Question:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – About 25% of anxiety/panic sufferers will attempt to kill themselves. Many succeed. The death rate that will follow a ban on these meds will soon be many, many orders of magnitudes higher than occur as a result of taking them. Could I ask where this 25% estimate comes from? Is is anxiety/panic sufferers only, or those with co-morbid depression? I’ve seen a couple of posts here within the past few months that state that the rate of suicide/attempted suicide due to panic disorder is now greater than that of depression-related suicide. Would you happen to know the source of these statements? Just asking, Figaro
I’m not expose quack, but found these statistics from The ASAP Dictionary of Anxiety and Panic Disorders. http://anxiety-panic.com/dictionary/en-stats.htm#R8 Says – 12% anxiety/panic sufferers attempt suicide 15% depression sufferers attempt suicide According to this source, the figures are close. Mary
Response:
Could I ask where this 25% estimate comes from? Is is anxiety/panic sufferers only, or those with co-morbid depression? I’ve seen a couple of posts here within the past few months that state that the rate of suicide/attempted suicide due to panic disorder is now greater than that of depression-related suicide. Would you happen to know the source of these statements? Just asking, Figaro
The 25% figure came from page 1 of "Power of Panic" by Bronwyn Fox. She does cite the sources but I can’t find my copy ATM. However, Weissman MM (1989) quotes a figure of 20% for Panic Disorder without any underlying comorbid depression or alcohol/drug abuse as does Hirschfeld RM (1996). The later also compares this with the 15% figure then generally accepted as the depression rate. Noyes R Jr. (1991) found that about 20% of anxiety patients deaths were due to suicide (and yes, I am aware that this is not the same thing). Cox BJ (1994) reported that 31% of his test PD subjects has suicide ideation and 18% reported having attempted it, however, most of these also had comorbid depression. Lepine JP (1993) found that 42% of an outpatients sample of 100 PD patients attempted to kill themselves, however, most of them had a comorbid disorder or abuse problem. For those without these additional risk factors the rate was 17.1%. The risk of suicide in anxiety disorders other than PD is not well studied so I can’t put a figure on GAD, Social Phobia etc. PTSD patients generally score higher on suicide risk assessments than anxiety patients generally, see Kotler M (2001) for example, so I assume they have high attempt rates too. But there have been a few studies showing no increased risk in anxiety disorders, particularly in PD, Washaw MD (2000) and Chioqueta AP (2003) being the most recent. A study by Bronisch T (1994) showed that the depression risk was about the same as the general population risk, but increased dramatically with a comorbid anxiety disorder. Having a comorbid disorder does seem to increase the risk, for example King MK (1995) reported that 27% of patients with both depression and PD attempted suicide, compared to 16.9% with depression only. Friedman S (1992) found that up to 27% of patients with both PD and Borderline Personality Disorder reported clinically significant suicide ideation, compared to only 2% with PD alone. However, there are also studies showing no increased risk , Placidi GP (2000) for example. Most of the psychiatrists I’ve spoken to on this subject believe that some anxiety disorders, particularly PD, do carry a higher suicide risk than depression, possibly because the focus has been mostly n depression and preventative measures are less likely to be taken for anxiety patients. Other factors they cite are aggression and agitation which are more prevalent in anxiety disorders than depression and there is at least one study, Soreni N (1999) showing that repeat suicide attempters have depleted benzodiazepine receptors which is also a characteristic of anxiety but not depression. It does seem to be the case that depression rates have been dropping over the last 10-15 years. 15% has been the generally accepted rate since it was first quoted by Guze and Robins in 1970, but recent studies have been reporting rates of between 10 and 12 percent. I’ve not seen reports of similar falls in anxiety patients.
