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The Onset of Depression in Men

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 18:28:28 +0100

Depression is a medical condition characterized by an intense feeling of sadness, worthlessness and misery. It is a disease usually associated with women. Nonetheless, it is also a commonly unrecognized illness that largely affects men. "While the symptoms used to diagnose depression are the same regardless of gender, often the chief complaint can be different among men and women," according to Dr. Ian A. Cook, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California–Los Angeles. Most men may not notice the early signs of depression and tend to attribute the signs to other factors like stress. Recent statistics shows that there are more women than men who sought professional help and took antidepressants to treat depression. In recent years, it was reported that antidepressant drug like Paxil causes Paxil addiction after prolonged use.

The onset of depression in men, as cited by research studies, is usually marked by symptoms such as difficulty concentrating or making decisions, loss of interest in what used to be pleasurable activities, fatigue and decreased energy, insomnia, loss of appetite or overeating, body aches, irritability, restlessness, feeling of hopelessness, anxiousness sadness, feelings of guilt and suicidal thought.

One in six men in the United States is reportedly suffering from depression. However, not all of them are coping or treating depression with the aid of a health care professional. Most men talk more about the physical symptoms of depression rather than the emotional symptoms. Naturally, they are hesitant to display their emotions. A study in American culture suggests that expressing emotions is deemed a feminine thing. Men don’t talk much about their emotional state because they always wanted to display a strong front. In effect, rather than talking about the emotional symptoms of depression, they complain about physical symptoms such as tiredness and lack of appetite. Some instead of displaying a depressed mood of sadness they tend to be angry or irritable. These are some of the observable symptoms of depression in men that are left untreated because there is failure to recognize them at the onset.

Recent data shows that there are more men than women who commit suicide in the United States due to untreated depression. Depression in men, if untreated, may cause devastating results. Men must therefore be informed that treatment of depression at the onset may prevent further complications. Treatment of depression may vary. Mild depression may be addressed using natural alternative treatments. Serious depression may require treatment of antidepressants like Paxil. Antidepressants as treatment for depression may only be taken if prescribed by a doctor, because like any other drug, it may cause serious side effects like Paxil birth defects.

Exercise for Stay-At-Home Moms

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 00:18:12 +0100

Struggling with exercise is a normal thing to go through when your lifestyle is relatively sedentary and your life's pace is slower than others, medical experts say. This is specifically true for stay-at-home mothers. It is not that they are less than busy than everyone else, considering that they are always at home. In fact, it is hard for them to find time for themselves because of the many priorities that confront them. However, with the list of priorities that beg their attention, exercise will most likely be on the bottom of their "to do" list.

Most people might think that being a stay-at-home mom is very boring, plain and basically, a piece of cake. On the contrary, it is the most challenging job one may take on. It requires resiliency, flexibility, energy, intelligence and strategy. Running a household is more strenuous than running a company because in a company, you may delegate your tasks to your subordinates. But in a household setting, it is a one-man show. The mother will most likely be the cook, house cleaner, manager, accountant and tutor. And among middle-income to low-income earners, the mother may also be the plumber, electrician and carpenter.

In all these endeavors, the mother is often left exhausted and drained. This is the reason why some mothers nag and would most likely control their children. This is also the known cause for depression to occur with most women. Stay-at-home mothers are a group of women who desperately wants rest and time for themselves. That is why helpful and practical exercises are encouraged among women.

Exercise releases endorphins which creates happy emotions. It also relieves the body from stress, contrary to the notion that it will leave you dead tired at the end of the day. It also increases mobility and flexibility. Aside from that, it gives the body the physical tolerance and endurance to cater to more physical activities. Because of the endorphins released it also provides mothers the emotional well-being they need to face their emotional challenges.

The following are some tips to help working moms to do exercise while at home:

1. Work out with your kids. It might be a workout for you, which is a really serious undertaking but for your kids, it is their playtime with you. This will encourage bonding and physical discipline in the family.

2. Crunches. Several house furnitures may be used to facilitate this activity such as chairs and coffee tables. It may also be done while lying flat on the floor. Fifteen counts will do, however, when your body is able to tolerate an increase in count, you must increase your count daily. This means that the exercise is becoming effective.

3. Up and Down the Stairs. If you do not have a treadmill, any equipment of enough space to do cardiovascular exercises, you may climb up and down the stairs for 20-30 minutes a day. This gives you enough time to move all your joints and limbs and to strengthen your heart.

