What do Prozac and NSAIDs Have in Common? You Don't Want to Know

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http://www.mercola.com/2005/may/31/prozac_nsaids.htm

 

What do Prozac and NSAIDs Have in Common? You Don't Want to Know

 

The evidence has mounted yet again regarding the need for doctors to

wise up about the side effects of drugs when prescribing medications

to their patients.

 

Why? According to a study, taking selective serotonin re-uptake

inhibitors (SSRIs) like Prozac and Paxil can cause acute

gastrointestinal bleeding similar to that prompted by aspirin and

related painkillers.

 

The Study

 

Researchers reviewed the medical records of some 550 patients admitted

to hospitals for acute gastrointestinal bleeding and found that

continual use of the antidepressants in question were responsible for

a risk of bleeding similar to that caused by ongoing use of

non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as:

 

* Aspirin

* Ibuprofen

* Naproxen

 

In defense, the company that makes Prozac, Eli Lilly, argued the

possibility of bleeding was a potential side effect already listed and

that patients were cautioned about it in information that accompanied

the medication.

 

Yet despite the argument, the reality remains: Gastrointestinal

bleeding from NSAIDS is responsible for an alarming 16,000 deaths in

the United States each year. Will SSRIs boost that statistic?

 

MSNBC May 16, 2005

 

Gary Craig's Comments:

 

EFT has successfully reduced or eliminated depression on many

occasions without the use of drugs, thus eliminating the

gastrointensinal bleeding mentioned above. Further, the result is

often permanent. As an example, go to the EFT Web site and read " 30

plus years of depression gone in 2 minutes. "

Gary Craig

 

Gary Craig is a pioneering developer of EFT, a profoundly effective

emotional/mental healing approach. Dr. Mercola attributes much of the

incredible and permanent patient successes at his clinic, The Optimal

Wellness Center, to the fact that EFT is used with every patient to

address all three levels of healing: mind, body and spirit. Of the

thousands of natural treatments Dr. Mercola has studied and used in

his 20 years of practicing medicine, he feels that EFT is the greatest

healing technique that exists.

 

Read more about Gary Craig's EFT Course.

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

While some of you may not have been aware that SSRIs can lead to

gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, similar findings were actually

published in a Dutch study in 2004. That study found a threefold

increase in the risk of hospitalization for GI bleeding in patients

who took:

 

* Prozac

* Paxil

* Zoloft

* Anafranil

 

I also ran a story on this association back in 2001. It is unclear as

to why this link to ulcers appears to exist, however, the take-home

message is that when you use a drug as a Band-Aid to treat the

symptoms, then please don't be surprised when you come down with

unexpected consequences.

 

In the case of antidepressants and ulcers, it is paradoxical as they

should actually lower, not increase, the risk of ulcers by lowering

the stress and anxiety response that contributes to them.

 

Those who suffer from depression are often found to have lower than

normal levels of serotonin. Known as " the feel-good hormone, "

serotonin works as a neurotransmitter in the brain, where it aids in

the transmission of certain nerve impulses that modulate mood,

emotion, sleep and appetite.

 

SSRIs work by blocking the reuptake of serotonin into certain neurons

in the brain, in effect, leaving it in the " field of play " for longer

than normal.

 

The Second Brain

 

Interestingly, a few years ago a physician by the name of Michael

Gershon, who has since gone on to write a book about this topic,

discovered that the digestive tract contains bundles of neurons now

known collectively as the enteric nervous system (ENS) or " second

brain. " One of a number of amazing discoveries that have since been

made about the ENS is the fact that 90 percent of the body's entire

supply of serotonin can actually be found there.

 

While this fact may or may not help to explain why SSRIs can lead to

bleeding in the GI tract, it does make for some startling implications

in regard to just how important the function of our digestive tracts

may be.

 

This further supports the notion that using SSRIs to increase low

levels of serotonin in the brain is just another Band-Aid approach to

treatment that does not address the root cause of disease. After all,

since a healthy gut can house 90 percent of the body's serotonin,

wouldn't making sure it was functioning optimally be prudent advice

for anyone suffering the effects of low levels of it?

 

Additional tips for treating the root causes of depression include:

 

*

 

Balancing your intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fats.

*

 

Getting adequate amounts of exercise.

*

 

Using one or more energy psychology tools, like the Emotional

Freedom Technique, to help battle the dual effects of stress and

depression.

*

 

Taking advantage of the healing powers of religion, prayer and

spirituality.

*

 

Getting adequate exposure to sunlight.

 

Related Articles:

 

Was Prozac's Link to Suicide Intentionally Covered Up?

 

Treatment Options for Healing Depression

 

How Could Drug Companies be so Evil?