Woman dismembers her 10 month old baby

[MichaelWright]

40% in US take Perscription Drugs!



The insanity continues. How about that Viox? Merk new the possibilities of severe side affects, death, but still ran with it. What is to say that all of these anti-depresents aren't having the same affect, death. And people are actually shocked when a women dismembers or drowns her baby? No way any of this is related? Nah.



Here is the link to the 40% story if any are interested: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041202/D86NQDO80.html



Mike

 

[MFalkinham]

40% in US take Perscription Drugs!



The insanity continues. How about that Viox? Merk new the possibilities of severe side affects, death, but still ran with it. What is to say that all of these anti-depresents aren't having the same affect, death. And people are actually shocked when a women dismembers or drowns her baby? No way any of this is related? Nah.



Here is the link to the 40% story if any are interested: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041202/D86NQDO80.html



Mike

From the same article... ...



"Americans' life expectancy increased to 77. 3 years in 2002, a record. And deaths from heart disease, cancer and stroke - the nation's three leading killers - are all down 1 percent to 3 percent, the analysis said. "



To state that 40% of Americans being on prescription meds is a negative thing completely overlooks the benefits drugs provide to millions of people. Yes, there will always be some side-effects and problems, but what is the alternative? Maybe we should have everyone who is prescribed psychiatric meds just stop taking them. The results would make what this Texas woman did seem tame by comparison.

 

[loncray]

40% on prescription drugs.

Hmmm - one post that it's insane, one that it's alarmist. I think the truth is someplace in between. Some prescription drugs are lifesavers - blood pressure medicines, insulin, etc. But some are not - Viagra and its cousins for instance. Does America need all that? Complicating things is the fact that, all that money made on Viagra pays for things like vaccines and other expensive to research drugs that will never be profit centers. And then there's problems like Vioxx, or for those who remember it, thalidomide (which is back on the market, for different purposes than the first time). Not offering an answer here, just observations.

 

[MFalkinham]

All good points, Loncray. I don't agree with everything the drug companies do. For instance, the amount of money that they spend on advertising, lobbying, and schmoozing to Doctors and the Congressmen/Senators is just obscene. That money would be better used for research, or better yet be refunded to consumers by lowering drug prices. Regardless, despite all the flaws the pharmacutical industry does much more good than harm.



Getting back to the original post about psychiatric drugs, the two biggest drawbacks are high costs and unpleasant side effects. When properly prescribed and taken, most psychiatric drugs produce amazing results allowing the patients to live normal lives. What tends to happen is this; as a result of taking the meds the patient feels much better. Then they start thinking "Hey, I feel great and don't need these expensive drugs with their side effects, so I'm not going to take them anymore. " What follows is the inevitable crash as their mental illness symptoms reappear. The patient then makes an appointment with their Doctor and gets back on the meds, or in some cases a tragedy happens. It's hard to convince the patient that the REASON they are feeling better is because of the medications.



The most success comes by consistantly staying on the prescribed medications, and having supportive family to help monitor their well being. As Mike Wright said in an earlier post, why didn't the father/husband intervene down in Texas? He had to have seen how his wife was behaving and he knew her history of PPD. The blame for that child's death is as much his as the mother's.



- Mike