I have a friend who just told me that she is suffering from depression. She's actually been battling it for a few years with different types of antidepressants. I can't imagine what she has been going through.Depression is a common condition in the U.S. According to Mental Health America, more than 19 million Americans have clinical depression. More interestingly, one in eight teens and one in 33 children have clinical depression. Approximately 15 percent of people hospitalized for depression eventually take their own lives -- a tragic statistic.
The good news is, depression is treatable -- 80 percent of people who seek treatment show improvement. I decided to find out what the most searched antidepressants are on AOL Search and discovered that Lexapro, Cymbalta and Zoloft are in the top three spots on the list. (Please remember: Before taking any medication, especially for a serious condition, you should always consult your doctor.)
Do you know of any depression treatments that did not show up on our list? If so, please tell us about them. You can read more about depression on AOL Body and search for depression treatments on AOL Search.
Top Searched Antidepressants on AOL Search:
1. Lexapro
2. Cymbalta
3. Zoloft
4. Wellbutrin
5. Prozac
6. Celexa
7. Paxil
8. Effexor
9. Trazodone
10. Remeron
See sponsored links for: depression symptoms, antidepressants, depression medication
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 8)
61. The debate on drugs for depression is quite clear - it's not complicated. There is no scientific test for depression - so it could not be "treated" by drugs. If there was such a thing as a
chemical imbalance - then ask your "therapist" or MD what the "balance" is supposed to be. I promise you they will not know the answer.
It is foolish to think because the American Psychiatric Association is so huge that depression must be real and they know the answers. They make money from your drug usage. You should just put a line of cocaine in front of your child and have him snort it - IT'S NO DIFFERENT than giving him pills everyday.
Regarding the woman's comment on the Mental Health Association being so big so therefore depression must be real.....the IRS is enormous - does that equate to the necessity to pay more taxes when you work more hours? Because it's a big organization and so it's legit? That's backwards think.
Stop drugging yourself and/or your children and confront your life and handle it. Find other alternatives to drugs. Otherwise, you're no different than a drug addict.
Posted at 5:55PM on May 13th 2008 by trinity
62. Warning....antidepressants do work, but if you are sexually active be prepared to give up that aspect of your life , with the possible exception of buproprion(wellbutrin) all antidepressants will ERASE your libido!...trust me ...really!
Posted at 5:56PM on May 13th 2008 by martinsportraits
63. I have been recently fighting depression and anxiety in it's worst form. I have tried to take my own life, been in hospital care, etc. And I have mostly learned that most depression is caused by people simply trying to do to much. THeir bodies are in overload and overwhelmed!
Effexor, though an older drug, works great for my depression. Some of the new drugs, like Cymbalta had side effects on me, such as the lack of ability to use my LEGS!! I couldn't walk, take steps, You get the idea. Anyway, work with a good therapist, phychiatrist, and closely with your primary care doc so everyone is on the same page. Everyone needs a different "cocktail" and it doesn't have to last forever!
Posted at 5:58PM on May 13th 2008 by Dee
64. By the way...did you know that stress is a 'killer'? Stress can shorten your life and make you ill. In this world today, there is enough things to make almost anyone deal with stress from the work place to what is happening to our environment, the government, the world, etc. Stress and depression can cause a person to be overweight. I think most of us know that. I think most of us know that exercise is important. But, what you seem to forget it that someone of the people suffering from depression can't exercise. Think about those who are suffering from other types of debilitating diseases and illnesses who can't get out and 'exercise.' Yes, it is important, but there are those who simply can't do it. Those people need medications and therapy.
Posted at 5:59PM on May 13th 2008 by Terry
65. Comment of number 9... (Scott Y) You are just a donkeys rear!!! How could you say that and pretend to pitty your daughter and yet leave her? 19 yrs. of marriage? You're wife needed you and all you could say was you wish she took the pills earlier so you could have left sooner?
