http://floridadetox.com - More kids are being diagnosed with depression. But do the drugs that doctors prescribe to relieve depression make some young people more likely to attempt suicide? And if so, why?
Kyle is a young man from the Tampa Bay area. "When I was 15 I didn't get along with anyone. I didn't feel connected."
Rebecca is a young woman from the Tampa area.
"I told my mom I just wasn't happy, and of course being a mom you try to fix it but she just couldn't."
Two young people both suffered symptoms of depression. Both turned to anti-depressants for relief. For one, the controversial drugs seem to be working.
For the other, antidepressants brought on thoughts of suicide.
Rebecca remembers, "My mom saw me in the kitchen with a knife and she stopped it."
Some doctors say chemicals in the brain, including serotonin and dopamine, control everything from wakefulness to moodiness, joy to despair. When those chemicals get too far out of balance, problems follow.
Dr. Rick Sponaugle of Florida Detox in Tarpon Springs says a low level of the calming chemical serotonin "causes moodiness, irritability, anxiety, hopelessness, excessive guilt."
And doctors commonly prescribe drugs like Lexapro or Paxil that increase and restore the balance of serotonin in the brain. Dr. Sponaugle says, "Those drugs work fine in teens who need a serotonin boost, but a multitude of teens with depression have a dopamine deficiency."
Dr. Sponaugle says low dopamine activity in the pleasure center of the brain often goes un-diagnosed. He believes raising serotonin in patients like Rebecca decreases dopamine even more, leading to a deeper depression.
Rebecca says, "It's just like, there's no reason to be here. That's the way you feel."
Instead of prescribing drugs like Lexapro or Paxil, Dr. Sponaugle says patients with dopamine deficiencies need, "a good dopamine stimulus. Really the best drugs we have are the stimulus drugs we use for ADHD."
Dr. Helene Hubbard, board certified in behavioral pediatrics, agrees with Dr. Sponaugle that some doctors may too quickly prescribe antidepressants before getting to the root of the problem. "You've got a lot of kids who present with what looks like depression who actually are in the initial stages of bipolar. You give those kids just a straight out antidepressant that's not balanced with anything, you can make them nuts."
But, she says, that's because there aren't any practical or inexpensive tests to determine whether a young person is low in serotonin or dopamine. She depends on a clinical diagnosis. "You ask the parents a lot of questions. You find out from teachers, day care workers. You get to know the child."
And she promises her patients they will work together and change any medication that makes them feel worse.
Lynn is Kyle's mother. "A lot of it is educating. Parents need to be educated."
She says antidepressants are helping her son. He does take an ADHD stimulant as well. Her son says, "It's been so much better. I'm enjoying music more. I'm having fun. I have friends."
She said the long journey to get his medication right changed not only his mood but his music. "You have to have that willingness to ride that roller-coaster and know that it's not going to be perfect the first time."
So what do you do if you think your son or daughter is depressed and may need antidepressants? Both doctors say you need to find a medical professional well versed in brain chemistry and anti-depressants. And you have to be able to monitor your child closely during the weeks it takes for the medications to take effect.
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Do Antidepressants Work?by tbn32890 views
When these drugs are used and Serotonin or Dopamine are increased is there proof that Serotonin and Dopamine are NOT destroyed afterwards to never to re-used again? I read articles but no one addresses this with convincing data.
JAKEHARRIS281 8 months ago
@AWOLFNAMEMARTI Ya. The american government is pretty fucked up:(
smileyg333 10 months ago
they are over doing these pills. just walk into a shrinks office with a austic child and they will write up a pill pad BEFORE they even get to know the 5 yr old.
I know Im a MOM and they tried that on WOLF, and my kid is NO guinie pig for MONEY gaining.
AWOLFNAMEMARTI 1 year ago