Editorial Note: This post by Adam Urato from Boston picks up one of the most important issues of our time. It touches on one of the most sensitive issues of all - should anyone tell a mother-to-be what to do about medications like the Antidepressants. See The Dark is for Mushrooms. Does antidepressant use during pregnancy lead to autism in the exposed children? This is a very … [Read more...] about Antidepressants and Autism: Time to Worry?
Antidepressants
Keeping an Eye on the Ball: Visual Problems on SSRIs
Editorial Note: The author of this report wants to remain anonymous for important reasons not contained in this report. He comes from the Newcastle area, where if you are a fan of sports and think of someone who was good at keeping his eye on the ball and scoring extraordinary goals, you are likely to think of Alan Shearer. So AS it is. For sheer persistence that eventually … [Read more...] about Keeping an Eye on the Ball: Visual Problems on SSRIs
The Right Stuff – The RxISK Stuff
Editorial Note: The RxISK Report function on RxISK has been streamlined. We want you and everyone who can to fill reports, take them to your doctor pharmacist or nurse prescriber and report back to us. There are two reasons to do so. First, you are getting $150.00 worth of RxISK Report for free - it seems a shame to leave it sitting on your computer doing nothing. Second, … [Read more...] about The Right Stuff – The RxISK Stuff
Fragile Doctors: Iatroporosis
Editorial Note: This post is from Sara Bostock, who was one of the originators of the SSRI Stories concept and a key player in putting pressure on FDA to put in place Suicide Warnings on Antidepressants. So she is far from the average in her determination - although to look at her she looks just like the rest of us. Tough though she is, this post brings out just how difficult … [Read more...] about Fragile Doctors: Iatroporosis
I’m not pre-pregnant. I just have a womb.
Editorial Note: Two months ago we were deep in a controversy about Antidepressants and Birth Defects. (See The Dark is for Mushrooms, not for Women, Preventing Precaution and Mumsnet). Many women hearing a message that they should be wary about antidepressants and the risk of birth defects hear that they are being regarded simply as wombs rather than women. Others hear pharma … [Read more...] about I’m not pre-pregnant. I just have a womb.
Shooters on Prescription Drugs
The news from Washington this week (September 17 - See Scientific American) of another shooting where the shooter has been on psychotropic medication - this time trazodone - raises once again questions about the interaction between violence and medication. The data points absolutely convincingly to the fact that the drugs can and do cause violence. Some of the data is laid … [Read more...] about Shooters on Prescription Drugs
Herding Women
Since 2005, Paroxetine, first marketed by GlaxoSmithKline as Seroxat/Paxil, has carried warnings of birth defect risks. These risks led to litigation in the US – but not elsewhere. In the first case that went to court in the US in 2009, the Kilker case, the lawyers for Lyam Kilker argued that, even before Paxil was launched, there was good laboratory evidence that the … [Read more...] about Herding Women
The Pre-Pregnancy Dilemma Survey: Part 1
This is the first of two five minute surveys covering dilemmas that have been thrown up by the Panorama program on antidepressants, anticonvulsants and birth defects. The dilemma arises from the fact that women going on them are kept in the dark about a number of important issues. First, they aren't told that these drugs can cause significant dependence - that they can be … [Read more...] about The Pre-Pregnancy Dilemma Survey: Part 1
Mumsnet
Editorial Note: Two comments from Johanna and Neil in response to The Dark is for Mushrooms and Preventing Precaution. Johanna I didn’t see the BBC Panorama show (not available in the US) and don’t know if the outrage expressed by the Mumsnet blogger is sincere. It hardly sounds like Dr. Pilling was against using SSRI’s for any woman physically capable of getting pregnant. In … [Read more...] about Mumsnet
Preventing Precaution
Editorial Note: This post by Harriet Rosenberg aims at getting some debate going about medication and birth defects. We will run a survey early next week on this issue Right-to-Know (R2K). A recent post on RxISK, The dark is for mushrooms not for women features responses on Mumsnet to the issue of prescribing SSRIs during pregnancy. Johanna Ryan comments at the end of the … [Read more...] about Preventing Precaution