« Happy Mother's Day | Main | Forum on Geriatrics »
May 09, 2005
Dr James Hawkins on "Off-label drug use"
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Sunday, May 8, 2005
'Off-label' drug use
Editor -- Regarding your article, "A patient's right to know" (May 1): It is of vital importance that physicians discuss the use of all medications with patients and, if necessary, their relatives. However, the off-label use of medications, questioned in the article, must be allowed to continue.
In this nation, there are growing numbers of elderly patients with various demential illnesses. It is very common for such patients to develop psychosis with delusions or hallucinations, depression, anxiety and/or behavior problems (striking out, kicking, biting, etc.) as complications of degenerative dementia. These psychiatric complications are painful for the patients and often dangerous for those offering care.
At present, there is not one FDA-approved (labeled) medication available for the treatment of these problems. Most often, the only way to treat the distress that patients, families and other caregivers experience from these illnesses is to use a medication off-label. Otherwise, the suffering will continue, others may be harmed and death may very well be hastened.
Physicians must retain the option to use various drugs off-label in order to relieve these kinds of pain and suffering.
JAMES W. HAWKINS, M.D.
Geriatric psychiatrist
San Francisco
Posted by VJ@stanford at May 9, 2005 11:08 PM