There are also other ways to overcome depression in your own home such as a healthy diet and reading inspirational books. To read more on depression and some medications, kindly visit this page: http://www.paxilbirthdefectlaw.com

REFERENCES:

living.msn.com/life-inspired/live-your-dream/slideshow?cp-documentid=32049817

auburn.edu/administration/business_office/payroll/healthytigers/newsletters/ab_1203.pdf

cosmopolitan.co.uk/lifestyle/24-ways-to-feel-happy-right-now-99761

chicagotribune.com/health/ct-12-steps-to-health-happy-pg,0,7393196.photogallery

PPHN Causes Undue Worry on Soon-To-Be Mothers

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:43:13 +0100

Women with child and expecting to be mothers normally look forward to a happy pregnancy and a healthy baby.However, not all pregnancies are pleasant. A high percentage of depression was noticed among expecting women who have unreasonable fear and anxiety during pregnancy. Unreasonable actions and unexplainable fears overtake women with on-the-side emotional proportions that may be harmful to the developing life in her womb. To prevent such, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is recommended despite the birth defects they may cause. An example of this birth defect is PPHN.

Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn or PPHN is not a common disease. Studies show that in the United States, for every 500 to 1500 babies, one percent ends up having it. This very slim chance does not in any way diminish the gravity of the disease as it can lead to congenital pneumonia and hypoplastic lungs. An infant suffering from PPHN is deprived of sufficient oxygen intake.This respiratory indication may take place within 12 hours from birth.

The link between SSRI antidepressants and PPHN lies in the narrow and singular instance of antidepressant intake during the second half of the period of gestation. Prescriptions of antidepressants are entirely dependent upon the sound judgment and discretion of the health care service provider. But with this latest development, the public is encouraged to make their own assessments in taking these medications. The moment they take these drugs, they expose themselves to a possibly graver illness.

Fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro) and fluvoxamine (Luvox) constitute the SSRI family of antidepressants. Out of these enumerations, Zoloft and Paxil were singled out because of the various birth defects they can cause, potentially harming the neonate physically due to the severity of the treatment. Potential birth defects come in the form of autism, cleft palate, clubbed foot and other physical abnormalities.

Depression among women is at an all-time-high in the United States at this point in time. Antidepressants are popular in prescriptions for the alleviation of negative emotions that inhibit users from enjoying their lives and was names the top three best selling drug. The most gruesome form of consequence a drug can do are Paxil birth defects. This affects not just the neonate concerned but her parents as well. This may affect the marital status of her parents and may influence her mother's battle against depression. So much responsibility is demanded from this, especially against the drug manufacturers.

REFERENCES:

foxnews.com/health/2012/01/16/antidepressants-and-pregnancy-what-to-do-now/

adhb.govt.nz/newborn/guidelines/Cardiac/PPHNManagement.htm

fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/DrugSafetyInformationforHeathcareProfessionals/PublicHealthAdvisories/ucm124348.htm

pediatrics.med.nyu.edu/conditions-we-treat/conditions/persistent-pulmonary-hypertension-newborn

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/784932

Club Foot, a Possible Paxil Birth Defect

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:39:27 +0100

Like many other antidepressants Paxil has its fair share of side effects. Paxil has been shown to cause heart defects in the fetus, especially in those women who are in their first trimester of pregnancy. One of the most common potential Paxil Birth Defect is club foot

A club foot, or congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV), is a congenital deformity involving one foot or both. The affected foot appears rotated internally at the ankle. There are two particular groups that TEV is classified in: Postural TEV or Structural TEV. Without treatment, persons afflicted often appear to walk on their ankles, or on the sides of their feet. It is a common birth defect, occurring in about one in every 1,000 live births. Approximately 50% of cases of clubfoot are bilateral. Males are more likely to be affected by the birth defect in a ratio of 2 to 1.

If a child is born with club foot, the treat for the birth defect would begin immediately after the child is born. What will happen is the pediatric orthopedic surgeon will manipulate the foot and cast it on a weekly basis to try to correct the clubfoot deformity. This manipulation technique is called "The Ponseti Method," named after the doctor who has popularized this treatment. The technique used here is called "The Ponseti Method," named after the doctor who has popularized this treatment. During the Ponseti Method the position and timing of the casts is deliberate, and intended to stretch and rotate the foot into a proper position. Week after week the casts are replaced in a process called serial casting. The casts slowly correct the position of the clubfoot. In about one half of cases, this manipulation is sufficient to correct the clubfoot deformity. However in other cases, a surgical procedure may be necessary, during surgery, the doctor will release, or loosen, the tight Achilles tendon to allow the foot to assume its normal position. Once the casts are removed, the child will usually wear nighttime braces until about age two.

