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unixronin: Galen the technomage, from Babylon 5: Crusade (Default)
Unixronin

December 2012

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Saturday, March 1st, 2008 04:38 am (UTC)
I really hate this debate, really I do.

I'm really not a fan of the SSRIs. But anytime I bring this up with people who take them, they tell me I don't know what I'm talking about.

And, maybe I don't.

What I've found in those people, is they had to, via trial and error, find the one that worked for them. Taking months, or even a year or two to find the drug, and to basically titrate the dosage.

(Part of my objection to this concept is it's really no better than witch doctoring. "Here, try this. That help? Ok, lemme put a leech here. Feel better yet? Ok, how about eat this frog. Better yet? Hey!")

If we extend the benefit of the doubt - that each drug has a part of the population that it helps - but that we can't ID which one works for any particular person, then a standard double-blind (where you issue the drug and placebo at random) wouldn't be very useful.

(A tangential point to this is the lack of a real standard and control possible when you spread these studies out among random populations, with potentially very variable routines, body chemistries, and diets. Especially diets.)

On the other hand... If the placebo effect is what's really happening...

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