International Coalition for Drug Awareness
A Group of physicians, researchers, Journalists and concerned citizens dedicated to educating about the dangers posed by many Rx medicines.
NOTE FROM Ann Blake-Tracy (_www.drugawareness.org_ (https://www.drugawareness.org) ): This reminds me of a case I had in Florida years ago where a young man was staying with friends and had been a little “down” lately. He remembered that the wife in the family had a bottle of Zoloft she had placed on top of the fridge…
The investigators followed 300 patients who were in
ongoing outpatient treatment for depression over six weeks. The authors compared
what the patient reported on a standardized scale of 31 different side effects
(Toronto Side Effects Scale; TSES) with the information recorded by the treating
psychiatrist on each patient’s chart. The main finding: A stunning disconnect
between psychiatrists and their patients. The average number of side effects
reported by the patients on the TSES was 20 times (!) higher than the number
recorded by the psychiatris. When the investigators concentrated on those side
effects that were most troubling to the patient, patients still reported
2 to 3 times more side effects than were recorded by the treating
psychiatrist.
AN A&E consultant has warned
of the “lethal” consequences of combining alcohol and prescription medication
following the death of Bertie Ahern’s nephew from a mixture of drink and
anti-depressants.
Dr Chris Luke said people were admitted every day
suffering from the effects of legal drug and alcohol cocktails. Dr Luke, a
consultant at Cork University Hospital, said legal drugs were as dangerous as
illegal drugs and the public needed to be made aware of the dangers.
Seroxat [Paxil] antidepressant pills.
Photograph: Jack Sullivan/Alamy
The number of antidepressants prescribed by the NHS
has almost doubled in the last decade, and rose sharply last year as the
recession bit, figures reveal.
The health service issued 39.1m prescriptions for drugs to tackle depression in England in 2009, compared
with 20.1m in 1999 – a 95% jump. Doctors handed out 3.18m more prescriptions
last year than in 2008, almost twice the annual rise seen in preceding years,
according to previously unpublished statistics released by the NHS’s Business
Services Authority.
Mohamed Mahmood Alessa, 20, of North Bergen, N.J.,
and Carlos Eduardo Almonte, 24, of Elmwood Park, N.J., were reportedly nabbed
with help from an undercover rookie New York policeman of Egyptian descent, The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J.,
reported. Alessa’s mother, Nadia Alessa, told CNN she thought the man Alessa
and Almonte called “Bassim” recorded provocative remarks the pair made and built
a case against them.
Two months ago, I wrote a post about a New Yorker article that reported that 67% of the depressed patients in the STAR*D trial “recovered.” As I noted in that post, the 67% figure was a highly exaggerated number. Only 51% of the 3,671 patients who entered the trial ever remitted, even for a short period. Furthermore, only about 20% of the patients remitted and then reported to STAR*D investigators, at some point during a 12-month follow-up period, that they were still doing well.
Defendant was on Paxil, an anti-depressant drug, and had a few
drinks after playing golf. He was arrested and charged with DUI after
weaving through traffic. He was “obviously impaired” according to his
lawyer. “The worst I’d ever seen in 25 years.”
It was established years ago that Paxil carries a risk of suicide in children and teens, but GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has for the last 18 months been conducting a study of the antidepressant in kids as young as seven — in Japan. It’s not clear why the company would want to draw more attention to its already controversial pill, but it appears as if GSK might be hoping to see a reduced suicide risk in a small population of users — a result the company could use to cast doubt on the Paxil-equals-teen-suicide meme that dominates discussion of the drug.
Healthcare providers to prescribe antidepressants for patients who suffer from depression or anxiety, these medications can sometimes come with harmful side effects. As a result, the drugs can sometimes end up doing more harm than good.
According to findings that were presented at the annual conference of the Anxiety Disorder Association of America, more mental health professionals should begin prescribing alternative health resources such as exercise to their patients who suffer from anxiety as multiple reports have shown that it helps treat the condition.
Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) – A man is dead after being killed by a suspected intoxicated driver on Easter morning. An arrest reports says the 22-year-old suspect had been out at a club earlier in the night, drinking alcohol and popping pills.
The suspect is in jail, accused of killing Bob Childress who was simply on his way to work. Jacques Norton faces a charge of felony DUI causing death. The charge accuses him of being under the influence of drugs with enhancement of alcohol.