Posted by simon levane on February 16, 2006, at 12:24:22
In reply to Re: Suicide on Effexor, posted by Kneeko on February 16, 2006, at 5:54:03
This is not about whether a drug helps some people or not. It is about risk management. If you have cancer that could kill you, you would be prepared to risk your life with a treatment that could save your life if there was no better option. The problem is that doctors prescribe drugs so damned easily without realizing the potential consequences. Any thinking doctor who would have reviewed my daughter's medical history with knowledge of risk of the drugs, would have advised us clearly of the risk so we could have been watchful and acted with that awareness. Instead we were clueless that she was walking along a dangerous cliff (in my daughter's case, it was the subway). It is the doctor's responsibility TO DO NO HARM.. and that means advising properly of risk. When they do not advise properly of risk, then the moral responsibility is on them... It is not easy for someone to sue a doctor after the fact because if someone is depressed or has a history of suicide attempts, then the proof of whether the drug did it or not is impossible. But reading the experiences of others and knowing my own tragedy tells the tale of it. Why didn't these doctors warn us!!!!!!!!!!!! DM lost her son when this should not have happened. If she had known, then her family would have been on alert. I did not know.. I had an acting up daughter who was very ill and I tried to set limits, and was upset, not realizing she was so much at risk.
It is not as simple as "the drugs help most people" because those of us who lost our children can never truly forgive the failure of proper medical care.. Our family doctor defended himself by saying "I don't read the details of every drug I prescribe" and others perhaps did not want to give the warning for the fear of someone NOT taking the drug.. Had I known.. if only I had known.. if only,, if only..........
would a doctor have been more careful with his own child..... if so, then he/she should have been JUST AS CAREFUL with OUR CHILDREN...
Simon> Sorry about what happened. At this point it most be very easy to place the blame on the companies or the doctors. Please understand that these drugs do genuinely help some people, and taking it off the market very hurtful to alot of people who are dependent on this medication. There are warnings about what can potentially happen to subsets of people and these are risks we all take when he try to get better from depression. That doesnt make anyone bad, its just the risk you take.
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> Numerous drugs have lead to reactions and suicides, but to take them off of the market or blame the company would result in far greater suffering for hundreds of millions of people.
> MAOI's for instance many people absolutely need them to have any hope at life, even though a small number of fatal reactions have been reported. Take this into account and may your son rest in peace.
poster:simon levane
thread:601406
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060212/msgs/610236.html