[bdeaner]

If they can, great. I'm not interested in some bloated government agency telling me I can't take a drug that hundreds of thousands of other people take without incident AND will improve my quality of life just because the FDA hasn't declared it "effective." That's bull.

There wouldn't be a need for such a government agency in a perfect world. But it ain't a perfect world. Psychiatrists are vulnerable to manipulation by economic and other incentives by those who do not have the best interest of the patients in mind. Ideally, the FDA serves those interests, albeit not always very well -- but it is better than nothing.

[Publius Valerius]

Psychiatrists are vulnerable to manipulation by economic and other incentives by those who do not have the best interest of the patients in mind. Ideally, the FDA serves those interests, albeit not always very well --

You might have a point if the drug wasn't approved, but it has been. The FDA has said that it's "safe." The only question is whether the drug company has bothered to spend the tens of millions of dollars in order to get the FDA to acknowledge something that the whole rest of the world knows: in the case of Viagra, for instance, that it is effective for treating hypertension.

Everyone agrees that Viagra is effective for treating hypertension. The FDA has said that Viagra is safe; indeed, it's taken by probably millions of people around the world. If my doctor and I agree that Viagra is the best treatment for my hypertension, why shouldn't he prescribe it for me?