Gee, they could have just asked us about it…
4 Likes
So very true @Jon_sparky…
Here’s hoping this soon gets recognised at the ground floor level (GP’s) etc… perhaps more will find an answer for their depression and treatment that is far more simple and effective than a lot of the anti-depressants seem to be.
1 Like
I have been on Tramadol for my herniated disk in my lower back, this also is a mild anti-depressant. It would be nice if the biologics helped, who knows, maybe they do?
1 Like
I will keep my fingers crossed for you @Jon_sparky!!! Depression is not something anyone wants to be dealing with, on top of everything else that life throws at us.
2 Likes
There are a number of people here who will tell you that their depression was in large part cured by going on a biologic.
While depression may be common with inflammatory arthritis, it doesn’t mean that everyone with PsA will have depression. Just something to keep in mind.
3 Likes
I don’t want to contradict this, but I am pretty well studied on the subject of depression and have never hear anything like this at all. I think they have probably made an unsupported correlation between depression and inflammation. It would be difficult to do a double blind study to prove this and what the are probably finding is that people like all of us that live with a chronic condition are probably also depressed. One doesn’t necessarily lead to the other.
Even with the number of studies that have been conducted attributing inflammation with hear disiese,t hey are still working to prove a solid contribution.
1 Like
This has been researched for some time, here is a paper from 2008 on the relationship of inflammation and depression:
The one thing that stood out in this link was that “they didn’t have access to the data.” I have a Masters Degree in Psychology plus a lot more study. Sorry, unless I can see the data and unless there is a double blind study, I don’t put much stock in empirical studies.
When looking at studies that profess causal effects with 30% correlation, you need ton understand one baseline study rule of depression. If you take 100 people suffering from depression and do nothing for them, here are the results. 33% will get better, 33% will stay the same, 33% will get worse. So, when I hear 30% got better, I don’t consider it much better than placebo.
Do you know it only takes a 30% improvement in a control group to get a new anti-depressant on the market? What does that say?
I am convinced inflammation probably plays some part in depression, but I don’t think I have seen a solution to the chicken and egg problem. There are way too many politics involved right now in depression studies and treatment. Like I said, the FDA will approve a new anti-depressant if it is only 30% effective. Yes, these new ADs work, but they do not have to be better than a placebo to get to market. That says a lot about what the FDA allows drug companies to put in our bodies.
Rant mode on
I have a vagus nerve stimulator that numerous long term studies have shown to be as high as 60% effective with a 45% remission rate. That sounds incredible, doesn’t it! It has cured my depression, but, even with it, I still have to take the ADs, they just work now because of the effect of the simulator. But guess what. With a proven effective rate of over 60% and a remission rate of 45% (far superior to any drug on the market) the insurance companies will not pay for it. What? Yes, I got mine implanted when they were first approved in 2008 for the treatment of depression. I had to change insurance companies twice to find one that would pay for it. A year later, no one would pay for it. Fast forward to 2016. Just this year, the insurance companies were forced to replace one that had already been implanted when the batteries ran down. Up until last year, I was looking at $75,000 out of my pocket to get a new one when my batteries died, or become suicidal again.
I just had a new one implanted. The American Journal of Psychiatry just release yet another study showing the long term effectiveness of the implant. The insurance companies will still not pay for a new one. They will pay for them every time for epilepsy, but not for depression.
So what gives? Who knows?
Now, there is a long term potential solution for people that suffer from what is called drug resistant depression, but the insurance companies will not pay for it. I think the insurance companies just hope these people will finally kill themselves and they will not have to pay for the expensive AD’s.
Rant mode off.
3 Likes
Well it is great you found something that helps!
Medicical industry is pretty clueless still, hopefully they will come up with more solutions, and someone to pay for them!
1 Like
This is how the whole medical world works… I don’t get why they don’t Go to only paying for euthanasia pills and just stop paying for everything else…
1 Like
The whole medical world? Sorry Cynthia, it’s not so. I’ve been less than awestruck by some medical professionals, but have yet to meet one who I suspected even for one moment wanted me dead.
1 Like
They don’t want you dead but they don’t help when you need it the most either… I meant the psych part of the medical world… They don’t help unless you have months and months to wait… If you need help right now they can’t do anything…
Thanks for clarifying Cynthia.
Yep, that must be extremely frustrating. I know there can be serious issues getting access to mental health services in the UK and from what you say it looks like it’s the same where you are.
How you doing? If you need to vent, we’re here.
2 Likes
I’ve been on holiday… we did a road trip through the Alps 
I was ok then… now I’m back home… not so much…
Anyway back on topic… I just came across this and it seems to make sense on this topic…
2 Likes