It's true though they're overprescribed. A dr will get paid by the drug company to put their patient on a particular anti depressent by a drug company and a bonus for how many. Im on them and dont think I could go off because if you miss a few doses you start getting these brain zaps. Theres no doubt some people need them but the commercials and advertisements market them as a miracle pill, where they should be the last resort. It's not like they're providing tests or scans to measure serotonin. It's just like youre feeling down? Here try these its a free sample. Also all the symptoms of depression are the same as low Testosterone. So they have their place but should be.the last resort
This is an American centric view. I've not seen a single advertisement for Sertraline in my life. I'd never even heard of SSRIs until two months ago.
Yet somehow it's in the top 10 most prescribed medicines in my country (Australia).
These medicines are almost free. They are off patent. I literally bought a years supply from India for $30. Ain't no pharma company making money off these drugs. In fact SSRIs have been abandoned like steroids due to the saturation in the market and the lack of better alternatives. Every time they make a new drug they are afraid of comparing it to existing SSRIs because they are so cheap and effective.
For example the PBS refused to find vortioxetine a new Wizz bang drug for Aussies because it wasn't good enough to justify the ridiculous price:
"The PBAC rejected the submission on the basis that the clinical place of vortioxetine
relative to SSRIs and SNRIs was unclear and that the claim of non-inferiority of
vortioxetine compared to duloxetine was not adequately supported. Therefore, the
cost-minimisation analysis against desvenlafaxine alone and the pre-PBAC
response’s proposal to list vortioxetine on a cost-minimisation basis against a
'''''''''''''''''''' SNRI class, were not accepted. In its consideration of the relevant
comparator, the PBAC was of the view that there was insufficient reason to exclude
SSRIs from an economic comparison which consequently did not support a cost-
minimisation analysis of vortioxetine against a ''''''''''''''''''''' SNRI class of drugs."
Source:
https://m.pbs.gov.au/industry/listi...ings/psd/2014-07/vortioxetine-psd-07-2014.pdf
If you're having trouble coming off you need to look up the parabolic tapering method by Horowitz. He has videos on YouTube.
Update: The antidepressant tapering clinic I co-founded in the United States (Outro Health) is actively accepting patients into its Taper Management program
markhorowitz.org
Best of luck.