Posted by bleauberry on July 19, 2009, at 17:40:29
In reply to Re: Nortriptyline Generic or Brand Favorites?, posted by linkadge on July 19, 2009, at 14:38:43
> >For me, as just one example, the case was clear. >When I switched to generic sertraline from >Zoloft, relapse. Increasing the dose didn't do >much. There was no other factor.
>
> See thats what I don't necessarily believe (no offence). Even if a generic is 20% less bioequivalent, this is nothing that a doubling of dose won't more than correct.Well, a whole lot of people didn't believe the earth was round either, despite some rather obvious hints that is was.
A whole lot of people didn't believe a bacteria was the primary cause of ulcers, despite seeing with their own eyes antibiotics worked. It takes time for the nonbelievers to admit, ok, something's up here, and then even more time to say, well yeah it's fairly well proven now but it wasn't back then.
I like controversy and debate because it keeps everyone on their toes and in the longrun brings out the best results that neither side might have predicted or been able to do solo.
I've seen some professional debates on the web the last few days amongst scientists and doctors about the generic versus brand thing. Honestly, the ones arguing in favor of this thing being real blow the nonbelievers in the weeds in terms of evidence presentation and explanation as to the variables involved. As I said previously, there are many things going on here. If you are looking simply at blood levels of a drug, you've touched maybe 10% of what is really happening that you haven't considered or seen yet.
>
> It doesn't necessarily matter if there was another factor. People relaspe. People have placebo responces. Depression is known to have one of the highest placebo responces of any illness. If people think they are getting the good stuff, it will work, if they think they are getting something less than that, they may relapse.
>
> Linkadge
>I think for the average garden variety depression patient who doesn't know a thing about psychiatry or what is happening to them, yeah, the above stuff is fairly true. For those who are seasoned in this illness and its treatment, they know the difference between relapse, placebo, waves, ebbs and flows, and such. You just know. The high placebo rates don't come with people like us...they come from the cherrypicked squeaky clean samples of clinical trials that are not remotedly the same as the sample at pbabble.
poster:bleauberry
thread:906750
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090709/msgs/907539.html