Antidepressants help many, but dangerous side effects are possible

Q. Please stop criticizing the drug companies that make antidepressants. They are trying to help while you just fuss.

I took Zoloft for six years and never had any desire to commit a violent crime. This drug helped control my emotional highs and lows. Blaming antidepressants for violent behavior makes no sense.

A. Two decades ago, Newsweek magazine featured a huge pill on its cover with the headline: “Prozac: A Breakthrough Drug for Depression.” Earlier this month, Newsweek’s cover story was a debate over the effectiveness of antidepressants such as Prozac.

It may be hard to understand why experts are arguing about the benefits and risks of antidepressants after 20 years. Part of the reason is that an analysis covering many studies suggests that modern antidepressants such as paroxetine are no better than placebos for relieving mild to moderate depression (Journal of the American Medical Association, Jan. 6, 2010).

Many people benefit from medications such as citalopram, fluoxetine, sertraline and venlafaxine, but doctors are warned that some patients taking them may experience suicidal thoughts or “irritability, hostility, aggressiveness and impulsivity.”

We summarize the pros and cons of current antidepressants and offer a range of nondrug approaches in our “Guide to Dealing With Depression.” Anyone who would like a copy, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (61 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. E-7, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from our Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.com.

Q. I get nosebleeds when the furnace runs a lot in the winter. I think it is the dry air.

My doctor recommended that I use Vaseline in my nose to keep it moistened. I think I read in your column that you should not put too much Vaseline in your nose because it could irritate the lungs. Is this really true?

A. We recently saw a suggestion in Consumer Reports (March 2010) that “a pea-sized dollop of petroleum jelly inside the nostrils” could prevent nosebleeds. Used rarely, this approach might not be dangerous.

We have heard from lung specialists that petroleum jelly can migrate from the nose to the lungs. As it builds up, it could cause an inflammatory condition called lipoid pneumonia.

If you look at the label of Vicks VapoRub, a product containing petrolatum, it states clearly “Do not use in nostrils.” A water- soluble moistener such as K-Y Jelly might be a better choice.

We heard from another reader: “Please reprint the article about not using Vaseline in the nose because it can cause pneumonia. That article may have saved my life, and others need to know.”

Q. I have been taking Crestor. It lowered my cholesterol very well, but my blood sugar went out of control. My HbA1c went from 6.8 to 7.3 in just a short while, and my morning blood-glucose numbers went from 110-130 to 161-217.

I stopped taking Crestor a few days ago, and my numbers are already starting to drop. This morning, the reading was 144, and my midmorning blood sugar was only 96 instead of in the low 200s.

I think I am going to stick with niacin instead of other drugs. Niacin does not affect my blood glucose.

A. Others have reported similar problems with statin drugs (www.peoplespharmacy.com). A large clinical trial (JUPITER) noted that patients taking Crestor were more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than those on placebo (New England Journal of Medicine, Nov. 20, 2008).

XIn their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of The Vindicator or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Favorite Foods From The People’s Pharmacy: Mother Nature’s Medicine.”

2010 King Features Syndicate Inc.