Reply #122: Simply this: [View All]

The above poster's conclusion doesn't make sense.

He states that:

That does NOT MEAN that Prozac will prevent all suicides in these already suicidal people.

Of course it doesn't. But the quesion is whether there is an increased risk associated with taking the drug.

The risks being compared are risks are among people who have presented with clinical depression (who, incidently, may also fit in somewhere on the bipolar spectrum).

If studies show increased risk of suicide or violent behavior among people taking the drug vs. those who are not- then that risk of harm needs to be weighed against the possible benefits.

Moreover, anecdotes are often the first thing that crops up- and if there are a sufficient number of them or odd things are happening, then further study is merited.

So, while not proof in and of themselves, they often lead to studies that prove connections. This is exactly what happened back in the 1940's, when a surgeon noticed that most of his lung cancer patients were smokers, or when another physician noticed that some infants whose mothers had contracted rubella while pregant were born with a certain congental eye defect.