While Club Foot is one of the more common potential Paxil Birth Defects there are treatments for it. If you would like to start taking Paxil for your signs and symptoms of depression, consult with your doctor first.

Delays in Development Could Be Linked to Paxil Use

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 16:32:49 +0100

To grow up doesn’t only mean getting big and tall. It also means that other developmental milestones are achieved. Each of the four domains (Intellectual, Language, Socio-emotional and Physical) in development has milestones which need to be achieved. These milestones are made to be used as a guide and not as a source of worry or anxiety. Each child has a different developmental timeline and some may be more advance than the others. However, there are those that have really delayed developments and they are not viewed as “normal”. This phenomenon has been associated with a lot of things including the use of Paxil, an SSRI antidepressant, during pregnancy. Paxil has also been associated with antidepressant withdrawal in infants.

Basis on Paxil Causing Developmental Delays

Developmental delays might be difficult to diagnose since each child is unique and has his/her own time in achieving the milestones. The link between developmental delays and the use of SSRI’s was also not proven by other researches. However, a study that was published on Pediatrics, a medical journal, which was written by Lars Henning Pedersen, Tine Brink Henriksen, and Jørn Olsen established a basis on the connection of taking SSRIs during the 2nd or 3rd trimester of pregnancy with developmental delays. The study was made on 6-month and 19-month developmental milestones from the Danish National Birth Cohort. The study has 81, 042 women who don’t have depression, 489 women with symptoms of depression but are not undergoing drug therapy, and 415 women who suffer from depression and are taking antidepressants. Among the 415 women taking antidepressants, 336 are taking SSRIs and 76 of those are taking Paxil.

Delays in development were most noted in babies born to pregnant women who took Paxil and the delays are in speech, motor functioning such as walking and sitting upright and other cognitive developments. It was also observed that it happens more in boys than girls. The researchers cannot confirm if these delays are permanent or reversible. The delays may affect the child later in life but that is still unclear. The use of Paxil in pregnancy has been widely talked about especially with all the Paxil side effects being raised up which include birth defects.

The Birth Defect Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) Might be Due to Paxil

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:14:13 +0100

The heart is the chamber that is responsible in providing nourishment to the entire body by means of effectively pumping blood. If malformations are present, not only is the heart affected but the entire body as well. One type of birth defect is Atrial Septal Defect. This condition is congenital in nature and is characterized by an opening in the wall between the upper heart chambers. Atrial Septal Defects, the most common heart defect, were observed in babies born to women who took Paxil and some had Paxil miscarriages when they took the medication during the first few months of pregnancy.

Facts on Atrial Septal Defect (ASD)

About 1 in 2000 babies suffer from Atrial Septal Defects with girls outnumbering the boys, 3:1. Smaller ASD’s can spontaneously close without being repaired but this is rather rare within the first two years of life. For the larger and long-standing defects, a surgical intervention is needed so potential complications can be avoided in the future. This condition can be diagnosed at birth but most often than not, definite diagnosis are done when one reaches adulthood. For these people, they usually begin feel the symptoms at the age of 30 onwards. Individuals with larger ASD’s usually exhibit or experience the following:

• Abnormal heart sounds

• Shortness of breath especially upon physical exertion

• Easily gets fatigued

• Bluish skin tint that is easily observed on nail beds and the lips

• Observable swelling of the lower extremities and the abdomen

• Frequent lung infections

• Stroke

The mentioned signs and symptoms should not be taken lightly as they can lead to other potential complications namely pulmonary hypertension, abnormal heart rhythms, increased risk of having a stroke and death.

Paxil’s Association with Atrial Septal Defect

A Pregnancy Category B was assigned to Paxil by the U.S. FDA before studies showed that it may significantly harm the growing fetus. In 2005, the FDA released a warning on pregnant women and their doctors as a study showed that Paxil takers were twice as likely to give birth to infants with heart defects like ASD. Another study also showed that risks of developing heart defects rose from 1 percent to 2 percent in babies born to Paxil users. These are rather serious findings which is why the FDA along with GlaxoSmithKline, Paxil’s manufacturer, reclassified the medication into Pregnancy Category D.