In the mid-1980s, I gave a very nice man, an in-patient, weekend leave. He hung himself. Everyone was shocked. The drug I’d put him on was the trigger to his suicide. Soon after, a medical resident called me to a case she was handling. She seemed exceptionally impressive, so I was surprised to hear afterwards she was taking an antidepressant. She told me about the … [Read more...] about Experts by Experience and Nobel Prizes
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Visual Snow: A Looming Epidemic
There have been multiple RxISK posts on visual problems linked to SSRI use, starting a decade ago with Keeping an Eye on the Ball and most recently Visual Snow Protocol and New Study of Antidepressants and Vision Problems. Visual Snow can be episodic linked to migraine, or continuously present when triggered by antidepressants. When visual problems - palinopsia, enhanced … [Read more...] about Visual Snow: A Looming Epidemic
What Counts? A Tale of Good and Evil
This title plays on words. Counting suggests numbers but also hints at values. This talk hinges on a clash between a worldview centred on numbers and one centred on values. The slides and text are below. A video record of the talk is here - What Counts? Slide 2: One of these two is on an antidepressant and unable to make love. Like drug induced Homicide, … [Read more...] about What Counts? A Tale of Good and Evil
How the Safety of Drugs was Destroyed
Emer Cooke, the CEO of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is Irish. This is Dublin's famous Halfpenny Bridge which for some reason features in an article outlining the history of the phrase Tail wags Dog which seems appropriate for what followed. I wrote to Emer recently about a bizarre letter I received from Kinapse - A Brush with EMA - who run EMA's medical literature … [Read more...] about How the Safety of Drugs was Destroyed
The Wild Doctor – Le Médecin Sauvage
The French playwright Moliere loved poking fun at pomposity especially when it involved doctors. In Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, he pokes fun at Monsieur Jourdain, a pompous upstart, who has come into money and is taking on airs and graces. Translating gentilhomme into gentleman misses what the word meant around 1660, which was more like civilized, the manners which … [Read more...] about The Wild Doctor – Le Médecin Sauvage
A Brush with the European Medicines’ Agency
This post should be read in conjunction with Are Journalists the Answer to Clinical Medicines Cause and Effect Problem which is on davidhealy.org, or will be, and last weeks Clinical Details Confuse Expert Doctors along with Royal College of Psychiatrist's Suicide Note. Several months ago, I agreed to review an article by John Read analyzing the hundreds of antidepressant … [Read more...] about A Brush with the European Medicines’ Agency
Clinical Details Confuse Expert Doctors
Following the death of their 16-year-old son Romain, who had been put on paroxetine with Tercian later added, Yoko Motohama and Vincent Schmitt began asking questions of GSK, Sanofi, the French ANSM (Agence nationale de sécurité du medicament), and others. They set up two websites Antidepeffects.wordpress.com and Romainschmitt.wordpress.com. Romain’s case features on … [Read more...] about Clinical Details Confuse Expert Doctors
PPPD – Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness
This post is from R, whom I came into contact with at least a decade ago. She had significant SSRI dependence and withdrawal issues. And was very discombobulated by the difficulties she was having. Back in 1997 after a difficult and stressful house move I went to see my Family Doctor because I was getting a lot of headaches and panic attacks in crowded places. She said I was … [Read more...] about PPPD – Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness
The Long Awaited PSSD Research Breakthrough?
This image is from an extraordinary blog which tells you how to sex your mouse Breakthrough? Most of the good ideas that RxISK has featured linked to the enduring sexual dysfunctions, whether PSSD, PRSD, PFS and PGAD, and in terms of other problems, have come from readers of these posts. Several readers have stood out in terms of contributions and this post comes from one of … [Read more...] about The Long Awaited PSSD Research Breakthrough?
Could Doctors be Journalists in Disguise
The bravery and dogged persistence of one woman, Rosie Tilli, was in the background to the last RxISK post - Could Journalists be Doctors in Disguise. Her story featured the same day in Antidepressants can Cause Chemical Castration, an article by Maryanne Demasi, a rather exceptional journalist. Lest anyone think there is a cosy club here, Maryanne and I fell out over a … [Read more...] about Could Doctors be Journalists in Disguise