Facts You May Not Know About Psychiatric Drugs

admin — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 21:48:47 +0000

• Higher doses and longer term use of psychiatric drugs often mean brain changes can be deeper and longer lasting. The drugs are then often harder to come off and can have more serious adverse effects. The human brain is much more resilient than was once believed, however, and can heal and repair itself in remarkable ways.
• Neuroleptic or major tranquilizer drugs are claimed to be “anti-psychotic,” but in fact do not target psychosis or any specific symptom or mental disorder. They are tranquilizers that diminish brain functioning in general for anyone who takes them. They are even used in veterinary science to calm down animals. Many people on these drugs report that their psychotic symptoms continue, but the emotional reaction to them is lessened.
• The psychiatric use of chemicals such as Thorazine and lithium was discovered before theories of “chemical imbalance” were invented, and do not reflect any understanding of the cause.
• Newer anti-psychotic drugs called “atypicals” target a broader range of neurotransmitters, but they work in basically the same ways as older drugs. Manufacturers marketed these drugs (which are more expensive than older ones) as better and more effective with fewer side effects, and they were hailed as miracles. But as reported in the Archives of General Psychiatry, New York Times, Washington Post, and elsewhere, this has been exposed as untrue, with some companies even covering up the extent of adverse effects like diabetes and metabolic syndrome. However, because newer drugs are somewhat different, people on older drugs might feel better by switching to newer ones. This may be because dosages are often smaller, it can take longer for negative effects to show, and individuals have different expectations of different drugs.
• Sometimes people are told that adverse drug effects are due to an “allergic reaction.” This is misleading: psychiatric drug effects do not function biologically in the body the way food or pollen allergies do. Calling drug effects “allergic reactions” treats the problem like it is in the person taking the drug, not the drug’s effect itself.
• Benzodiazepene – Valium, Xanax, Ativan and Klonopin – addiction is a huge public health problem, and withdrawal can be very difficult. Use for more than 4-5 days dramatically increases risks.
• Psychiatric drugs are widely used in prisons to control inmates and in nursing homes to control the elderly.
• Sleep medication like Ambien and Halcyon can be addictive, worsen sleep over time, and cause dangerous altered states of consciousness.
• Because they work like recreational drugs, some psychiatric medications are even sold on the street to get high. Stimulants like Ritalin and sedatives like Valium are widely abused. Because of their easy availability, illegal use of psychiatric drugs, including by children, is widespread.
• The “War on Drugs” obscures the similarities between legal psychiatric drugs and illegal recreational drugs. Anti-depressant “selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs)” work chemically similar to slow-administered oral cocaine. Cocaine was in fact the first prescription drug marketed for “feel good” anti-depression effects, before being made illegal. Coca, the basis of cocaine, was even once an ingredient in Coca-Cola.

Source: http://theicarusproject.net/downloads/ComingOffPsychDrugsHarmReductGuide1Edonline.pdf

Two Psychiatric Drugs on FDA Watch List

admin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:20:26 +0000

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today released a list of 20 drugs that are on its adverse effect “watch list” — drugs that have potential new serious risks or had new safety information from January to March 2008. The data come from FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) database, its only method for gathering safety and adverse effects about drugs approved for prescribing in the U.S. Adverse events are voluntarily reported by physicians who prescribe the medications.

Two psychiatric medications made the list — Duloxetine (Cymbalta) for a serious risk of urinary retention, and Quetiapine (Seroquel) for overdose due to sample pack labeling confusion.

This is the FDA’s first new public information alert system in years, identifying potential safety issues in drugs and making that information available to the public. The list does not mean that FDA has identified a causal relationship between the drug and the listed risk, but that it’s investigating further to determine if such a relationship exists.

If you’re taking either of the two psychiatric drugs listed, or any of the other listed 18, you should talk to your doctor about the concern the FDA has identified. In terms of Cymbalta, you should talk to your doctor about any problems with retaining urine and in terms of Seroquel, you should double-check with your psychiatrist or doctor to ensure you’ve been prescribed the proper dose.

by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. September 5, 2008
Source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/09/05/two-psychiatric-drugs-on-fda-watch-list/

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Facts You May Not Know About Psychiatric Drugs

Two Psychiatric Drugs on FDA Watch List