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Comment by ap22213 | Hacker News Reader

I can't speak for the depression remedy, but SSRIs have certainly helped my anxiety issues.

A few years ago, I started having incapacitating panic attacks. They were so pronounced that I'd end up in the hospital ER several times a month.

Eventually, I was prescribed an SSRI, and the anxiety attacks went away completely. Maybe it's placebo, but when I tried to stop taking them, the anxiety attacks came back. (reverse placebo?)

I'm not a big fan of big-pharma, but for me, SSRIs were a literal lifesaver. It's easy to criticize, but unless one has an alternative solution, it's best to let things be until better treatments come along.

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I've been taking SSRIs for more than a decade. In the last few years I've learned that they don't seem to work much better than placebos. That may be true but it does not matter. They work for me and the side effects are minimal so I will keep taking them. SSRIs have made a huge difference to my quality of life. I don't care if I'm just taking a placebo at this point, as long as I'm getting the results I need.

do or did you drink alcohol? and did you stop or not?

*Edit: The reason I ask is because most SSRIs say do not drink alcohol while taking this medication. It could be discontinuation of alcohol that relieves depression.

To support what you say here's the nice guidance for problem drinking combined with mental health problems. The guidance is very clear: you treat an alcohol addiction before you treat the depression because the depression is likely to become less severe as you treat the problem drinking.

http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg115/chapter/Key-priorities...

> For people who misuse alcohol and have comorbid depression or anxiety disorders, treat the alcohol misuse first as this may lead to significant improvement in the depression and anxiety. If depression or anxiety continues after 3 to 4 weeks of abstinence from alcohol, undertake an assessment of the depression or anxiety and consider referral and treatment in line with the relevant NICE guideline for the particular disorder[3].

So, it's true for the general population. But it's a bit rude to ask one individual if they had problem drinking or to suggest their illness was problem drinking.

No, I did not drink before or after starting SSRIs. I've also in the last few years experimented several times with reducing my SSRI dosage but my current level works best.

Same here. I used to have panic attacks from any unusual physical stimulation (too hot, too cold, hungover, hungry, ate too much). These would happen weekly and many times put me in the ER.

I have not had a single panic attack since I've been on my SSRI.

Pretty much the same here. Its easy to downplay depression or anxiety, but SSRIs are a literal lifesaver for many people, myself included.

I have almost exactly the same experience. Given that the science isn't settled, and that the mechanisms are imperfectly understood, and that talk therapy has worked or not for largely the same population since 1910, I'll take the placebo effect.

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