Posted at 6:00PM on May 13th 2008 by Nina Caraccia
66. This is to Trinity.
What a judgemental person you seem to be! Educate yourself a lot better so that you really know what you are talking about. It is people like you who criticize those who suffer that make depression even harder to deal with. Have you ever heard of loving and supporting people who need the help? Do you take medication for high blood pressure, or diabetes, or asthma, or headaches? I would never tell you not to treat yourself so that you can live a better life. Shame on you for being so uncaring. I pray that you never have to face depression, or maybe I should pray that you do so that you will have more empathy towards others? No, I pray you do not have to suffer in this way. Count your blessings and show some love and empathy for others who are not as fortunate as you are. There but by the grace of God go you!
Posted at 6:06PM on May 13th 2008 by ggoutdoors
67. I have been on many anti-depressants too. No one understands what Depresstion is. They seem to think you can just snap out of it. Depression Hurts and
is a Chemical imbalance in the Brain. I have been
in a very stressful situation taking care of my terminally ill mother and I had to move from Florida
to S.C. and leave the love of my Life. I became so depressed I couldn't function and my doctor prescribed Cymbalta. At first it seemed ok then I
became Suicidal!!!!! I am a Christian and I know better but I felt like I was in a deep hole and something was pulling me down. I told my doctor and he prescribed DEPLIN something new and not covered by insurance. It is supposed to enhance the anti-depressant by supplying Folic Acid to the brain.
After two weeks, I was still Suicidal, didn't want anyone around me and was scared! Thank God, he intervened! I called my doctor and told him I was not going to take the DEPLIN anymore it made me have nightmares every night and I was shaking in the mornings and had a headache it took me a couple of weeks to get through it. Then I stopped the Cymbalta because I was still Suicidal! It has been a couple of weeks. I immediately got back on the only antidepressant that has ever helped me at the same time or day I stopped the Cymbalta. The antidepressant is DESIPRAMINE. I take 3 tablets at night 50 mg. ea. It also doesn't affect your sex drive.
I prayed for God to send someone to please hold me and HELP me, Thank you Jesus I made it!! I take
Klonepin also for anxiety 2 at night .5 mg and one in the morning or during the day. I also can't sleep so I take Ambien CR. It is the only thing that helps me but I still wake up every few hrs. during the night. I hope this will help someone out there. It's hard when your Family doesn't understand what you are going through. No energy,
overwhelmed and very withdrawn.
GOD BLESS!
Posted at 6:07PM on May 13th 2008 by Rhonda
68. I SUFFERED FROM INSOMNIA SO BAD THAT I TOOK AMBIAN CR FOR 2YEARS AND THEN COULD NOT SLEEP WITH OUT IT AND THEN IT NO LONGER WORKED I JUST COULD NOT SLEEP ITS LIKE THIS INBALANCE CAME OUT OF NO WHERE IT WAS ONE OF THE WORSE THINGS I WENT THROUGH SOME PEOPLE MAKE ME LAUGH YOU DONT NO HOW A PERSON FEELS IN SIDE PEOPLE JUST THINK YOU CAN SHAKE IT OFF YOU CANT WE ALL WISH THAT IT IS JUST SOMETHING YOUR BODY GOES THROUGH I DID NOT WANT TO TAKE MEDS BUT LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING IT WAS THE BEST THING I DID I TAKE 5MG OF CELEXA IN THE DAYTIME AND 2.5 XANX TO HELP ME SLEEP SO TO ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO IDEAR WHAT IT FEELS LIKE JUST HOPE IT NEVER HAPPENS TO YOU SO DONT EVER JUDGE SOMEBODY BECAUSE IT COULD BE YOU SOMEDAY
Posted at 6:08PM on May 13th 2008 by gossip blogger
69. lite up some herbacide. A-Ds simply don't fully work and part of the help they offer is placebo. lite up da herbacide. lite up da 'cidez.......
Posted at 6:08PM on May 13th 2008 by cratavious
70. ANTIDEPRESSANT WARNING: These drugs can and DO kill. There are thousands of "us" out here with first-hand accounts of the adverse side effects of these SSRI's and SSNRI's. These drugs can cause suicidal and homicidal behavior. These are NOT miracle drugs.
For more information refer to SSRIStories dot com or Break-the-Silence dot org. This could save your - or someone you love - life.
