Reply #9: Paxil has been marketed deceptively

[depakid]

and that's been a major source of the problem (actually, it's a major problem with ALL pharmaceuticals- we end up paying higher prices for the privilege of viewing their equivocal TV ads).

Not only has Glaxo concealed evidence of harmful side effects (as have the makers of other SSRI's like Zoloft) but the FDA has given them a free pass- and even supressed evidence compiled by its own researchers of increased risk of suicide among adolescents.

What's worse is that through their marketing efforts, primary care physicians are encouraged to dispense samples like candy when a patient presents with clinical depression or dysthymia. Since most of them are untrained in psychiatry- they don't take adequate histories, and so have no idea if their patient may in fact be bipolar... and believe me, patients aren't likely to complain when they're on the "up" side of their cycle.

Unfortunately, it's extremely common to be dx'd bipolar only after having been given an anti-depressant- usually an SSRI. If the patient isn't familiar with the signs of hypomania (and most aren't) this can quickly spiral out of control. At that point, the tendency is to stop cold turkey- which is a big mistake. People have to taper off these meds or else they almost always suffer debilitating or uncomfortable "withdawl" effects- including suicidal ideation.

The bottom line on Paxil and Zoloft is that they are probably the most overprescribed drugs on the market. People should think long and hard before taking either one of them.