New Antidepressant Developments and Approvals

New antidepressant development, until fairly recently, was at best a random, and at worst a problematic and frustrating, process. Often, medications that were developed for one thing were discovered quite accidentally to have much more important therapeutic effects for a completely different disorder. It has been well described that some of the original antipsychotics were originally developed to assist in anesthesia, and some of the original new antidepressants were originally intended to be medications for tuberculosis or psychosis. New antidepressant development was done on a "chemical" basis; that is, guesses were made as to compounds that would be safe and effective based on chemical structures of established medications. This was very much a trial-and-error process, since very little was known about how these drugs worked and very little could be measured beyond actually giving them to a patient.

New antidepressant development always has been and always will be a partnership between efficacy (ie, whether the drug is effective) and safety (ie, whether the drug can be tolerated by a patient). There were very few ways of knowing the answers to those two questions about any given compound unless you tried it, a process not without its obvious risks. It should be noted that vagus nerve stimulation for depression clearly meets the two main FDA requirements of safety and efficacy.

Medications to treat depression; mild, severe, bipolar, or treatment-resistant, make the news most frequently, and deservedly so. Their progress and approval can potentially benefit almost 8 million Americans who suffer from some form of depression. Because there seems to be more frequency now of depression that is treatment-resistant, meaning most methods of treatment (medications, psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy, or a combination of more than one treatment) have failed for a patient, the approval of new antidepressants from companies like Merck, Lilly, and Pfizer, are more important than ever. This is because a new class of medication for treating depression has not been developed in over a decade.

On July 18th, 2005 the FDA approved the first ever treatment long term treatment option for depression; vagus nerve stimulation. You can learn more about this remarkable treatment at http://www.VagusNerveStimulator.com There is a free electronic newsletter to keep you up-to-date.

Charles Donovan was a patient in the FDA investigational trial of vagus nerve stimulation as a treatment for chronic or recurrent treatment-resistant depression. He was implanted with the vagus nerve stimulator in April of 2001. He chronicles his journey from the grips of depression thanks to vagus nerve stimulation therapy in his book:

Out of the Black Hole: The Patient's Guide to Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Depression

The book was exhibited at the American Psychiatric Association's Annual Meeting in May. It is available on his web site and 24 hours a day/7 days a week through the toll free number 1-888-VAGUS-88. If you use discount code FDAYES(all caps), it will save you 25% off the cost of the book and you will get automatic free shipping via U.S. Postal Priority Mail.

The book is also available through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. The discount does not apply at these two sites.

He is the founder of the http://www.VagusNerveStimulator.com Web Site

---

Utah Drug Rehab: Searching For A Therapist

Finding the right treatment for any person suffering with a... Read More

Toenail Fungus: Treatment and Prevention

A thick, yellowish nail with splotchy white areas is a... Read More

Hacking through the Medical Scheduling Software Jungle: Helpful Search Tips

It is the reality of the 21st century medical practice... Read More

Are Drug Companies Destroying The U.S. Health Care System?

The U.S. government's annual bill for healthcare spending ? $3,925... Read More

Meridia Lawyer: Meridia Diet Pill Side Effects

Following the recall of Fen-Phen and Redux in 1999 (two... Read More

Thimerosal: Autism and Mercury Poisoning Side Effects?

Thimerosal is a preservative that is added to vaccines (has... Read More

A Closer Look at Neck Pain Relief

Neck pain afflicts many people at some point in their... Read More

Chronic Headaches and Pain Often Can Be Eliminated By A Special Dentist

DENVER ? Sometimes as Freud once said a good cigar... Read More

New Antidepressant Developments and Approvals

New antidepressant development, until fairly recently, was at best a... Read More

Kids and Medication Part II

In continuation of mood enhancement drugs for kids and adolescents,... Read More

Phentermine Price Watch: Comparison Shop To Buy Phentermine At The Best Values Online

When compared with the other prescription diet pills, Phentermine is... Read More

NIH Official Altered Drug Study

NIH Official Altered Drug StudyDr. Edmund Tramont, director of the... Read More

How Do I Choose The Best Arthritis Medicine?

Are you spending a fortune on prescription arthritis medicines? Are... Read More

The Highway to Health - Bumped Heads

I recently had a reader send me this comment:"As a... Read More

Coumadin Users Can Avoid Unnecessary Complications By Wearing Identification

The police arrive at the accident scene promptly. A driver... Read More

Pain Relief Drugs 101 What You Need to Know

Ever given a piece of thought to how actually one... Read More

Pagan Medicine: Then and Now

A time will come when our children's children will look... Read More

10 Benefits of an Electronic Medical Record

Electronic Medical RecordAn Electronic Medical Record is a secured electronic... Read More

Cut Your Prescription Drug Costs Without Having to Buy Foreign Drugs

Save Up to 93% by Asking for a Generic -... Read More

Ambien Sleep Medication And Insomnia: What Is Insomnia And How Can Ambien Help?

What's Insomnia?Identifying insomnia is a little like the old joke... Read More

Medical Tourism Opportunities in India

More and more people have started travelling to India for... Read More

Polysomnography: One Tool in Helping in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Fibromyalgia

Stop! and imagine for one moment that your body is... Read More

Generic Drugs: How They Cost You Less?

If you are wondering why the chemist has charged much... Read More

The Controversy of Viagra® (Sildenafil Citrate), Other ED Medications, and Their Generic Counterpart

There has definitely been a good deal of controversy over... Read More

Top Ten Reasons Why We Hate IBS!

Irritable bowel syndrome can be a nightmare?constant diarrhea and terrible... Read More

Drug Abuse In Teens: Online Drug Abuse Identification Help

Teen drug abuse is at an all time high, but... Read More

Integrative Medicine And Its Future

The NBC National News, quoted the Washington Post in March... Read More

After Viagra, Its Now a Premature Orgasm Pill for Women

Pfizer's exciting drug history traces back to the most popular... Read More

Lunesta Personality Changes

Lunesta is a newly released sleeping pill. Marketed as a... Read More

Adaptogens for Life - The Science Behind the Discovery of Adaptogens

Modern civilization has produced an unusually stressful environment to humans... Read More

Bulk Forming Drugstore Laxatives

There are five basic types of drugstore laxatives you should... Read More

Pediatric Emergency Contact Notifications Made Easier

For the head of the trauma department at one of... Read More

Cholesterol Treatments Options: Statins

Satins are pharmacuetical drugs that work by restricting the enzyme... Read More