Posted by Alan on May 2, 2002, at 21:25:40
In reply to Re: Peter Breggin M.D.}}kid47 Cam's post, posted by Phil on May 2, 2002, at 17:51:48
Lets try to make this issue about the saftey and efficacy of bzd's (about the medicine), not about a personality. It's so much bigger than that.
The points I would like to make are all contained in the links I've posted and also the not so subtle hint that ssri's are currently the commercially driven rage for certain anxiety disorders. Well the standard company line for these AD's is that they are not "habit forming" - seen the zoloft and paxil commercials?
As it turns out these companies are being sued because initial research illustrated a tolerance (euphemistically known as poop out) and withdrawl (euphemistically known as discontinuation syndrome) and patients are mad as hell that the companies didn't disclose these facts or were overruled by other factions inside the company NOT to present the tests for approval to the FDA that demonstrated this. The company can choose which clinical trials are most favorable and toss the rest out without ANYONE knowing what those results were - no kidding.
So that's why one has the push by the major pharms and their CEO's and boards to recoup R & D for these ssri's and the first med to go down? The old fashioned OFF BRAND CHEAPER BZD! A sitting duck! So what do the skewed results translate to the patient? Presentation by the doctor of 1 med, an ssri, at the exclusion of the most successful anxiolytic of all time.
The patient doesn't know any better, sometimes the doctor doesn't know any better - they're just a subject of the onslaught - and the patient gets the raw deal in the end. Go through 5 different AD's. No luck or only partial response? - must be the patient. Go to a mood stabiliser or change the diagnosis. Response incomplete? Now start the antipsychotics up - Zyprexa, etc - even in small doses, increased side effects of TD for God's sake! All because of pure unadulterated benzophobia! Now that's making crazyness by the industry, the docs that don't make the distinction between addiction and medical dependence, and those that are too damn lazy to follow up on someone taking a "minor" controlled substance for fear of covering their ass.
Things are presently way out of balance in the world of psychopharmocolgy. You HAVE to go to someone that understands the anxiety disorders for a proper diagnosis, a pdoc that understands these medicines and how to prescribe them, and a doc that cares enough to take the time to follow through with your treatment and help you learn to manage your medication, that's all. Otherwise your are not giving yourself an EQUAL CLINICAL TRIAL for both medicines. They deserve to be compared on a level playing field if one is going to be given ALL of the information available to the patient. Isn't that the battle cry? Full disclosure so that WE can make up our own minds what makes us feel better, not a doctor that's an idealogue or goes by charts in a book or reads the prescribing info of the drug only.
End of rant.
Alan
poster:Alan
thread:104735
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020425/msgs/104862.html