Anti-depressants

        Many people suffering from depression are introduced to anti-depressants. Anti- depressants are a very popular type of pharmaceutical drugs. Companies who sell these drugs to thousands of people are making lots of profit. People don’t really realize how these drugs can affect their life’s and health. These drugs can turn into addiction such as other drugs like heroine and nicotine can. These things can really affect who a person is and will be. Now people have the right to tell their doctor what medication they want and don’t want to take. Certain people that really cant control their disorder should only be allowed to take anti-depressants. Pharmaceutical drugs shouldn’t be used on a person unless they have tried helping the patient in other ways and weren’t able to succeed. Negative effects of the drugs can really affect the patients life.
      
        Depression is a disorder that any human being can go through. Dysthymia and anxiety disorders as well. These disorders can either be passed down genetically or formed by the environment events in which the person goes through. Genetically meaning if your parents suffered from the disorder you are more likely to as well. A person can also get it by events that occur in life such as separation of a loved one or losing some close. Psychiatrists way of treating is with anti- depressants. Anti-Depressants is a very common and popular type of medicated drugs. These medications are giving to the patients by the psychiatrists. Anti-depressants are medications for mood disorders. Major depression being one of them, as well as dysthymia and anxiety disorders. Those three disorders have similar symptoms noticed in a persons emotions. Some symptoms are bad feelings, facial expressions, and low self esteem. A very popular anti-depressant pill given to the patients who suffer from these mood disorders is Fluoxetine. They are commonly known by their trade names Prozac and Sarafem. Fluoxetine has been around since 1970, it was known as antihistamine diphenhydramine. Then later on the name changed to Prozac, which it is still known as now. Article Oh How Happy We Will be states that author Peter Breggin from the book “Talking Back to Prozac” argues that “anti-depressant drugs are merely the latest form of middle class stimulants”(Crister.34). What he mainly is trying to express that almost anyone will buy them just to feel better. Many patients suffering from disorders that buy anti-depressants give lots of money to the company. They also don’t realize the effects it can have on them.
   
        Pharmaceutical drugs have side effects that can cause damage to someone’s health. Nobody wants to be affected by anti-depressants, because obviously they take it to cure their disorder. Prozac are such strong pills if mixed with any other chemicals, it can cause significant intestinal bleeding later on. Sexual side effects have also been found as well as Akathisia. Akathisia is a side effect found in patients that took fluoxetine. It is the inability to stay still, often making purposeless movements of the feet and legs. It has also been shown that patients under these drugs had higher percentage of suicidal attempts. When they stopped the feeling went away. It affects a persons health, gaining weight and anxiety being few of them. The anxiety of taking more pills comes because they think its doing them good. That is seen as an addiction to the drug. Being addicted makes it almost impossible to stop, as if it was the only option. A quote I can relate to that comes from Greg Crister, author of  Oh How Happy We Will Be implies that “I wonder, though, if my depression is unbearable without medication only because I know that this medication exists”(40). He wonders if his life can be better without medication because he knows he has that option but can be hard for him to stop. Many people can go through the same situation as him and wont be able to stop. That is making all this pharmaceutical drugs wealthy with many patients consuming the drugs.