Are You Depressed?
I've seen an awful lot of commercials for depression medication lately. Are the networks trying to tell us something? The solution's side effects always seem to be much worse than the malady. Take, for example, Zoloft (that's the one with the Schmoo midget as its rep):
Side effects may include the following: upset stomach, trouble sleeping, diarrhea, dry mouth, sexual side effects, feeling sleepy or tired, tremor, indigestion, sweating, feeling agitated, and having less appetite.
Now THAT is depressing.
GoDaddy Web hosting plans are now more powerful than ever. Best of all, their plans start at just $3.95/month! No matter what plan you choose, your site receives 24/7 maintenance and protection in a world-class data center. Plus, as a listener of The Chris Pirillo Show, enter code CHRIS3 and get your .COM domain name for just $6.95 a year. Get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy!









11 Comments
scott a
August 26th, 2004
at 8:08pm
Ive always said this for years, that the side affects are worse than the original problem.. Those symptoms listed would make me kill myself.. hah
Anonymous
August 26th, 2004
at 8:19pm
FACT: 1 out of every 2 people you know is taking medication for some form of depression. Not that amazing.
\\mandolux
August 26th, 2004
at 8:24pm
I wonder when will doctors prescribe their patients with marijuana? For the record, I've never use Mary Jane but I've seen the wonderful effects it has on people :)
Matt Hartley
August 26th, 2004
at 11:18pm
Aside from the “sexual side effects”, this sounds like a typical day in the life for me. People are whiners, life is hard – they need to get over it. :o)
Anonymous
August 27th, 2004
at 1:04am
I always laugh when they mention all the side effects. Especially when one of them is life threatening. I guess that's why they're targeting people with depression. “They don't care…”
-Spider
Anonymous
August 27th, 2004
at 1:22am
in russia they just have drinking, and you don't need a prescription.
Anonymous
August 27th, 2004
at 1:26am
Those commercials always remind me of Happy Fun Ball from Saturday Night Live. Remember that? I guess it was ahead of it's time!
Anonymous
August 27th, 2004
at 6:40am
For me, anti-depressants saved my life. I've been on them for nine years. My depression was caused by a combination of things – some very upsetting things that had happened in my life, family history, and was aggravated by the virus that causes mononucelosis. I was in terrible emotional pain, and was finally able to deal with that pain more easily once my brain chemistry was more balanced. I've been on a variety of medications; Zoloft, for me, has worked the best. Some did give some rather unpleasant side effects, but nothing life-threatening.
It's true that anti-depressants are overprescribed. A little pill will not make everyone's troubles go away. But to those of us with severe depression (a genuine, crippling disease), they can be a saving grace.
Roger Benningfield
August 27th, 2004
at 9:19am
Chris: “The solution's side effects always seem to be much worse than the malady.”
That simply means you've never suffered clinical depression or a related malady. I've lived with severe social anxiety since I was ten years old… getting on the right dosage of Paxil a couple years ago was a life-changing experience. And while the side-effects do indeed suck, most folks so afflicted will take the trade-off. That difference can be *that* big.
Anonymous
August 27th, 2004
at 3:52pm
yea, but those are “maybee's”
my ex was on zoloft, and when she was off it, she was impossible
peartree
September 1st, 2004
at 10:55am
YES, I'm depressed! And it's all your stinkon' fault! You and that [totally unprintable] server!