Posted by saint james on November 1, 1999, at 18:40:20
In reply to Re: tricyclics and suicide, posted by Stephan on November 1, 1999, at 15:24:34
> >I think fear that patients will use a medication as a means to attempt suicide is a legitimate concern.
>
> Of course it is, but it should always be a rational and balanced concern, not an irrational one. The prolongation of pain and misery caused by doctors who are quite willing to subject a patient to every possible non-tricyclic or non-MAOI antidepressant combination in order to lessen their often irrational litigation paranoia is at least as significant as the suicide-attempt risk of prescribing tricyclics. I would venture to say that far more patients have lost their lives due to under and mal-treatment of their depression than because a doctor prescribed them a tricyclic.James here....
One months supply of a TCA generally is not enough to kill someone. Doc make this call often, so the write scripts for the smallest amount of time in those that might try suicide.
j
poster:saint james
thread:4802
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991108/msgs/14385.html