Response:
Yes, but if Bristol-Meyers loses the lawsuits, or if the generic manufacturers end up as co-defendants, the generic forms may become too risky for the generic manufacturers to continue to market. Figaro
LOL :-( The FDA reports that 20 patients have died from liver disease caused by Serzone since 1994, an average of 2 per year. OTOH, there is an "epidemic of adverse drug reactions to NSAID’s [Non Steroidal Anti inflammatory Drugs, including aspirin]. The Food and Drug Administration believes anywhere from *10,000 to 20,000 deaths each year are the result of severe bleeding caused by NSAID" (1) Aspirin and the other NSAIDs are thought to cause an additional *20,000 fatal adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients. (2) And possibly a *similar number die from kidney and gastrointestinal NSAID triggered damage. Nearly 20% of kidney transplants are needed to replace NSAID damaged organs. I wonder how many anxiety patients are killed each year while driving too/from their doctors office. I wouldn’t be surprised if its more than 2! * Some overlap in the figures quoted is probable 1. Dr. James F. Fries. Professor of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. in Marsa L. "America’s Other Drug Problem," Los Angeles Times Magazine, September 29, 1996.) 2. Lazarou J, Pomeranz BH, Corey PN. Incidence of adverse drug reactions in hospitalized patients: a meta-analysis of prospective studies. JAMA. 1998 Apr 15;279(15):1200-5.
Response:
The drug Serzone is no longer available due to reports of people developing liver trouble.
The branded product is being withdrawn, but generics will continue to be available. I don’t have the article, but it was reported on the news here in New York. If you are taking Serzone, STOP! And throw it down the toilet. Then contact your doctor.
Do *NOT* stop. See your doctor first and get guidance on weaning off if that is what you decide to do. Going off it cold-turkey may do more harm than continuing to take it. The liver problems have been well known for some time and doctors should be monitoring liver enzymes. OTC pain killers are much more likely to cause liver damage than Serzone. I wonder whats next? Paxil??? Zoloft?
Possibly. And Tricyclics because they can cause sudden heart failure in a small number of patients. It goes to show you that the drug companies will do anything to speed up their clinical trials to put a drug on the market as quick as possible to make a quick profit, and the hell with the people down the road who took it. Patient Beware! Art Decco… nyc, usa
About 25% of anxiety/panic sufferers will attempt to kill themselves. Many succeed. The death rate that will follow a ban on these meds will soon be many, many orders of magnitudes higher than occur as a result of taking them. My guess is that antibiotics kill more people each year than the total that have died as a result of taking antidepressants and benzodiazepines in the 40 years that these meds have been available. Even aspirin kills about 12-15,000 Americans each year and more than 75,000 require hospitalization! Bottom line – taking any medication has an element of risk. Its a matter of balancing the benefits against that risk. Nor should you assume that psychotherapy is 100% safe.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The drug Serzone is no longer available due to reports of people developing liver trouble. I don’t have the article, but it was reported on the news here in New York. If you are taking Serzone, STOP! And throw it down the toilet. Then contact your doctor. I wonder whats next? Paxil??? Zoloft? It goes to show you that the drug companies will do anything to speed up their clinical trials to put a drug on the market as quick as possible to make a quick profit, and the hell with the people down the road who took it. Patient Beware! FYI- Tylenol is the number one cause of liver damage in the US. Serzone is most likely being removed from the market because it’s no longer a profitable medication. you’ll notice it was pulled voluntarily, not because the FDA banned it. the manufacturer probably has another new and improved AD lined up in the wings to take Serzone’s place. -kelly
Yes, and besides, the generic form of Serzone is still available. Tono
Response:
The drug Serzone is no longer available due to reports of people developing liver trouble. I don’t have the article, but it was reported on the news here in New York. If you are taking Serzone, STOP! And throw it down the toilet. Then contact your doctor. I wonder whats next? Paxil??? Zoloft? It goes to show you that the drug companies will do anything to speed up their clinical trials to put a drug on the market as quick as possible to make a quick profit, and the hell with the people down the road who took it. Patient Beware!
FYI- Tylenol is the number one cause of liver damage in the US. Serzone is most likely being removed from the market because it’s no longer a profitable medication. you’ll notice it was pulled voluntarily, not because the FDA banned it. the manufacturer probably has another new and improved AD lined up in the wings to take Serzone’s place. -kelly
Response:
Here is the news item from USAToday.com. It looks like Europe should be applauded for taking this poison off the market one year ago. antidepressant off market WASHINGTON (AP)
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