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Pastimes : My House
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To: E who wrote (559)9/9/2002 12:15:46 PM
From: Original Mad Dog   of 7689
 
That strikes me as a really difficult issue to approach in a scientific study. How do you define the control group? The people on these meds, especially the ones on the really high doses of the strongest meds, have often exhibited suicidal tendencies or behaviors which have caused them (or their loved ones to force them) to seek medical help. The meds do appear in many if not most cases to elevate mood and dampen suicidal impulses. Abrupt withdrawal can wreak havoc and clearly needs careful study and protocols.

But blaming the meds for causing what at first glance they appear to help prevent is a difficult conclusion to draw. Partisans on both sides of the debate can "make" the statistics appear to show one conclusion or the other (either that the meds do more harm than good or vice versa), but the real answer is probably someplace in between....that they can cause more harm than good, but that further study and understanding and advancements will bring us to the point where we know how to use the drugs we have more effectively, know when not to use them at all, know how to withdraw them without causing disastrous results, and also discover better therapies (which may or may not involve drugs at all).

I've known many people on various drugs of that type. The majority have said it made a big positive difference in their lives or during a rough period in their lives. Others did not like what the drugs did to them. One had a severe reaction when the drug was withdrawn too quickly. On balance, I would guess that if the drugs were taken off the market there would be a lot of bad effects for a lot of people. But it could very well be that the drugs are being prescribed too readily and that for many of the patients a nonpharmacological approach would be better.
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