Posted at 6:11PM on May 13th 2008 by Denise Fein
71. And you wondoer why America is the most medicated country in the world? My oh my, what did generations past do without all of these anti-depressants? It appears they managed to live and propagate the race. Let's make a concerted effort, NOT TO USE THESE MEDICATIONS. The drug industry is telling you that you need them, they are sending the doctors on lavish trips and supplying other "perks" to get prescriptions written. The Indian government sanctions web sites that allow anyone to buy prescription medication on line, including kids! This crap is actually sent through the good ole U.S.A. postal service. Why is no one trying to stop this? Why do I get no response from government agencies on this problem? Does anyone have the answer, out there?
Ken, you are absolutely right on this. Don't trust any of these crooks supplying these poisons - get better without medications if you want to live.
Posted at 6:12PM on May 13th 2008 by robert
72. I was sexually abused as a young child and suffered from clinical depression until highschool, when, at that time, i had my first manic episode. I was then dxed with bipolar disorder. Since then I have also been dxed with social anxiety disorder, ptsd and borderline personality disorder. It may seem like a lot, but at least NOW i am able to begin to take charge and start to overcome these labels. i am glad to have these labels because without them i just would be wandering around not knowing what was wrong, but knowing enough that i was NOT right.
the one thing i think is amusing are the comments from the individuals who have obviously never experienced, or watched someone else experience severe depression or mania.
THESE THINGS ARE TRULY ILLNESSES PEOPLE.
psychosis, which can be a symptom of depression or mania CANNOT be reflected on, or waited out, or avoided by eating healthfully or any other of the foolish remedies people have suggested. it needs to be treated medically with HELPFUL drugs (and they do work!) to give the individual a better quality of life.
depression can get so severe that a person may no longer be able to control bodily functions because they are so ill. it can be so bad that someone may only be able to stay awake for an hour or less a day, it can destroy you if you suffer from severe depression or bipolar disorder. the people who have been hospitalized, sometimes several times, are the ones who truly understand this.
depression is NOT "being down in the dumps" it is a medical condition that KILLS people every day.
during some of my worst depressions, i felt so sick that i was conviced that i was already dead. my skin felt like plastic, i couldnt feel any pain on it, i couldnt feel anything physically,
depression robbed me of my ability to feel anything emotionally. i felt dead and numb and empty. i was in a constant depressionn for years as a child. and only realized as an adult after trying many meds that there was another way to feel.
dont tell me to count my blessings because my blessings have nothing to do with depression or bipolar disorder. I could be the most blessed person in the world but still suffer from clinical depression, and there would be nothing on my own that i could do to change that.
people need to stop speaking from inexperience and start validating mental illness' as the biological conditions they really are.
life's not pretty for some people, don;t make it even worse by telling them that their experiences are, basically, a joke.
Posted at 6:12PM on May 13th 2008 by someone
73. I have had depression for most of my adult life. It became increasingly worse after each of my children were born. My boys are 5 and 6 now and in the past year I have found a doctor that actually listened to me and how I was feeling. She checked hormone levels more thoroughly than my regular doctor had. My thyroid levels were within normal limits (just barely) testosterone very low, estrogen was off the scale! By changing my lifestyle, eating better and using the correct supplements I have been able to dramatically reduce the psych meds for the depression. My new physician works in conjunction with my therapist and psychiatrist and primary care physician. What I was always told was a chemical imbalance, is really a hormonal imbalance. Life is good!
