- The Guardian,
- Monday June 11 2001
Dependence has been a problem in the past with tranquillisers and sedatives, which are prescribed for anxiety. Barbiturates, widely used in the 40s and 50s, now have a very bad name. The British National Formulary (the doctors' prescribing bible) talks of "serious withdrawal problems" including convulsions, delirium and death.
In the 60s came benzodiazepines - Valium, Librium and Ativan - "mother's little helpers" which were hailed as free of problems. Thousands were soon hooked on drugs supposed to harmlessly relieve anxiety and depression.
In the late 80s and early 90s, SSRIs stormed the market, led by Prozac. Again, the claim was that they did not cause dependence. SSRIs work on the brain's seratonin receptors, though there has never been shown to be anything wrong with levels of seratonin - the chemical thought to be involved with happiness - in depressed people.
When SSRIs work they make people feel mellow and sanguine. What is often overlooked is that they work on the same receptors as LSD and cocaine.
