tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772182113499451603.post4617447678067801143..comments2024-03-27T10:50:53.692-05:00Comments on Real Psychiatry: Does the FDA discriminate against antidepressants?George Dawson, MD, DFAPAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03474899831557543486noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772182113499451603.post-34063042619674073522015-07-12T13:31:52.373-05:002015-07-12T13:31:52.373-05:00Determining the risk of medications can't real...Determining the risk of medications can't really be done by reading side effect literature. It needs to be done by the physicians who know you and who are prescribing these medications. The intent of this post is just a side by side comparison of how the FDA handles two very different medications based on their own FDA approved side effect literature. Since this post I have come to realize that FDA decisions have a political bias and that as a regulatory agency scientific comparisons are not the highest priority. George Dawson, MD, DFAPAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03474899831557543486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772182113499451603.post-90797217921453200232015-07-12T02:30:31.009-05:002015-07-12T02:30:31.009-05:00I'm on this SSRI and have recently gone into A...I'm on this SSRI and have recently gone into Afib. After reading some reports on this connection I'm attempting to reduce my dose (slowly) and hopefully switch to an alternative. I've been put on flecinide since the afib started, it would seem to mixing these two together would increase the risks greatly. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772182113499451603.post-78508474403970031612012-07-27T01:16:01.980-05:002012-07-27T01:16:01.980-05:00ICDs or implantable defibrillators save lives but ...ICDs or implantable defibrillators save lives but are expensive therapy. They are sometimes challenged for cost effectiveness, but studies support that ICD therapy is indeed cost effective. The biggest challenge is getting people who could benefit from ICDs to realize they might need one. Three out of four people who could get life-saving benefits from an ICD do not have one!<br /> <br /><a href="http://www.evitalhealth.com/Progonol.html" rel="nofollow">Progonol</a> <a href="http://calm-prt.angelfire.com/" rel="nofollow">Calm PRT</a>kaneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04767722783117979542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772182113499451603.post-5885788651369222282012-06-29T00:33:24.410-05:002012-06-29T00:33:24.410-05:00Newcomer and Hennekens do an excellent job of look...Newcomer and Hennekens do an excellent job of looking at the problems and potential solutions: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=209157<br /><br />Many of the patients taking citalopram are otherwise healthy and do not have the risk factors that they discuss in their article.<br /><br />One of the key questions that I highlight in this post is the fact that many nonpsychiatric drugs carry a higher risk that is not borne out by the potential lethality of the underlying condition. I don't think that anyone would question my example of flecainide in this example being much more potent than citalopram in terms of conduction effects. It was after all associated with excessive mortality in the clinical trials. Where is the actual data in the case of citalopram? Further - what are the recommended monitoring measures to use this drug safely?George Dawson, MD, DFAPAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03474899831557543486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7772182113499451603.post-47697056052347074842012-06-28T23:50:14.217-05:002012-06-28T23:50:14.217-05:00Could these factors be part of the reasons for the...Could these factors be part of the reasons for the 35 year lower life expectancy in those with chronic mental illness? The more meds that prolong the QT interval, the greater the risks. Older meds carry a great risk of this as well-such as Trazdeone and trycyclics.<br /><br />The bias against psychiatry is likely the lack of needed research to discover new meds that are safe., Another bias is not engaging in appropriate testing of folks who take these meds to discover who is at risk. Most would be fine but the ones who have the cardiac impact are at greater risk of sudden death. Regular Ekg's would allow for discovery of those at risk so adjustments to medication can be made-adding a beta blocker or considering an AICD in extreme cases and severe psychiatric illness.<br /><br />Psychiatry can work closely with electrophysiologyAndrea Everetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04022008233751171726noreply@blogger.com