Suicidal Thoughts or Actions...

Not really a rant...but a question. How come all the medications today state that they may cause "suicidal thoughts or actions"? I'm 50 years old and there were never such side effects of medication while I was growing up...but now it is on everything. Did we not know enough back then, or has the medical community discovered something that is in every type of medicine now that makes it completely different?

And if a drug can cause "suicidal thoughts or actions", doesn't that mean it is doing "something" to our brains? Affecting our minds? Wouldn't it have to to cause suicidal thoughts. And finally...isn't a suicidal action...ummm....attempted suicide? As in...this acne drug may cause you to, against your will, attempt to kill yourself?

Your thoughts or insights?

a reply to: WeAreAWAKE

It sounds more like a disclaimer than anything else to me. So if someone takes the medicine and then goes on to attempt or commit suicide, they or their family can't sue the drug company. They took it knowingly, and were warned it might have adverse effects (whether it does or not) so it's not the company's fault. Part of our 'pass the buck' culture, I'm guessing.

a reply to: beansidhe

Yea, a few of them list "death" as a possible side effect. Nothing like covering all the bases.

a reply to: network dude


Just in case!

originally posted by: beansidhe
a reply to: WeAreAWAKE

It sounds more like a disclaimer than anything else to me. So if someone takes the medicine and then goes on to attempt or commit suicide, they or their family can't sue the drug company. They took it knowingly, and were warned it might have adverse effects (whether it does or not) so it's not the company's fault. Part of our 'pass the buck' culture, I'm guessing.

Gotcha...but death is at least a side effect of living. Do all our drugs today mess with your mind? That is basically my question.

yes i would have to agree it's just companies trying to REALLY cover their rear ends.
i wonder what those will look like in the future:

might cause unwarranted use of teleporation devices
might cause people to take random trips to mars
could make you forget to take longevity pills
you might try to put tires on your flying car just to be oldschool

I won't even take a medication if attempted suicide &/or death aren't potential side effects.

What can I say, I'm particular about mah meds.

a reply to: WeAreAWAKE

The thing of it is, some of those drugs "fix" the most minor afflictions and yet their list of problems they may cause are far worse, with "death" usually being a possible end result. I suggest that they be required to start putting the percentage of odds of you coming down with disease x, y, or z if you take their drug.

To explain: For some drugs we are told 20 to 40 different problems may occur if you take a particular one. Let's assign a percentage to each of those possibilities according to the pharm's estimates taken from the studies. Let's add them all together to give a possible, overall, disease quotient for that med. Would that not give us a better idea of the danger of taking that drug?

The big problem is these cases of "counter-indications" of drugs is that the connection between the drug causing a side-effect may never get recognized by the patient or even by the attending physician. Therefore, the side-effect may get treated by its own regime of more meds rather than the real cause being determined. Most of us older folks know first hand about such cases either our own or that of a close friend or family member.

a reply to: WeAreAWAKE

Seems to me they do. And I don't think the pharma companies really care. As long as they can get the doctors to push it.

I recently asked my doctor about a drug I had seen a commercial for. It had some pretty nasty side effects. My doctor just said basically "those are worse case scenarios, most people have no problems".

Yeah, well, I'd rather not be one of the few unlucky ones, thanks.

Lots of funny comments and I appreciate that. But again...the question.

Is there a newer class of drug that instead of (like aspirin) acting on "the body", acts on the mind instead and therefore contains the warning about "suicidal thoughts or actions". Or...and I'll amend this...is it just a liability issue?

originally posted by: chiefsmom
a reply to: WeAreAWAKE

Seems to me they do. And I don't think the pharma companies really care. As long as they can get the doctors to push it.

I recently asked my doctor about a drug I had seen a commercial for. It had some pretty nasty side effects. My doctor just said basically "those are worse case scenarios, most people have no problems".

Yeah, well, I'd rather not be one of the few unlucky ones, thanks.

I'm the same...if I can sleep it off, I'd rather do that than take something. I went to the doctor a few years ago and my blood pressure was high. She gave me a prescription. I asked something on the lines of "what about diet and exercise" and she said the prescription was easier and I was more likely to have success. Not even the suggestion of trying something without the medication.

a reply to: WeAreAWAKE

I think it is just about liability, but then I don't know the deepest, darkest secrets of pharmaceutical companies. Arse-covering seems the most likely.

We live in a more litigious world nowadays, so manufacturers tell you the worst case scenarios in case you happen to be one of the unfortunate few to whom it applies.

If a drug can cause 'suicidal feelings', it means like 3 people from a sample of 10,000 complained of this side-effect.

So...not very likely then.

We use the BNF at work (British National Formulary), and if you browsed through that you'd never take anything ever again. Even an Aspirin.

There's a whole raft of calamities that could befall you from swallowing any medicine.

But the chances of serious complications arising from taking any given drug marketed to the general public (if taken as instructed) are really tiny.

I can say I was on meds for years when I was young for Tourette syndrome and had many side effects. Depression was probably the worst. And yes suicidal thoughts. I decided to stop taking them and life seemed to change for the better. I lost almost 35 pounds in one summer without trying. I became more active and dealt with the Tourette issues on my own. I believe I was 6-12 while on them. Later in life I went back and tried other meds for anxiety and they ended up giving me a newer version of what I had as a kid. They said the old version was really bad and had too many cases of side effects. I hated the new version as well. It left me very dazed and emotionless. I tried three different styles over two years. I stay far away from that crap now and can't believe what is prescribed to someone. I've seen it help some people,but not me. I'm sure its a disclaimer and also based on trials and feedback. Hope this helps answer your question.

originally posted by: WeAreAWAKE
Lots of funny comments and I appreciate that. But again...the question.

Is there a newer class of drug that instead of (like aspirin) acting on "the body", acts on the mind instead and therefore contains the warning about "suicidal thoughts or actions". Or...and I'll amend this...is it just a liability issue?

Any psychoactive drug is going to have an effect on your 'coping mechanism'; whether it's active or aftereffect one's cognitive functions will be diminished.

I am most concerned with medication that cause the very same ailments they are attempting to resolve. How will you ever be certain there's an adverse reaction?!

I always found that funny, in a non funny way.

My anti-depressants always said the side-effects included depression and possibly suicidal effects.

Not much use then really lol

originally posted by: WeAreAWAKE



I went to the doctor a few years ago and my blood pressure was high. She gave me a prescription. I asked something on the lines of "what about diet and exercise" and she said the prescription was easier and I was more likely to have success. Not even the suggestion of trying something without the medication.

Seems to sum up the American health care system pretty well...

Live healthy? Why would you want to do that when you can just take these pills?

originally posted by: Mister_Bit
I always found that funny, in a non funny way.

My anti-depressants always said the side-effects included depression and possibly suicidal effects.

Not much use then really lol

"Try the brand new and improved...WATER! A cure all for any ailment and the only side effects are the same you have now. Only $99,999.99 per dose. And...if you act in the next ten minutes and twenty two seconds...WE WILL DOUBLE YOUR ORDER (just pay an additional handling fee of $99,999.98).

This product is not endorsed or approved by the FDA. Any benefits taking this product produces are truly coincidental."

I always wondered that. I also wonder how many of these people that went on killing sprees were on drugs like these.