Posted by SLS on May 27, 2006, at 11:38:05
In reply to Re: Cymbalta withdrawal - Publicity, posted by gapsgal on May 27, 2006, at 9:43:36
Hi Donna.
> Actually the effects it could produce on the liver are even noted in the eli lilly literature on the fda site.
Most drugs have potential side effects. Their rate of occurence is certainly relevant. What is the rate of occurrence of adverse events involving the liver? As part of the approval process, all treatment-emergent adverse events must be reported, even if they are not the result of the treatment being evaluated.
> Consider these things that are happening to us when we withdraw, the auditory and sensory things not to mention the physcial things. That tells us that it is doing something to our brain,
Definitely.
> and no one knows if there are any long-term side effects from these things occuring.
This can be said of any drug.
I guess it depends on how long the drug has been around for. Some antidepressants have been around for fifty years. The drugs that are being approved today were discovered, on the average, 20 years ago. We have some idea. However, there is always a chance that a significant adverse effect will emerge in the general population that did not present during the clinical trials. Yes, there is a degree of uncertainty.
> The doctors themselves say they dont know just how this helps it just does...well if that is the case then there should be lots more research on this.
There is an incredible amount of research being conducted in this area. Neuroscience is a field exploding with investigation. Internet search engines should provide you with evidence as to how large in scope and depth this research is.
> When addicts withdraw they have similiar symptoms and these are known to cause long-term damage to the brain...
Which things are known to cause damage, the drugs themselves or the withdrawal process? I think both can produce changes that persist. Unfortuately, these treatments are not what we would like them to be.
> anything that alters the brains way of working can permanently change things in the brain.
How do you know this? That is a rather sweeping statement that I have not yet seen stated in medical literature.
> Consider someone who is addicted to pain medicine, why? Because it has changed the way their brain works and chances are the change is permanent.
I am not sure that the permanence of these changes has yet been ascertained in research.
One thing that has not yet entered into this discussion is the impact mental illness has on one's ability to function and their quality of life. I feel that the degree to which these illnesses debilitate and cause pain is severe enough to be treated aggressively with drugs that are not yet perfect.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:466069
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20060505/msgs/649335.html