Posted by bleauberry on May 30, 2009, at 19:59:20
In reply to Re: Are the drugs that we're taking killing us?, posted by Andy Behrman on May 30, 2009, at 17:05:47
> But the drug companies hide not only side effects but mortality statistics during clinical trials - - not to mention slanting their studies to lessen what side effects "look like."
>
> Bristol Myers Squibb, and how they handled their wonder drug, Abilify, is a perfect example.
>Yeah, and suicides happened in Cymbalta clinical trials. Unless someone is actively looking for them, they are well hidden. I suspect a fair share of negative things have happened in most drug trials. Hey, Paxil had just as many failed trials as positive ones. Only the positive ones were submitted to the FDA. And even those weren't very convincing without some twisting of words and numbers. Like all meds actually.
Hey, some people do awesome on meds and their lives are magically turned around. And we don't hear much about those, so it goes both ways.
With all meds, and herbs, and supplements, and vitamins, and minerals, there is a risk/benefit decision to make. The wrong substance at the wrong dose at the wrong time for the wrong person can do great harm.
While aspirin is good at lowering the risk of heart attacks when taken low dose daily, aspirin has killed people.
Tylenol kills people, probably a lot more than Abilify ever will. Just to put it in perspective.
It's all about risk versus benefit. There is always the risk that any med...prescription or OTC...can aggravate an existing problem or an unseen unsuspected problem, create a new problem, or cause some mysterious thing to happen that no one can explain. That's just the way it is.
Back to the title of the thread, "Are the drugs that we're taking killing us?", I would say to a very tiny percentage, yes. We're talking real small numbers. More likely however, I believe it is the illnesses we have that are causing our depression and anxiety, illnesses that are not recognized, hunted for, tested for, or suspected, that are killing us.
poster:bleauberry
thread:898245
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090524/msgs/898527.html