Readers’ Blog: Depressing facts about ‘happy pill’ prescriptions
Being fully informed and thus having the opportunity to give informed consent is a fundamental issue and a basic right when considering taking any kind of prescribed drug.
That said, it’s questionable whether those being prescribed antidepressants are being fully informed. Would Britain be a nation hooked on happy pills if those taking them knew the truth?
When you look at the long list of effects associated with antidepressant drugs, it may be that those taking them are not making an informed choice. They may be agreeing to take the drugs, but the decision or consent is uninformed. If they knew all of the effects of antidepressants, it is unlikely they would take them. According to recent media reports, prescription rates have tripled in the last 15 years, putting the UK fourth among 29 Western nations.
Worldwide, there have been 99 drug regulatory agency warnings regarding antidepressants. Of those warnings, 35 concerned suicide, suicide risk, and suicide attempts. There have also been 119 studies in 12 countries on antidepressant-induced side effects. Of those studies, 23 of them concerned antidepressants causing suicide, suicide risks and suicide attempts. How many consumers know this?
While we might hope for an altruistic purpose in the manufacture of the drugs, there’s an inescapable factor that gives pharmaceutical companies an extra production impetus. That factor is profit. Since 2000, more than £5bn (€5.5bn) was spent on antidepressants in England alone. This represents commercial success for the shareholders, but a nightmare for those who have to pick up the pieces and exercise damage control when things go wrong.
Psychiatrists and drug companies commonly say benefits outweigh the risks. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that when it comes to psychiatric drugs, profits outweigh the risks.
Yes, it’s been said before, but it can never be said too many times. A person must be allowed to make a fully informed choice about the consequences of taking antidepressants, and if that happened, it could have a knock-on effect and save the NHS billions in unnecessary spending.
