Posted by linkadge on June 25, 2008, at 20:26:25
In reply to Re: FDA SAYs Seizure Meds May Or Can Lead to Suic, posted by yxibow on June 24, 2008, at 20:32:21
>It had the support of doctors of NIMH as well as >NAMI, which I scarcely hear anything about on Dr >Bob in fact -- the National Alliance For the >Mentally Ill, a long standing advocate >organization for those marginalized by mental
>(now known more as biochemical imbalances)-- it >mentioned the notion of increased warnings and >how they may actually contribute to decreased >use of potentially life saving medication.Thats one way to look at it. I'm all about data though. Antidepressants are like the 'Emperor's new cloths' in my mind. Some company gets some drug approved based on one sucessful trial out of 100 and then everbody just goes along with the idea. If its called an "antidepressant" it must help depression right? I don't think that SSRI's have done much to reduce suicide (or even depression for that matter).
>Sure, when SSRIs first came on the market, the >idea of downing one for a panacea of disorders >could be predicted in the US, as the FDA does >not regulate off label use by doctors for almost >all substances except investigational ones that >must have a license, but for numerous people >they gave the first hope for a lessening of >their symptoms.
Thats *if* you have any faith in the validity of clinical trials.
>One has to remember that biochemical disorders >come with the psychodynamics and psychological >components of ideation of suicide. It is no >surprise that they occur.
Yes, but I restate again. When a clinical trial compares both the active drug and placebo in terms of propensity to induce suicidal thoughts and behaviors, one becomes capable of filtering out the possable suicidogenic effect of the active drug. Remember, the people taking the placebo are just as sick.
>And that is my point of argument -- for the >largest part, suicides of people, even >those "protected" in part by medication, occur >anyway, because if one is determined to do >oneself in, there really is no way for a doctor >to prevent it other than to restrict the amount >of medication available to the patient.
Why is it so inconcievable that such powerful mind altering medications might actually provoke such sucidial reactions? Not everbody starts off with the same biochemistry.
Check this study out!
Apparently the issue of antidepressant induced suicidal behaviors is geniune and meaningful enough that top researchers are trying to pinpoint biological predictors of sucidal responces to certain antidepressants!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17548750
If antidepressants have not been proven to actually reduce suicide *and* (as some data suggests) they may actually inhibit natural recovery (making the disease more chronic), then it may be time for a critical reevaluation of their usage.
Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:835977
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080617/msgs/836444.html