Posted by Christ_empowered on October 15, 2011, at 3:27:06
In reply to Re: The def of addiction/dependence sounds like meds, posted by sigismund on October 15, 2011, at 0:51:05
Dr.Thomas Szasz has written extensively about this. Drugs are bad...unless you have a permission slip ("prescription"). We supposedly live in a free market economy...except when it comes to drugs.
Why keep things the way they are? My guess would be doctors wouldn't be too happy if we choose our own meds (especially shrinks--they're there to "help" us, right?). Drug companies would have to actually--get this--compete and mark down their prices accordingly. People might go back to smoking pot, taking opiates and tranquilizers, and functioning. Why, indeed, would the powers that be want such a thing?
Besides, if you've noticed, "addiction" is a term applied to drugs that are either a) illegal or b) off-patent and no longer backed by the medical establishment. Benzos were once a cure all; now they're "addictive" or at least they promote "dependence," depending on the doctor you ask (in my experience,docs who went to medical school in the 80s are the ones who are most comfortable giving benzos. I guess by then BZD drugs were established as safe, effective, blah blah blah).
Look at antipsychotics (first generation drugs). They were hailed as being effective for schizophrenia and even milder "neurotic" disorders. They were mixed with amphetamines (ThoraDex, anyone?), sedatives, and antidepressants. Then they went off patent. And there were TD lawsuits. And then the atypicals came out. Suddenly, the same docs who used to push these drugs (often in high doses) were bad-mouthing them; they caused depression, they shortened lifespan, etc. (all true, but conveniently ignored from the 50s-90s).
The atypicals, for the time being, are the Sacred Cow of psychiatry; non-habit forming (unless you count that nasty rebound psychosis and tardive psychosis), "safe" (ummm...OK), and effective (apparently for everything). If you'll also notice, over the years, the newer ones are always considered an improvement over the older ones. Zyprexa was better than Risperdal, then Seroquel was King, then it was Abilify, and now there's a couple new new drugs on the scene that are probably going to be pushed as advances over existing options. When all the atypicals go off patent, we (the patients) will finally hear the real story about how terrible they are/were...just in time to get prescriptions for the latest and greatest pill(s).
poster:Christ_empowered
thread:999746
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20111006/msgs/999772.html