Agranulocytosis can also be referred to as "bone marrow suppression," so I think the two of you might be talking about the same thing. There was one doctor at a conference a few years ago who said that once he had seen this particular side effect manifested, it spooked him into completely rejecting long term use of ATDs. My understanding, though, is that if the symptoms are identified quickly, stopping the medication immediately reverses the effect. I believe that, in this particular case, the patient went on taking the medication for too long before being successfully diagnosed, and so it became life-threatening.
It’s nothing to play with, that’s true, but his opinion, and his feelings, and his fear, are not necessarily reasons for you to change your own opinion, your own feelings. It’s something to consider ~ ATDs are not completely harmless, and we should understand that going in. But I don’t like hearing that a doctor has refused any sort of treatment to a patient who is willing to accept the risk for themselves.
