Placebo effect of anxiety/depression meds?

[LeeBee]

This might be controversial... just wondered if anyone else had thought about the placebo effect of medications prescribed for anxiety or depression, and whether it matters, as long as it works? I was prescribed Ativan for my anxiety. My doctor said that even just carrying it around with me could help stop PAs. She was right. I keep it my little bottle in my handbag and take it with me everywhere. On several occasions I've been on the verge of an attack and my thoughts have gone to my Ativan - I can always take one if it gets any worse and it will make me better. On most occasions, that thought has been enough to calm me down.

The placebo effect can be very powerful - I've even heard (http://www.bbc.co.uk//radio4/science/placebo.shtml) of heart patients given a placebo actually have a reduction in the thickening of their heart muscle. They weren't actually being given any medication at all, but thought that they were. The change in their heart stemmed from the reduction in their stress levels, because they thought that they were being medicated.

It makes me wonder how much of the effectiveness of medication for anxiety and depression is not the result of the medication itself, but of the thought in the minds of patients that it is making them better. They think it works, so it does. What do anxers think about this? Does it matter, as long as it works?

[lilly-lou]

I don't think that you can ever underestimate the power of our minds, I remember when I first suffered anxiety 14yrs ago the doc prescribed me dothiepin, I only took 25mg at night and felt a whole lot better, it was only when I went back to the docs that he told me the dose was that low for that anti depressant( he told me you needed to be on at least 150mg for it to help as much as I said it did) it probably wasn't doing an awful lot to help me but because I thought it was my symptoms improved, in the end my improvment was all down to me and my thinking.

I don't think it matters as long as it is helping, I carry a bottle of water with me and some tissues and as long as I have these with me my anxiety isn't as bad.

Hugs

[Yvonne]

Leebee

This is a subject I am very interested in and find it fascinating.

I watched a programme once which went into the whole placebo spectrum from people having surgery without any anaesthetic to faith healers making people walk. Faith healing in itself is a placebo to my mind, if you believe so much that a person can heal you then I think it will work. Nothing wrong with that at all and I'm in complete agreement with it.

I think the power of the mind is vast and I think we still only know a little of just how powerful our thoughts and beliefs can be.

I have come to the conclusion that the meds only help a little, sorry but that's only my opinion because I have had so many and have now realised they are no magic cure for anxiety or depression.

Have you noticed that when a doctor gives you an anti depressant/whatever he hands you the prescription and says "this will help you", well of course I know that he wouldn't say "this won't help" but he certainly wouldn't say "this may help" or "try this". Psychiatrists are good at this, they defo work on the assumption that if they make you believe something it will work for you. Mine has done in the past anyway. Nothing wrong with it at all because if this makes one feel better then it really doesn't matter how you get better.

Placebo is about having faith it's as simple as that. If we truly believed that we would not suffer anxiety/depression any more and that we could deal with anything without feeling anxious - and I mean TRULY believe to the core of our souls then we would be better. I know it. This is why I have always said "tongue in cheek" - I want to be brainwashed. I would just love someone to come along be it hypnotherapist, acupunturist, shrink to give me so much faith in their power to cure me (by meds or whatever) that I just couldn't doubt them. I would be better and it's fact.

Going on the religion side of things just for a minute - I once read that when you are praying don't ask god to help you with something - whenyou pray tell god thatyou know he is helping you.

It's all down to faith.

One last thing; The Emperor's New Clothes. See what believing in people did for him - I know he made a fool of himself but hey he believed he looked great lol!!!!!!

Take care all.