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By: Jeffrey Dach MD

Jeffrey Dach MD — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 12:17:00 +0000

According to Dr. Irving Kirsch in Prevention & Treatment, �there is now unanimous agreement that the mean difference between response to SSRI antidepressant drugs and response to inert placebo is very small. It is so small that, despite sample sizes involving hundreds of participants, 57% of the SSRI trials funded by the pharmaceutical industry failed to show a significant difference between drug and placebo. Most of these negative data were not published and were accessible only by gaining access to US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) documents.

Various methods were used to manipulate the results of SSRI drug studies to insure a favorable outcome:

1) Responders to the placebo are eliminated at the beginning of the study. (Placebo washout)

2) Benzodiazepine sedatives were given to mask the SSRI induced agitation.

3) Unfavorable drug studies are buried in the file cabinet and not disclosed to the public.

4) Miscoding suicidal events as "emotional lability", and homicidal events as "aggression" to hide suicidal events from regulators.

5) False attribution of suicide to the placebo arm.

6) Hiring ghost writers to make the medical articles more favorable.

7) Cash settlements for SSRI drug litigants which seals records and withholds unfavorable drug studies from the public.

For more information and links see my Paxil, Prozac, and SSRI Induced Suicide Newsletter

Jeffrey Dach MD

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 28 Apr 2005 14:48:00 +0000

Doctors’ vile hyprocrisy on this matter makes me ill. DTC particularly in depression has had indisputable public good. One of the greatest problem in treating depression is raising public awareness about it. Most people still don’t see it as a disease. Advertising raises awareness. More people are getting treatment. That is good. Similarly, viagra has gotten middle aged men (notorious healthcare avoiders) to get checked out.

Although DTC helps people, doctors don’t like DTC because their precious time is “wasted” explaining to people, for instance, that the super amazing erection pill is just as good as the amazing erection pill. They could see more patients during that time, get more money, and buy that new Lexus. In short, despite doctors’ blather about the educated patient, it’s more time effective simply to have patients do what they’re told. That’s the way doctors like it–it makes them more money and feeds their insatiable egos.

By: just one of many

just one of many — Thu, 28 Apr 2005 05:32:00 +0000

Hmmm…I’ve always thought my primary care was wonderful…now it’s fact! When I went to my doc for depression symptoms, I got the screening and the script…but I also got the therapy talk. My doc then left the room for a few minutes (15 minute allotment already up to 25) and when she came back she had a list of aproved Therapists from my insurance company! She then called the very next day to make sure I had started calling them. By the way…this doc is NEVER on time…and her patients don’t care. I for one will trade on time for thorough any day of the week.