Study finds antidepressants no better than sugar pills

Study: Four of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants, including Prozac, work no better than placebo sugar pills to help mild to moderate depression, says a study published in PloS (Public Library of Science) Medicine . Irving Kirsch of the department of psychology at Hull University in England and colleagues in the U.S. and Canada compared trial results for patients taking a sugar pill with those given the antidepressants fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Seroxat), venlafaxine (Effexor) and nefazodone (Serzone). They found that patients felt better but those on placebos improved as much as those on the drugs. The only exception: the most severely depressed did better on the drugs.

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