What Does Vioxx Mean to You?
This month has seen a shocking public indictment not only of the drug Vioxx, but of the entire FDA regulatory system. A firebrand doctor named David Graham, a safety official with the organization, claimed in Senate testimony:
"It is important that this committee and the American people understand that what happened with Vioxx is really a symptom of something far more dangerous to the safety of the American people," David Graham, associate director for science and medicine in the FDA's Office of Drug Safety, told the Finance Committee. "Simply put, FDA and its Center for Drug Evaluation and Research are broken."
Psychosurgery.org tends to stay away from arguments about psychiatric medication these days as there are many groups who work on that front already. This revelation cannot go unnoted, though. These conditions are, in my opinion, similar to those under which lobotomy was allowed to flourish. People with agendas that have little to do with healing are making decisions that adversely affect the lives of untold numbers of victims.
It is true that the Food and Drug Administration would never be involved in regulating a surgery like lobotomy, but what makes it relevant is the nexus of coercion and mental health. If the FDA is as broken as Dr. Graham suggests, then we have no idea what the long-term damage might be to those whom we force to take psychiatric medication. I do not believe that all of these people refuse to take medication simply because of a psychotic syndrome which makes them believe that they are well. Most of them don’t take it because it is very bad for them and makes them sick. Maybe they are telling us something, and our refusal to listen and use of forced medication is slowly killing them.
Anyone who knows me knows I’m no luddite. I’m the first to reach for medicine when I have a twinge of a headache. But my goodness this is getting scary. You really must think for yourself whenever invasive treatments or powerful medications are prescribed. No one will look out for you better than yourself.
"It is important that this committee and the American people understand that what happened with Vioxx is really a symptom of something far more dangerous to the safety of the American people," David Graham, associate director for science and medicine in the FDA's Office of Drug Safety, told the Finance Committee. "Simply put, FDA and its Center for Drug Evaluation and Research are broken."
Psychosurgery.org tends to stay away from arguments about psychiatric medication these days as there are many groups who work on that front already. This revelation cannot go unnoted, though. These conditions are, in my opinion, similar to those under which lobotomy was allowed to flourish. People with agendas that have little to do with healing are making decisions that adversely affect the lives of untold numbers of victims.
It is true that the Food and Drug Administration would never be involved in regulating a surgery like lobotomy, but what makes it relevant is the nexus of coercion and mental health. If the FDA is as broken as Dr. Graham suggests, then we have no idea what the long-term damage might be to those whom we force to take psychiatric medication. I do not believe that all of these people refuse to take medication simply because of a psychotic syndrome which makes them believe that they are well. Most of them don’t take it because it is very bad for them and makes them sick. Maybe they are telling us something, and our refusal to listen and use of forced medication is slowly killing them.
Anyone who knows me knows I’m no luddite. I’m the first to reach for medicine when I have a twinge of a headache. But my goodness this is getting scary. You really must think for yourself whenever invasive treatments or powerful medications are prescribed. No one will look out for you better than yourself.
posted by Christine at Tuesday, November 23, 2004
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