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This has been a very interesting thread and I appreciate your responses. I think what bothers me the most is the prescribing of atypical antipsychotics to children, which I understand is quite prevalent for children on Medicaid. It also bothers me that these drugs are routinely prescribed to patients in nursing homes.
Back in 1970 my grandfather was a resident in a nursing home. When I visited one day, he was like a zombie. A nurse brought him a pill and I asked what it was and she told me that it was Mellaril. After I looked it up, I was furious and asked to see the nursing home director who told me that it was a common Rx for patients and was prescribed to "keep them calm". I called his physician and demanded that he take him off the drug at once and in a few weeks my grandfather was back to his old self, yes he had dementia but he was no longer a zombie. To me it was and still is unconscionable to prescribe such drugs to patients in nursing homes, simply to to control the patients and make the administration of the homes easier.
As you know antipsychotics are very dangerous drugs with a myriad of side effects. To prescribe such drugs to children is to me, just beyond the pale and is very upsetting to even contemplate. Would any psychiatrist prescribe such drugs to their own children? I think not. I am a very moral and ethical individual and I know that the vast majority of physicians are the same however it is personally very upsetting to me when I read of what I consider to be unethical prescribing of antipsychotics.
It is the same with a drug such as Xanax, what possible purpose exists for this drug? At least Valium has a clear medical purpose.
It was reported on Friday -
"A Food and Drug Administration panel Friday rejected a proposed Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc. drug to treat the pain disorder fibromyalgia partly on concerns that the drug could be misused and abused.
The drug, Xyrem, is currently sold to a limited patient population as a narcolepsy treatment. The drug is known generically as sodium oxybate and in an illegal form is similar to the street drug GHB. The product is currently sold under a restricted distribution system to treat narcolepsy, a condition marked by excessive daytime sleepiness."
After Googling GHB I quickly learned that GHB is a date rate drug. Good for the FDA!
In addition it is my understanding from speaking to physician friends that fibromyalgia is a not a real disease but is rather a psychosomatic illness. If this is correct, then the FDA deserves another gold star for rejecting this drug.
I have excellent health care and I trust my physician and his medical group, I only wish that everyone could enjoy the same.
Back in 1970 my grandfather was a resident in a nursing home. When I visited one day, he was like a zombie. A nurse brought him a pill and I asked what it was and she told me that it was Mellaril. After I looked it up, I was furious and asked to see the nursing home director who told me that it was a common Rx for patients and was prescribed to "keep them calm". I called his physician and demanded that he take him off the drug at once and in a few weeks my grandfather was back to his old self, yes he had dementia but he was no longer a zombie. To me it was and still is unconscionable to prescribe such drugs to patients in nursing homes, simply to to control the patients and make the administration of the homes easier.
As you know antipsychotics are very dangerous drugs with a myriad of side effects. To prescribe such drugs to children is to me, just beyond the pale and is very upsetting to even contemplate. Would any psychiatrist prescribe such drugs to their own children? I think not. I am a very moral and ethical individual and I know that the vast majority of physicians are the same however it is personally very upsetting to me when I read of what I consider to be unethical prescribing of antipsychotics.
It is the same with a drug such as Xanax, what possible purpose exists for this drug? At least Valium has a clear medical purpose.
It was reported on Friday -
"A Food and Drug Administration panel Friday rejected a proposed Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc. drug to treat the pain disorder fibromyalgia partly on concerns that the drug could be misused and abused.
The drug, Xyrem, is currently sold to a limited patient population as a narcolepsy treatment. The drug is known generically as sodium oxybate and in an illegal form is similar to the street drug GHB. The product is currently sold under a restricted distribution system to treat narcolepsy, a condition marked by excessive daytime sleepiness."
After Googling GHB I quickly learned that GHB is a date rate drug. Good for the FDA!
In addition it is my understanding from speaking to physician friends that fibromyalgia is a not a real disease but is rather a psychosomatic illness. If this is correct, then the FDA deserves another gold star for rejecting this drug.
I have excellent health care and I trust my physician and his medical group, I only wish that everyone could enjoy the same.
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