Getting 'Off Meds' Has Consequences

By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer, Medicine & Health / Other

(AP) -- Psychiatrists say it's a common scenario - troubled patients stop taking their medicine, because of cost, side effects, the stigma, or delusions that they don't need it. The consequences can be tragic, though rarely as horrific as the Valentine's Day suicide-slaughter at Northern Illinois University.

Content from The Associated Press expires 15 days after original publication date. For more information about The Associated Press, please visit www.ap.org .

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Posted by SDMike 02/20/08 23:03

Not rated yet.

The truth is we have a very limited understanding of exactly how SSRIs work. We also have no idea how to categorize patients likely response to these drugs. And, each SSRI works differently.

Given this sea of uncertainty, one would suppose that these drugs would be administered only by specialists in neurochemistry and psychiatry/psychology to carefully selected patients who are closely monitored.

Reality is that any GP can prescribe these drugs to anyone with out any follow up or monitoring. Such practice harms patients and kills innocents. While I abhor lawyers, the only way this idiocy is going to stop is for victims and survivors to sue the untrained physicians who dispense SSRI prescriptions without proper follow up. Perhaps some enlightened state will criminalize such behavior. Only then will the tragedies end.