3 ms·
The problem isn't their effectiveness versus a placebo but patient selection. Each drug helps a small subset of all people due to natural variations in brain ch
by akiselev 8y ago
The problem isn't their effectiveness versus a placebo but patient selection. Each drug helps a small subset of all people due to natural variations in brain chemistry but does nothing or hurts everyone else. Until we have the technology to properly identify which patients qualify for a clinical trial, the option is between letting people suffer without recourse or dealing with follow on problems like overprescribing and addiction.
The FDA knows how much more complex neuroscience is to develop drugs for and has chosen the latter option as an ethical necessity.
- narwally 8y agoI had to try at least a dozen antidepressants to find out that Lexapro was the only one that noticeably worked well enough to be worth the side effects. When my sister started suffering from depression as well, her doctor actually had her ask me about the medications that worked best for my depression. Lexapro ended up being effective for her as well, and she avoided the same process I went through because they were able to use the genetic clues to at least find a good starting point.