Effexor, the best-selling anti-depression drug in the world (sales) may now have a new competitor. In what could happen more and more, an Indian pharmaceutical company has applied to the FDA to sell a drug in pill form instead of capsule.

The dinger: the new drug, which will be sold as a generic, will have the same active ingridient at Wyeth's $3.7 billion-a-year Effexor drug. Think that's a threat? Sure -- big-time.

The difference here that makes this potential new anti-depressant such a big deal is because it comes in an extended-release tablet as opposed to a capsule (which is under Wyeth patent protection until 2010). Nothing like finding a loophole for new drug sales, huh?

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Depression is a part of life for almost all of us at some point(s) in our lives. There are things in this world that jar us and others that make us very happy and content. When the world jars us, though, is the solution in a prescription drug for depression?

That's the modern way of dealing with curve balls in life -- drugs. While we're all very much alike, the small differences in each of our bodies and the variables at play that we just don't know about medically sometimes can stifle the effectiveness of drug treatment.

Good physicians and psychiatrists examine all available evidence and prescribe the most appropriate depression treatment for each patient -- whether it be drugs or not. Any doctor who chooses to give generic depression advice to patients is doing each one a disservice. It's sad but true -- and it's up to the patient to ensure the best care for themselves is given. A rule of thumb: ask questions and stay informed.

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Researchers now state that prescriptions for antidepressants have dropped dramatically as a result of heightened awareness around the side effects of these drugs. In related news, though, suicides in the same group of youngsters are inching upwards.

While some agree that antidepressants suppress suicidal thoughts, other think that antidepressant drugs just cover up the underlying cause of depression (like a "band-aid" approach).

Why are suicide rates rising in the young population? With the mainstream media being the socially-bending force that it is, perhaps the answer lies there. Perhaps from parenting at home. Perhaps from school issues or peer issues. One this is clear -- trying to attack the root cause seems like a good course of action -- not using drugs to keep things hidden from the surface (while side effects ravage younger patients).

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If yourself or someone you know has ever suffered from depression, then hopefully there was a proactive plan to try and get depression levels under control in some form or fashion. Yes, there are countless drugs and even mental exercises that can assist with depression (I am not a fan of drugs in this case unless absolutely necessary) -- how about "brain stimulation devices" though?

In that vein, an FDA advisory panel advised recently that it had questions on the value of a new brain stimulation device for depression called the Neurostar.

Since this is a new form of "treatment" for depression in every sense of the word, the questions from the panel most likely damaged the device's chances for FDA approval. So what? Things like this need to be scrutinized from every conceivable angle before being placed into service with real people.

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