I note that the BBC has been running with the government initiated suggestion by King’s College London expert Professor Sube Banerjee that the inappropriate use of Dementia drugs is killing some 1800 people. Now this is one side of the story but there is another side, namely that these drugs can and do provide a useful function but the BBC seems determined to ignore that side of things. I caught coverage on Radio 4, Radio 5 and the TV news and there was quite a sensationalist edge to it. My mother suffers from Dementia and has been treated with the medications that are being attacked today and labelled inappropriate and my only view is that without such drugs life would be even more unbearable for those who suffer from this awful disease and the family members around them.
DEMENTIA HYSTERIA
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“Professor Banerjee estimated that of the 180,000 people given the drugs each year, only 36,000 benefited.”
your mother could be one of those 36,000…
How would you know, Bob?
Well, if you say they’re helping then presumably your doctors would recommend them
The point is they are being prescribed uneccessarily and causing harm in many cases
Bob
How do YOU know that? Have you personal evidence?
How do you know it? – all you have is anecdotal evidence
If they were recommending it all be taken away then perhaps you have a case, but this suggestion would see about 20% remain on meds, and you provide no evidence to the contrary – you just mysteriously say there is another side to this – based on what exactly? if you are indeed correct your mother would presumably be one of the ‘36,000 who benefit’
“A National Director for dementia” and what will this be? Someone who will set targets for reducing the amount of drugs given to patients.?
When government set targets it is inevitable that pressure will be put on doctors not to prescribe drugs even if they are beneficial in order to meet their targets. This is what happens when government micro – manages our lives.
Professor Sube Banerjee is “estimating” these figures – he does not know. Although from the BBC you would think that his estimates are proof.
“Many assessment tools have been used to measure the effectiveness of dementia drugs, but effectiveness remains difficult to evaluate. Additionally, an enormous amount of dementia-related treatment information from a wide variety of sources is directed to consumers, including information on medications, herbal products, diet, exercise, and nutrition. The vast amount of material and its sometimes-questionable reliability make it difficult to distinguish fact from rumor. Despite these difficulties, researchers continue to search for drugs with improved effectiveness and better tolerability.”
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/dementia_medication_overview/article_em.htm
Professor Sube Banerjees “estimates” may be right – but there is also a greater chance that he is wrong. What the BBC should do as in all areas of controversy, is to be open about the evidence and not quote in big bold letters a scare which has not been proven one way or the other.