entire medical care delivery system, particularly in the area of mental health, and I'd take a very good look at the role that drug advertising, and pharmaceutical company profits are playing in all of this. Saying that these drugs themselves might increase suicidal tendencies is just the misleading tip of a very large iceberg. A lot more is going on in terms of how depression is being diagnosed and treated, and what might be contributing to an increase in suicidal tendencies.

I've been informed that the highest risk of suicide is when someone is coming out of a depression. They still feel bad, but are able to make and carry out plans.

It's not the antidepressants causing the suicides; it's the depression.

But whati is to say that those taking these drugs were not suicidal in the first place?

Those were my thoughts, firefly and MinDSaY, but it was being prescribed for incontinence, not depression. Not to say the incontinent may not also be depressed, but the relationship isn't shown.

Exactly, Roger.

And I still say, "Cymbalta for Incontinence? WTF?" (sorry....)

I'm not blaming Reyn for posting this news. He's just the messenger.
I am not a fan of the site he quoted his source from. Never have been, never will be.

I have a condition that requires me to take several different medications and Cymbalta is one of them. Even under my doctors watchful eye, I research each medicine I take very thoroughly before one pill crosses my lips. Because I do a lot of medicine "information gathering" I have pretty much learned what websites are truly worthwhile and what ones are pretty much worthless. That's one of the biggest problems with the internet. Anyone can put up a website, post whatever they want, whether factual or not and we, the consumer (or reader), are left with the job of filtering out the truth from the junk. It can get very confusing. Any time I have ever had questions about a medication, I have brought my concerns back to my doctor and we have actually changed a medicinal regime a time or two. Luckily, I have a doctor who doesn't believe he is God, is willing to allow me to participate in my own healthcare and is not offended if I question him.

'Nuff said about that. All I can say, is not every medicine is right for every person. But I have never heard of Cymbalta used to treat incontinence. Honestly, I think there are some people who are more suicide prone than others. I think someone can be severely depressed and never consider suicide while another can be very mildly depressed (and maybe not even diagnosed as such) and be very suicidal. IMO, it's just how we're wired.

A lot of drugs have many different effects. When they're being developed, many different side effects are discovered. Tests are made as to their efficacy in regard to these side effects. Rogaine was originally developed to treat high blood pressure. It was discovered that it had an effect on hair growth. Viagra was originally developed to treat angina pectoris. It's now being prescribed at a much, much higher rate for its other effect.

True that. Very good and definitely overlooked point, InfraBlue.

Phew, I'm glad of that! When I see something I find interesting, I figure someone else might might it so as well.

As for the site, well it seems to pack a lot of detail into it. I have no idea if the writer is off his/her rocker or not.....