Still, you take the medication as prescribed. At first you imagine your body may adjust or the pills will come to understand you. It is no use. From Virginia Chase Sutton: Lithium and the Absence of Desire. Patient engagement Patient engagement is one of the mantras of current healthcare improvement efforts. Medical students and junior doctors likely think they are doing … [Read more...] about We Have a Dream: Getting Engaged to a Doctor
Suicide on Pain-Killers: John’s Story
Editorial note: Nearly 20 years ago I put someone on sodium valproate for a mental health problem. She was likely the first person in North Wales put on this drug for this reason. I was the person who knew most about psychotropic drugs in North Wales. She had left school before finishing and at the time there was no access to the internet. Listening to what I was proposing to … [Read more...] about Suicide on Pain-Killers: John’s Story
RxISK Announces New Tools to Decipher Drug Company Speak
RxISK.org, the first free independent website for researching and reporting prescription drug side effects, is adding two enhancements in the first week of June. Researchers will be able to access patient stories and the official assessment of side effect causality. RxISK stories Narratives shared by patients with their permission and without personal identifiers, will now be … [Read more...] about RxISK Announces New Tools to Decipher Drug Company Speak
Suicide is Painless: Sylvia’s Story
Editorial note: In 1962, Sylvia Plath committed suicide a week after going on phenelzine, an antidepressant. She had two young children, making her death close to inexplicable - unless the medication she was put on disturbed the balance of her mind. But what does 'disturb the balance of your mind' mean? In this account, another Sylvia put on doxycycline gives one of the best … [Read more...] about Suicide is Painless: Sylvia’s Story
SoS: Benzodiazepine Withdrawal
The first benzodiazepine, Librium, came on the market in 1960, followed three years later by Valium. By the late 1960s the benzos were selling in vast amounts. In the 1970s Valium became the best selling drug on Earth. While Leo Hollister and others put forward suggestions that you could get hooked to them as early as 1961, the main concern in the early years was their huge … [Read more...] about SoS: Benzodiazepine Withdrawal
Daily Mail Online: What is wrong with randomised trials Part 2
May 5, 2013 By Jerome Burne Could alcohol get a licence as a drug for depression? How do you test for the safety of a drug that causes the same side effects as the disease it is used to treat? These are just two of the points I didn’t have room for in my post last week on randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and why they don’t tell you what you want to know. (More on these … [Read more...] about Daily Mail Online: What is wrong with randomised trials Part 2
SoS: Anti-clotting drugs – Fiona’s story
Editorial note: Fiona's story (FB) was the first RxISK story filed. It is reproduced here. Data from FDA's MedWatch system noting withdrawal problems on clopidogrel and Plavix are laid out in the Table at the bottom. Fiona's story I had a heart attack two years ago and was prescribed Clopidogrel and low dose Aspirin as my after care. Several months ago it was decided that I … [Read more...] about SoS: Anti-clotting drugs – Fiona’s story
Daily Mail Online: Why randomised controlled trials don’t tell you what you want to know
April 28, 2013 by Jerome Burne Earlier this week the Daily Mail published my feature on side-effects and how patients aren’t properly warned about them. Antidepressants, for instance, can cause compulsive heavy drinking but you wouldn’t know it from the drug information leaflet. The article is about campaigning psychiatrist Dr David Healy, who believes patients need a … [Read more...] about Daily Mail Online: Why randomised controlled trials don’t tell you what you want to know
Dopamine Antagonist Withdrawal Syndrome – Carole’s Story
The last post outlined the horrors of dopamine agonist withdrawal syndrome (DAWS). This week's features the equally grim horror of dopamine antagonist withdrawal syndrome (DAAWS). The dopamine antagonists include the antipsychotic, anti-nausea, anti-itch and other groups of drugs. The antipsychotics were the first of the modern psychotropic drugs to be linked to severe … [Read more...] about Dopamine Antagonist Withdrawal Syndrome – Carole’s Story
Dopamine Agonist Withdrawal Syndrome (DAWS)
Editorial note: Renny's story chillingly outlines the misery of Dopamine Agonist Withdrawal Syndrome (DAWS). Below this we present data from RxISK's SoS Zone showing rates of Symptoms on Stopping and related problems on Dopamine Agonists which fully bear out her personal experience. I was prescribed Mirapex (Pramipexole), a ‘Dopamine Agonist’, in early 2012 for ‘Restless Legs … [Read more...] about Dopamine Agonist Withdrawal Syndrome (DAWS)