Posted by Dinah on May 9, 2012, at 9:59:50
In reply to Re: Is the world finally waking up.... » huxley, posted by SLS on May 9, 2012, at 6:50:51
I too think side effects have been under-appreciated. Unfortunately negative bias by medical personnel may lead self reports of mental health patients to be discounted. Not that I give that much more credit to the sensitivity of doctors to other groups of patients....
The side effects of medications are too often thought to be all in our minds, while the positive effects aren't considered placebo effects. Maybe that's changing as more patient reports are coming to be recognized as truth. Remember when the sexual side effects of SSRI's were thought to be rare? I think that may have been within the period of time I've been posting here.
On the other hand, I don't see why long term use of a maintenance medication should be considered a bad thing if it's working at least to some extent, with tolerable side effects. Illnesses might be able to be treated short term. Surely conditions can't be.
I have seen too much pain caused by unmedicated mental illness to have any objection to long term medications. In every case, benefits and risks should be weighed.
On the other hand, I firmly support an objection to unsafe medications and medications unwisely prescribed. My experience with GP's on non-mental health issues does not lead me to believe that this is limited to psych meds. A GP once wanted to prescribe narcotics to me for migraines, without even looking first at triptans!!!
poster:Dinah
thread:1017459
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120508/msgs/1017483.html