#ssri-side-effects

#ssri-side-effects

Yes, there has been a shocking lack of progress in developing transformative psychiatric medicine (We need new drugs for mental ill-health, 5 February), but this may be because in mental health, drugs are not always the answer (see, for example, Richard P Bentall's Doctoring the Mind). Huge progress has been made in the effectiveness of talking therapies for example, free effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is available to all UK army veterans through the charity PTSD Resolution.

In the mid-1990s, child mental health researchers at top New York institutions injected grade-school boys with fenfluramine, also known as the diet drug "fen-fen," a substance that was later banned by the Food and Drug Administration, due to its links to valvular heart disease and pulmonary hypertension. The boys were all Black or Hispanic by design: Eligible participants were required to be African American or Hispanic because they were deemed to be at higher risk for developing disruptive behaviors.

Other than the well-known risks around muscle pain and diabetes, only four of 66 other statin side-effects listed on labels liver test changes, minor liver abnormalities, urine changes and tissue swelling are supported by evidence. And the risks are very small, according to the systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Lancet. Statins have been used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide over the last three decades and are proven to reduce heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths.