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Prozac celebrates 10th birthday Thursday, January 21, 1999 Published at 06:45 GMT: Prozac - the= anti-depression drug which has revolutionised the treatment of clinical= depression - celebrates 10 years on the market this week. Initially hailed as a miracle cure, the drug has received a mixed report. Some doctors raised fears that it was addictive and linked to suicidal= thoughts. There was also concern that the drug was being used by people who were not= suffering from clinical depression, but who wanted a "quick fix". Those concerns have led to several US health maintenance organisations using= alternative modern anti-depressants from the same class as Prozac - the= SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. However, depression expert Dr Andre Tylee, a GP in Sutton, Surrey, said that= Prozac is now routinely prescribed by GPs to patients who exhibit the signs= of major depression. Approximately one million people in the UK now take the drug, and sales run= at approximately =A3100m a year. In a practice of 2,000 patients this can be as many as 100 patients at any= given time. "Prozac has revolutionised the treatment of clinical depression in primary= care," said Dr Tylee, one of the organisers of the national Defeat= Depression Campaign launched by the Royal College of General Practitioners. "Prior to Prozac there were older drugs available that had more side effects= and were less safe. "But with Prozac we had a medication that was safe, easily tolerated and= easy to take, and which effectively helped to reduce the symptoms of= clinical depression in a way that enabled us to improve the effectiveness= of the talking treatments as well." Dr Tylee said the medical approach to treating depression was to offer= "pills for the symptoms and talk for the problems". The talking therapies include: * Problem solving: Used to help patients tackle soluble problems in their= lives;=20 * Coping stategies: To help patients deal with problems that can not be= easily solved;=20 * Cognitive therapy: For use with patients who exhibit persistent and= automatic negative thoughts about life. This helps patients to substitute a= more appropriate thought for the negative feelings they may experience;=20 * Behaviour therapy: Designed to encourage people to try something new as= way to overcome their depression. Dr Tylee said he would always consider Prozac for patients who exhibited= signs of major depression. This he defined as a combination of symptoms exhibited every day for a= period of at least two weeks. Symptoms include: * Persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness, despair and irritability;=20 * Loss of pleasure from activities previously enjoyed;=20 * A change in weight or appetite;=20 * Sleep disturbance, including over-sleeping;=20 * Feelings of guilt and helplessness;=20 * A lack of self-worth; * Inability to concentrate;=20 * Excessive worry or anxiety;=20 * A reduction in energy or libido;=20 * Thoughts of death or suicide. Dr Tylee estimated that approximately 5% of the population suffered from the= symptoms of major depression at any one time. He said that every day one or two people who attended his surgery exhibited= symptoms. However, there is still stigma associated with depression. Approximately 50%= of sufferers do not seek help from their GP. A survey conducted by ICM for the drug's makers Eli Lilly and Co found that= although 75% of women regarded depression as a serious illness only 52%= would be prepared to take Prozac as a treatment. Dr Allan Young, Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at Newcastle General= Hospital, said: "Ten years ago people had a very poor understanding of= depression and consequently, society attached considerable stigma to it. "Not only was the introduction of Prozac a medical advance but its= popularity has helped lead both to an increase in the awareness of= depression and the number of patients who are prepared to seek help. "Now we need to work towards destigmatisation of treatment options available= for this seriously understood mental illness." Dr Matt Muijen, director of the Sainsbury's Centre for Mental Health, agreed= that Prozac was a "good, modern" anti-depressant. However he said: "It is very much a new Labour drug: good marketing and good= PR." "It is a good anti-depressant - like many other good, effective= anti-depressants that are also available." Dr Muijen, a psychiatrist who carried out one of the first trials of Prozac= in the UK, said he took exception to some of the more extravagant claims= made for the drug. Some people have claimed that it can transform the= personality. "I thought it was rather over-hyped," he said. Alison Faulkener, manager of the Strategies for Living project run by the= Mental Health Foundation, said that patients had reported mixed feelings= about using Prozac. Ms Faulkener took the drug herself, and found that it did little to improve= her symptoms. "For the first couple of months it did lift my depression," she said. "But subsequently I suffered from increased anxiety and from physical= shaking and became very panicky. After about four months I had to change to= another medication." In contrast, Ms Faulkener said she had interviewed patients who had found= taking Prozac to be a very positive experience. "My overall feeling is that people need much more than just a drug to treat= depression," she said. "They need the opportunity to talk about the problems they are experiencing. "Whenever a new drug comes onto the market there is a risk that it is= portrayed as a cure-all, a wonder drug. People need to be more cautious." http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/health janet paterson - 51 now /41 dx /37 onset - almonte/ontario/canada http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/members/janet/index.htm [log in to unmask]