Prozac and the New Antidepressants: What You Need Know abt Prozac Zoloft Paxil Wellbutrin Effeco Serzone Luvox More [Paperback]

William S. Appleton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1997

An easy-to-use guide to the new family of anti-depressants focuses on practical, straightforward information on Prozac in addition to the ethical and societal implications of Prozac and other anti-depressants. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William Appleton, M.D., is a psychiatrist who teaches at Harvard Medical School and has an active private practice. He is the author of several books and for nine years his column, "Analyst's Couch," ran in Cosmopolitan. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Plume (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452274435
• ISBN-13: 978-0452274433
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,075,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Especially valuable., November 12, 2000

By 

Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Prozac and the New Antidepressants (Revised Edition): What You Need Know abt Prozac Zoloft Paxil Luvox Wellbutrin Effexor Serzone Vest (Paperback)

This "little" book (it can be read in a few hours yet consulted as a comprehensive reference tool) is the one own if you must limit yourself to one (and given the abundance of material in print and on-line, it may be wise to have just one reliable resource). It provides user-friendly yet responsible information about all of the SSRI's (Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil) as well as the drugs that preceded them (tricyclics, benzodiazapines) and the more recent antidepressants (Effexor, Remeron, Celexa). Appleton looks at many promising drugs awaiting approval as well as the vast number of touted herbal remedies. The author has no agenda. He provides balanced information about the percentage of consumers who are likely to be helped and to what degree. He also suggests 2 and 3-step drug programs for individuals who are "treatment-resistant." Best of all, the author combines appreciation for the medical efficacy of certain drugs with healthy skepticism and an experienced professional's common-sense.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Senior Fellow, January 6, 2000

By 

Gail Pressberg (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prozac and the New Antidepressants (Revised Edition): What You Need Know abt Prozac Zoloft Paxil Luvox Wellbutrin Effexor Serzone Vest (Paperback)

As a support person for a clinically depressed person, this book provides a wealth of up-to-date information that assists in guiding the reader through the maze, and often complicated world, of psychopharmacology. What makes this book so useful is Dr. Appleton's combination of the review of research with his own clinical judgment. In addition, the book is one of the few that I have found that reviews psychopharmacological drugs with options for other treatments if drugs (which don't help apporximately twenty percent of patients who take them) don't work. The book is easy to read with both technical information and "translations" for the lay person.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended., August 4, 2000

By A Customer

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This review is from: Prozac and the New Antidepressants (Revised Edition): What You Need Know abt Prozac Zoloft Paxil Luvox Wellbutrin Effexor Serzone Vest (Paperback)

This is the most reader-friendly, reliable, balanced overview of the field of pyschoactive drugs that I've been able to lay my hands on. Having been overwhelmed by the technical and profuse language of the PDR and Merck Manuals, and having been misled by the many popular books that tout Prozac and its many descendents as surefire "happy" pills, it's refreshing and reassuring to find a book this clear and discriminating. Use it as a reference book as well as an introductory text to the entire field (it can be read in several hours). Those who require the "placebo" effect of an unqualified endorsement of these drugs may wish to avoid the book. On the other hand, those who have discovered that Prozac is not necessarily any more effective than tryciclics or who have experienced negative reactions from an SSRI, will certainly appreciate this author's warnings and disclaimers along with the encouraging but candid claims about how much a drug might actually contribute to well-being. Let the drug companies provide the hype; Appleton simply provides clear and accurate information (his is one of the few books, for example, to point out the dangers of combining Ultram with an antidepressant).