Posted at 6:19PM on May 13th 2008 by koconnor1699aol.com
74. wow, okiie heres an idea, try candy =] gets me happy =P
Posted at 6:26PM on May 13th 2008 by lesa
75. Gee. I don't know what to tell those of you who don't want to accept that depression is a real illness. It's a killer. So is stress. You talk about what happened to us in our past lives. I was the victim of child abuse. I know what part that plays in my life. I also know that medication alone isn't the solution. We need a good therapist and a good psychiatrist who really cares about the meds he/she gives you, follows your treatment on a regular basis, is open to your opinion on the meds, etc. I think some real work needs to be done in the weight gain area. Telling someone to exercise isn't the answer in lot of cases. Many of us are active as we can be. Thyroid problems run in my family so I've had that checked. I have recently even started Testosterone shots and am hoping like crazy that they will help the libido I no longer feel at least a little. Depression has taken so much from me I can't begin to tell some of you. I just say that all of us may need a different dosage, a different medication or combination. We are responsible to ourselves to talk to our doctors about what we know best....OUR OWN BODY...and what the meds are or are not doing. I pray that I will not be on meds all my life, but I know this is a possibility. To those who are so insensitive about depression/stress/mental illness and your negativity towards taking medication (popping pills to deal with life...is the way you describe it)...I'm sorry. I was in therapy a long time before I started on any medications. Your attitudes on this board do not help. Why are you here in the first place? Don't you have some place exciting you would rather be? I know those of us who are really dealing with depression/mental illness/stress would most likely love to be able to just shut this illness off like we turn a faucet off, but we know from experience, it can't be done. Unless you consider one or all of us committing suicide as the ability to 'turn it off' and get on with life? Seems there is a contradiction there. I would give just about anything to have a normal life. I'd give just about anything to have a NEAR NORMAL life and not have to go through therapy, take meds, and deal with this every day of my life. For some of us it is indeed a long, difficult, uphill battle. For the fortunate, we may return to some sort of 'normal' living. For many of us, there won't be 'light at the end of the tunnel' as most of you take for granted. If you don't have any useful information for us or if you have no common sense to know that this is a real problem/illness, then please leave this board. I don't know why AOL is even allowing your comments to be put on here in the first place. Go do what ever it is that makes your life wonderful. If you can't offer support and help, then go away. We don't need your hurtful remarks on this board. Dealing with what we have to deal with is difficult and hurtful enough already. GO AWAY !
Posted at 6:26PM on May 13th 2008 by Terry
76. In addition to medication for depression and anxiety, I recommend CBT - cognitive behavioral therapy. I've suffered from both depression and anxiety for over 30 years, and getting CBT once a week for the past two years has helped tremendously. If you have the right therapist, CBT will teach you how to get through the moments of despair and learn how to enjoy the little things in life - I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Good luck!
Posted at 6:27PM on May 13th 2008 by Adrienne Gurman
77. I believe my son is bipolar. He won't take any medication. I guess I just have to wait for him to hit rock bottom before he sees how sick he really is.
Any suggestions?
Posted at 6:36PM on May 13th 2008 by Sandy
78. well what ever you do please dont take "SEROQUEL"
this pill causes DIABETES and it alone takes a few pill for this to happen. i stated to take it and no one told me that it causes this until 6 months later and now i have type 2 diabetes. my Doc never told me this and diabetes runs in my family , which she did know i guess!!! right i told them everything that ran in my family the frist time i came there. one year later and an attorneys office call and said that they would like to represent me in the prosecution and recovery in a case against the
manufacturers of "SEROQUEL".
Posted at 6:39PM on May 13th 2008 by pam
79. Mary:
I have struggled for 18 years with my depression and have had every hormone level in my body checked numerous times. I have what is called Treatment Resistant Depression and will take meds the rest of my life. I also have had a new treatment started 2 years ago that has been a miracle in my life. It is called a Vagus Nerve Stimulator and I have gradually over the past 2 years become so well that I rarely feel depressed anymore. This device is implanted in your left chest and stimulates the Vagus Nerve which then stimulates the Limbic System in your brain which deals with emotions and feelings. The fact that it has been such a huge success just proves that depression is a physiological issue. Sometimes things are not so cut and dry or simple with people and their health problems and we all should be treated individually according to our needs and our response or lack thereof to treatment. I thank you for the suggestion regarding hormone levels, but I have been there and done that many times. I am just very thankful for new treatments and would suggest that anyone who has been treated unsuccessfully should look into the Vagus Nerve Stimulator and find a MD who is knowledgable. Thanks.
Posted at 6:43PM on May 13th 2008 by ggoutdoors
80. Ken:
Do you know what Americans did years ago without antidepressant medications? They were put into institutions for the rest of their lives because there was no treatment. Or they committed suicide. Hope you never suffer with depression.
Posted at 6:45PM on May 13th 2008 by ggoutdoors