There is an article in the January, 2010, issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry which describes a study done on polypharmacy in outpatient psychiatric practices. Here is the conclusion as stated in the abstract:
There has been a recent significant increase in polypharmacy involving antidepressant and antipsychotic medications. While some of these combinations are supported by clinical trials, many are of unproven efficacy. These trends put patients at increased risk of drug-drug interactions with uncertain gains for quality of care and clinical outcomes.
You can access the abstract by clicking here.
Some of the patients whom I see for psychotherapy are on quite a cocktail of meds. which don't make an awful lot of sense to me. I feel validated that my observations are not just cynical but based on some research facts.
Don't pay the full price for your prescriptions just because you don't have insurance. I found a great discount card at www.rxdrugcard.com. Check it out!
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