It is commonly recognized that certain medications should not be administered with some others. What is not well known is that several over the counter (OTC) medications and herbal supplements can be lethal if taken with SSRIs. I have a patient who was taking fluoxetine and, experiencing some difficulty with sleep, decided to take one tab of melatonin. He woke up with a red … [Read more...] about Serotonin Syndrome
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RxISK’s Ten Threats to Global Health 2019
WHO's Ten Threats to Global Health in 2019 have been much in the news lately - a kind of collective New Year's Resolution list. The 10 resolutions can be seen below. They have prompted an alternate RxISK list of threats. These are not listed in order of importance. RxISK's Threat List Sequestration of Clinical Trial Data. Most of what passes as science in medicine is … [Read more...] about RxISK’s Ten Threats to Global Health 2019
Fake News and the Great Purple Pill
Editorial: This post by Johanna Ryan is one of several that will pick up on the Fake News theme. But we also want anyone who has PPI stories to get in touch. And to pick up Dee Mangin's legacy prescribing issue, do PPIs lead to SSRI use or is it the other way around? There is a complementary post - Fake What - on dh.org. Increasingly, any information about adverse effects … [Read more...] about Fake News and the Great Purple Pill
PSSD and Hancock’s Half Brexit
Editorial Note: The photograph is of Matt Hancock, England's Health Secretary. The photograph below is of Guido Rasi, the director of EMA. The title echoes a famous British TV program - Hancock's Half Hour, which over 50 years ago was must watch comedy on the BBC. This letter was emailed and posted yesterday. There is an update detailed below. Matt Hancock Secretary of … [Read more...] about PSSD and Hancock’s Half Brexit
Silent Night – in the Vatican
There is no intention in this piece to cause offence. But there seems to be no point in being anything other than blunt. Two thousand years ago, Aristotle could argue that politics should be moral - that we should govern the polis in a manner that fostered virtue in its citizens. There wasn’t then the split between public and private morality there is now. The polis was … [Read more...] about Silent Night – in the Vatican
Welsh Senate Withdrawal Seminar
Last week a seminar on dependence on and withdrawal from antidepressants took place in the Welsh Senedd, overlooking Cardiff Bay. It was the initiative of and organised by Aled Jones of Prescription Drug Awareness, Support and Treatment, under the auspices of Mark Drakeford - the First Minister. The Senedd building was a stunning setting for the event. One of the key … [Read more...] about Welsh Senate Withdrawal Seminar
Lawyer Needed
Lawyer Needed For a job that will offer no pay. The case will be in the family courts and involves a divorce petition but its not clear that the lawyer needs to have any family law experience as this will be like no prior family law case. A number of posts on RxISK and davidhealy.org over the years have raised a problem that is new to the SSRI group of drugs - treatment … [Read more...] about Lawyer Needed
Emotionally Unstable Brand Disorder
Editorial: James Moore on his Let's Talk Withdrawal site has recently posted the following. The reason to reproduce here is that it seems to overlap so much with the Peter Goetzsche Affair - see below. In both instances we have an ex-Collaboration in one case and almost ex-College in another more concerned with their brand and business opportunities that with the integrity of … [Read more...] about Emotionally Unstable Brand Disorder
Emotionally Unstable Society Disorder
The news today in the UK is that nearly a quarter of young women have mental health problems - Here. A similar message appeared in this article from New Zealand a few days ago - Demand for university counselling services grows 25 per cent in two years - the text without photos and videos is below. North or South University students say they are on suicide watch for friends … [Read more...] about Emotionally Unstable Society Disorder
Post-Retinoid Sexual Dysfunction (PRSD) Petition
There are long-standing reports of sexual dysfunction linked to the use of isotretinoin, a retinoid drug used in the treatment of acne. FDA and MHRA received the first reports of sexual dysfunction involving isotretinoin in 1983 and 1985 respectively, and according to a publication in The Lancet, Roche had received 150 reports of problems affecting the male reproductive system … [Read more...] about Post-Retinoid Sexual Dysfunction (PRSD) Petition