DEPENDENCE RISK WITH SSRIs

These four Lilly-sponsored trials seem to me to provide compelling evidence that the risk of dependence with SSRI is comparable to that with Valium (diazepam) and other benzodiazepine tranquillisers. No matter the authors interpret their data another way: see what the data show.

I know I could be wrong, but have seen little evidence to suggest it, so far. Sure, it sometimes feels a bit eerie putting out all these messages and getting virtually no coherent response from the experts and authorities concerned. On the other hand, surely someone would have said something by now if this analysis were heading in quite the wrong direction.

That has not happened, though this website is regularly monitored by the companies involved, by regulators, researchers, clinicians, academics and policy people - yet all the comments come from patients. It adds up to over 40,000 visits to ADWEB, since April. At the time of writing (early December 1998), we get around 250 to 300 visits per day.

Unless and until someone comes up with more convincing explanations, I can only assume the risk of SSRI dependence is real. For further information, see: