Editorial Note: Ages back, Sally MacGregor wrote this piece to follow up to her Olanzapine experience - Olanzapine Withdrawal: Sally's Story. The original piece has routinely been among the top ten RxISK blog posts visited. This update slipped between the cracks. But here it is. Time for a progress report. I was in feisty mode last time – determined not to be beaten by the … [Read more...] about Olanzapine: Still Treading Water
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Kidnapped: Natalie’s Story 2
Editorial Note: This is part 2 of Natalie's story written by her mother Kristina. The photo shows Natalie aged 18 at her graduation. Abductor number three: 2010 Natalie’s tardive dysphoria remained undiagnosed, and the counselor recommended that Natalie see her colleague, a psychiatrist. The counselor’s records reflected Natalie’s fears about taking drugs. Natalie shared, … [Read more...] about Kidnapped: Natalie’s Story 2
Kidnapped: Natalie’s Story
Editorial Note: Natalie's story parts 1 and 2 are by her mother Kristina. Natalie, celebrating her tenth birthday in 2003, shortly after being prescribed Prozac. Her left eye was starting to show signs of amblyopia, more commonly called “lazy eye.” This adverse drug reaction worsened and was one of many Natalie suffered from unnecessary prescribing. We couldn’t understand how … [Read more...] about Kidnapped: Natalie’s Story
How Common is Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD)?
The level of risk of developing Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD) from using an SSRI or SNRI antidepressant is currently unknown. Patients are never warned about persisting sexual side effects when these drugs are prescribed. Calls for informed consent are often met with the response that PSSD appears to be quite rare. Given the huge number of antidepressants prescribed … [Read more...] about How Common is Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD)?
Medical Kidnap: Withdrawal & Non-Compliance
Editorial Note: This post is by Wendy Murray. It comes from a chapter in her new book that deals with the problems many of us have with prescribers of all kinds for medications of all kinds when we question their judgment. Their attitudes can kidnap us just as much as a detention can. I had reached the stage of taking a very low dose (6.5 mg) of citalopram during my second … [Read more...] about Medical Kidnap: Withdrawal & Non-Compliance
A Kidnapped Daughter 2
Continued from Part 1. Put on mirtazepine my daughter deteriorated rapidly. The crisis intervention team descended. They started by counting pills. When they found the number correct, they assumed I had destroyed the pills. They seemed perplexed. One of the team would take her out for some one–to-one. They would visit the local park, go to the café and drink some cocoa. … [Read more...] about A Kidnapped Daughter 2
A Kidnapped Daughter
Editorial Note: This is the first of a two-part post by a father and daughter who want to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals - a very real and realistic fear. This is about how my daughter was “led away” (the literal meaning of abduction), in a cruel and calculated act undertaken by people to whom her mother and I had ill-advisedly, and to our eternal regret, trusted to … [Read more...] about A Kidnapped Daughter
Three Weeks To Prescripticide
Editorial Note: The post is by David Carmichael, who has coined the terms "Prescripticide" for a death that is caused by an adverse reaction to a prescription drug. In October and November 2015, Julie Wood published a 5-part RxISK.org series of blog posts about SSRI antidepressants and violence. It was based on the biomedical model developed to explain how someone can … [Read more...] about Three Weeks To Prescripticide
Medical Kidnap: Get Out of Jail Free Report
The examples given in the Kidnapped series of posts are dramatic. They point to growing abuses in healthcare systems. The idea that in every way we are making more and more progress leads people to cut corners to bring the benefits of treatments they know will work to others. Those whose lives have been affected will figure this is a pretty common occurrence. The rest of us … [Read more...] about Medical Kidnap: Get Out of Jail Free Report
The Right Not to be Kidnapped
Declaration In the last decade, a new problem has come into focus, illustrated by the posts over the last 4 weeks. Families and communities have traditionally provided the overwhelming bulk of care for relatives whether they were mentally infirm, elderly and dementing, younger with learning disabilities or suffering from physical illness. The impetus to care for a relative … [Read more...] about The Right Not to be Kidnapped