Customer Reviews

Beyond Prozac: Antidotes for Modern Times

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Beyond Prozac was first published in 1995. In today's fast-moving world of psychopharmacology, one might think that would make Beyond Prozac completely outdated. Yet, in reading Norden's book, I did find some information related to depression that was new and interesting to me. For example, his discussion of the role of prostaglandins, essential fats, positive ions, and heat in creating depression/low serotonin levels I found informative. Norden also gave much interesting information on Seasonal Affective Disorder and light therapy, which I wasn't very familiar with (being a San Diegan) and is one of his specialties (being a Seattle-ite). That being said, I found a great deal of Beyond Prozac too general and not in depth enough. Most chapters are quite short (10 pages) and give an encyclopedic-like explanation of the various "Natural Prozacs," to use Norden's words. This encyclopedia-like approach was not really satisfying to me. The chapter on diet and depression is a good example of this general, encyclopedia approach: Norden discusses the benefits of a "Zone"-like diet (a/la Barry Sears) but only has a very brief three page list of randomly chosen foods to help you follow this diet. I guess you need to buy one of Barry Sears' Zone books if you want to follow such a diet. Likewise, in the antidepressant medication section, while Norden does cover all the SSRIs, SRIs, MAO inhibitors, and tricyclics, he gives most (except for Prozac) a page discussion at best. I felt that much of this information could have been gotten from reading the drug companies' description of the drug itself, I'm sorry to say. I would have liked to see Norden give a more critical analysis of each drug and its side effects, especially the newer SSRIs. And Norden doesn't really delve into many of the more effective alternative supplements, such as St. John's wort or SAM-e (which is understandable since Beyond Prozac was published in 1995, before these supplements flooded the US market). He does discuss tryptophan and 5-HTP though, but only briefly. All in all, as someone who has experimented a bit with antidepressant treatments for the past few years, I found this book to be somewhat, but not very informative. I guess it's a good introduction to psychopharmacological ways of dealing with depression if you haven't read anything else. But Beyond Prozac didn't really tell me much I hadn't heard before.

Well written for the laymen, the context of Dr. Norden's revised edition enlightened me in a technical and clinical way. Evey page held something of interest that pertained to me and my illness, and gives insight into causes, treatments, and cures. What few passages, written beyond my understanding (technical jargon), do not distract from the understanding of the principles and knowledge that he is presenting. If you are suffering this illness, as I am, you will find that he has written about you, your illness, and the cures for your illness. In addition, the appendixes and index allow me to frequently return to the book as a reference while continuing my research of my illness. Updated with the latest information on depression and detailed with many clinical study findings, "Beyond Prozac" is a must for my home library!

I first read this book soon after my first book on depression came out in 1995. I was very impressed. Norden not only writes very well and accessibly (even when he gets into quite technical territories, which he digs into with obvious relish), but he very admirably combines the best traits one could hope for from a mainstream health professional and academic: disciplined review of the evidence and an exuberantly open mind.

The result is a book that is much wider in scope than most books on depression (from pills to supplements, to diet, to exercise, and so on), especially for "its time" - just a couple years before the St. John's wort revolution, 5-HTP, and most recently SAM-e made it increasingly acceptable for "mainstream types" to write approvingly about these natural alternatives and adjuncts to antidepressant drugs.

Although I've only browsed through this 1995 effort as a research source for my own writings since I first read it back then, I believe Beyond Prozac would still hold up very well among the more recent crops of books in the genre, which tend to be "skin deep" (chew them up, spit them out, and move on). It contains the kinds of unique and engaging ideas and insights that have a shelf life.

Upon finishing "Beyond Prozac," my first reaction was that it should be titled "The Depression Super-Book"! Giving background information on depression, presenting a half a dozen natural alternative treatments, and thoroughly discussing the full range of presciption anti-depressants and related research, this book is teeming with technical detail. Unlike other books lining the self-help shelves, this is not "fluffy" reading -- it is designed for the SERIOUS mental health consumer. Dr. Norden provides much information that cannot be found in the many watered-down sources on depression.

The chapters on natural alternatives are particularly empowering. Dr. Norden not only presents relevant evidence of the alternatives' success, he explains the scientific reasoning behind them. He does not expect the reader to take his word for it. Instead, he provides enough information for the reader to make personal decisions.

The chapters on prescription anti-depressants are equally empowering, leaving me feeling capable of taking an active role in my own diagnosis and treatment. This kind of information is essential in a time where you can see a doctor for only 5 or 10 minutes. Ultimately, the responsibility for our mental health resides with us, and Dr. Norden's book gives us tools to help us take that responsibility.

I gave this book a rating of 9. The only reason I didn't give is a 10 is because of readability. Some less-dedicated readers would find it easy to get bogged down in the technical jargon, giving up before reaching the end. Those who stick with it, however, will be richly rewarded.

"Beyond Prozac" is a fine book covering all aspects of depression and other Seratonin level disorders. However when I've recommended it, several people have assumed that the title meant that it only covered alternatives to the SRI drugs, or focused on the dangers of Prozac which is certainly not the case.

This is a useful, comprehensive, well written resource for anyone interested in the subject. It deserves more attention than it has gotten.

I always admire an M.D. who goes outside of his cloistered and conservative realm and researches EVERYTHING that may cause depression. That's not medicine, that's SCIENCE, folks! But like some of the other reviewers, I agree with them that this book is much less about Prozac itself that about other things, some more proven than others. As a biologist I enjoyed reading it simply for the sake of science itself. It probably will not help a desperately depressed patient very much. However, if you read The Failures of American Medicine, available here at Amazon.com, you may be able to get much more hands-on information for dealing with depression.

Norden's is one of the most accessible surveys of the many drugs available for the treatment of depression. If it has a shortcoming, it's Norden's tendency to find just about EVERYTHING, from the earliest MAO inhibitors and tricyclics to the SSRI drugs of the nineties to be effective. The reader might appreciate more discrimination as well as healthy skepticism on the author's part. Also, the book is now dated in this ever changing field, as popular drugs like Celexa and Remeron appeared too recently to be covered.

This is one the best books I've read on the treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders. It is relatively easy and interesting to read, yet is extremely informative and research-based. It is nice to see a book that discusses the integration of traditional and natural treatments so comprehensively.

this is an invaluable reference for anyone who wants to be responsible for their own wellbeing, the sections on s.a.d. are especially helpful. i hope dr. norden can visit melbourne australia one of these days. when is the next norden publication appearing.

Picked this up from the library and was quite surprised at the amount of information it contains. On first appearance, it looked a little dated so I wondered how accurate it would be. (Published in '95)I found a lot of good information on depression, seratonin and different medications used to treat. Some medications that I thought were fairly new are covered here. Interesting studies are shared on what works best in different situations. I came away from this with a better understanding of depression and the medications used to treat it.