This post is to honor the life, work, and words of our dear friend and regular blog contributor, Heather Roberts, who sadly we have learned died peacefully at her home on 20th October after a short illness. Heather campaigned alongside us in memory of her son, Olly, who had a severe adverse reaction to the prescribed medication Roaccutane. We would like to honor Heather’s … [Read more...] about Heather Roberts: Heroine for our Times
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PIMsPlus: Resources for Safer Medications
Today Taper MD launch PIMsPlus.org, a new free searchable resource for safer medication use which is focused on Potentially Inappropriate Medications (PIMs): medications that should be used with caution in older adults because research and clinical experience with these medications have shown that the risk of adverse effects can outweigh the benefits. The aim of … [Read more...] about PIMsPlus: Resources for Safer Medications
Managing SSRI Withdrawal: Another Way
This post by J is about his withdrawal. He takes a different approach to the ones outlined in Side Effexor Withdrawal through to Helping H - an engineering approach rather than a therapy one. Next week we will feature a post about some of the TRP (Transient Receptor Potential) Channels he mentions. I usually work as an Engineer in an Embedded Systems development capacity. I was … [Read more...] about Managing SSRI Withdrawal: Another Way
Functional Neurological Disorder?
A recent RxISK post on SSRI triggered Movement Disorders - My Doctor Thinks I'm Faking It - put together by Stevie Lewis, attracted less attention than we expected. This may be because it featured strange movements and few of us figure we are in a good position to make sense of strange movements. The movements we featured don't make sense to many neurologists, even … [Read more...] about Functional Neurological Disorder?
Dear Abby: Antidepressants and Marriage
News flash: A big-city American newspaper (the Chicago Sun-Times) has written about the side effects of antidepressants, and how they can destroy marriages. It wasn’t on the Health page, or on the Business page where most of the important drug news appears. It was in Dear Abby’s advice column. You’ll find the letter from the unhappy husband below. I wasn’t satisfied with … [Read more...] about Dear Abby: Antidepressants and Marriage
Grey Hair, Rotting Teeth, Semi-Blind and Demented
The Human Body is not meant to be taking ‘stuff’ all the time, whether medicines or biohack stuff or whatever. Forget the image of a magic bullet that flies to the one spot where it is needed and causes no collateral damage, every medicine poisons. The trick is to use medicines only when the damage being caused by some condition outweighs the inevitable harms of the poison … [Read more...] about Grey Hair, Rotting Teeth, Semi-Blind and Demented
Where’s Anonymous?
The following email arrived last week from someone who is unknown to me – has never filed a RxISK report about PSSD, never contributed to the RxISK Prize, never previously been in touch that I know of – at least under the name offered - doesn’t sign off, and is unwilling to engage in a public discussion but starts off on very familiar terms. David, I have followed your work … [Read more...] about Where’s Anonymous?
Medication Errors resulting in CNS Damage from Contrast Agent Overdose
James T. O’Donnell PharmD (Rush University Medical Center) and James J. O’Donnell PhD (Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science), The field of pharmacology is an important area of medicine that focuses on the effects of drugs in different … [Read more...] about Medication Errors resulting in CNS Damage from Contrast Agent Overdose
RxISK and Sharks
Two posts last week on RxISK Biohacking and david healy Stormy Weather raised issues about the Enduring Sexual Dysfunctions (ESD) linked to SSRIs and related drugs (PSSD and PGAD), finasteride and related drugs (PFS), and isotretinoin (PRSD). In the biohacking post both sides of the “debate” were concerned about the people with these conditions who had taken their … [Read more...] about RxISK and Sharks
Bio Rip-off, Bio Delusions, Bio Hack?
This ambiguous picture comes up when you search under grave robbing - nothing you can make money out of is sacred. But its entitled grave digger. Digger, robber, it can be hard to tell. We had an email a few days ago about a young man desperately seeking help who had in good faith took something he thought would help with hair loss and was now several years later suffering … [Read more...] about Bio Rip-off, Bio Delusions, Bio Hack?