Three people who got in touch recently, one with a problem, one with an idea, and one 'outraged' contributed to this post. The problem and idea illustrate what happens when doctors take Probity Blockers. The outrage tells you almost everything you need to know about the Web we are enmeshed in. Using the problem, idea and outrage, this post gives a punchier version of the … [Read more...] about Deciphering the Web We Have Woven
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Hope, Hype, Consent and Alzheimer’s
By Johanna Ryan A recent New York Times article told the troubling story of two women who died in a clinical trial of a new Alzheimer’s drug. Jean and Genna One in particular stayed on my mind. Her name was Jean Terrien, and she was just about my age. Like me, she lived in the Chicago area, perhaps a dozen miles up the road, and had been retired for just about a … [Read more...] about Hope, Hype, Consent and Alzheimer’s
SNOMED, Your Doctor and You – Having an Impact
This post is about you who read it, and the ten of us or so who have helped write it, having an impact on the system. Modern healthcare is very disempowering. The arrangement that makes some medicines Prescription-Only began life as a police function and unfortunately many of us consulting a doctor can feel knee-high to a policeman especially if we even begin to hint that a … [Read more...] about SNOMED, Your Doctor and You – Having an Impact
MHRA Adopts Code for Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction
A longstanding problem for people with post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) when trying to report their condition to drug regulators has been the absence of a code for PSSD. When regulators receive adverse event reports, they are coded against specific terms in their database which are usually taken from the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA). Without a code … [Read more...] about MHRA Adopts Code for Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction
The Mysteries of Tapering – XX Rated
A woman on lamotrigine, a drug I never give anyone because of its withdrawal and other problems, recently came my way. She had been tapering for a long-time partly because lamotrigine can be a nasty drug to stop but primarily because her lamotrigine support group were firm Hyperbolic believers. An extraordinary number of people, primarily in my experience women, are … [Read more...] about The Mysteries of Tapering – XX Rated
Getting a Juggernaut to Stop and Think
Seeing people make a difference is among the the great things about being linked to RxISK. One of those is Anne-Marie Kelly, celebrated here before, of whom more below. But first, Peter Selley. Over the last two years and more but especially in the last 18 months, Peter has been working on RSV vaccines and making a difference. It is Hard for Thee to Kick against the … [Read more...] about Getting a Juggernaut to Stop and Think
Embracing Healthcare’s Opportunities
Up to 1980, the pharmaceutical industry was small beer. Most of the companies had recently demerged from chemical companies, and were hiring management consultants to help them work out how to do the job. A steady stream of life-saving drugs from the 1940s to 1960s that people and health services were willing to buy at prices greatly in excess of their costs of production … [Read more...] about Embracing Healthcare’s Opportunities
It is Hard for Thee to Kick Against the Pricks
The title of this post by Peter Selley comes from the Acts of the Apostles. It captures the moment where the Divine is advising Paul to stop persecuting Christians. Acts 9:5 (KJV). An if you can't beat them, why not join them moment. The words lend themselves to the situation of anyone attempting to grapple with the growth of a new RSV religion in more than one sense. Among … [Read more...] about It is Hard for Thee to Kick Against the Pricks
No One Expects the Reformation
The title of this post borrows a famous line from Monty Python: No one expects the Spanish Inquisition This is an advance notice of things to come rather than a post per se. To get a sense of the things to come, it is worth reading the Antidepressants, Homicide and a Challenge post and the comments that come after it where many regular contributors to RxISK pick up … [Read more...] about No One Expects the Reformation
Antidepressants, Homicide and a Challenge
This post follows a Mad in America Webinar about Antidepressant Dysregulation Syndromes, which was built on the research done by people on these meds. Antidepressant linked Automatism Spectrum Disorders is also built entirely on reports from those who have been taking these medicines. You will hear some extraordinary things few people know about. We need more reports like … [Read more...] about Antidepressants, Homicide and a Challenge