A patient support group is accusing health officials of not taking its concerns over a controversial antidepressant seriously enough.
The Ministry of Health has issued two public warnings for an over-the-counter dietary supplement Arthrem but is staying silent about the antidepressant Enlafax that has triggered hundreds of complaints.
The promise of better joint health from Arthrem sparked an official warning this week in response to an increasing number of reports of serious liver damage among users.
It's Medsafe's second warning on the over-the-counter supplement this year, stemming from 25 complaints, including abnormal liver function, hepatitis and jaundice.
But there has been no alert for antidepressant Enlafax despite 530 complaints, 25 of them considered to be life-threatening.
"Is it equitable? Well I mean I guess taken at face value it's not is it?" psychiatrist David Codyre told 1 NEWS.
One reason, he says, is the difference between treating the body and treating the mind.
"If you have liver function tests that become abnormal, anyone can look at that and say there's a problem. But if you develop symptoms that are in quotes 'abnormal', there's no test for that," he said.
Patients who suffered severe relapses of depression on Enlafax are upset Medsafe is not also warning the public about it.
"It feels like total discrimination. They're' not taking our illness seriously. They're not treating us as if we have a genuine illness that requires medical attention," Sarah Macrae of the Enlafax Support Group said.
Trudi Webber of the group said: "It's more that they're telling us 'oh, you're crazy anyway so we're not going to listen to what you have to say'."
Medsafe says Enlafax is a safe, regulated medicine under stricter controls than the dietary supplement Arthrem.
But psychiatrist David Codyre says a more even-handed approach is needed.
"Well the take out for them is yet again mental health's discriminated against. And it's a not unreasonable conclusion to come to," he said.
But the support group is battling on, raising awareness about Enlafax, while Medsafe continues to monitor complaints and is standing by research that the drug is safe.
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