In 2023 a new set of Canadian Guidelines for the Management of Alcohol Use Disorders put a serious problem on the radar for doctors that few of them likely expected. See Antidepressants, Alcohol and Anne-Marie. The antidepressants doctors commonly prescribed, often telling people these medicines would help them manage their alcohol issues, were likely causing the problem – … [Read more...] about Ostriches, Doctors, SSRIs and Tylenol
Antipsychotics
The Future of Health App-ointments
Several of the many people who write or track RxISK posts, have had input to this one, which dovetails with Harriet Vogt's post last week Repairing Ruptures in Clinical Care and the work of Shane Cooke and Mary Hennessey in getting health systems to listen to the voices of those harmed by treatment. The post, maybe, casts an ominous light on our abilities to get medicine to … [Read more...] about The Future of Health App-ointments
Repairing Ruptures in Clinical Care
Better Times Will Return © Josie Russell 2017 This post is by our warzone correspondent Harriet Vogt from frontline trenches. A few weeks ago I was invited to join an online discussion with a group of experts on iatrogenesis who have an in-depth knowledge of antidepressant withdrawal and the risks of polypharmacy. These highly informed, articulate, empathic medical … [Read more...] about Repairing Ruptures in Clinical Care
Deciphering the Web We Have Woven
Three people who got in touch recently, one with a problem, one with an idea, and one 'outraged' contributed to this post. The problem and idea illustrate what happens when doctors take Probity Blockers. The outrage tells you almost everything you need to know about the Web we are enmeshed in. Using the problem, idea and outrage, this post gives a punchier version of the … [Read more...] about Deciphering the Web We Have Woven
The Mysteries of Tapering – XX Rated
A woman on lamotrigine, a drug I never give anyone because of its withdrawal and other problems, recently came my way. She had been tapering for a long-time partly because lamotrigine can be a nasty drug to stop but primarily because her lamotrigine support group were firm Hyperbolic believers. An extraordinary number of people, primarily in my experience women, are … [Read more...] about The Mysteries of Tapering – XX Rated
No One Expects the Reformation
The title of this post borrows a famous line from Monty Python: No one expects the Spanish Inquisition This is an advance notice of things to come rather than a post per se. To get a sense of the things to come, it is worth reading the Antidepressants, Homicide and a Challenge post and the comments that come after it where many regular contributors to RxISK pick up … [Read more...] about No One Expects the Reformation
Antidotes for Akathisia and Dysregulation
A recent Mad in America Webinar on Antidepressant Dysregulation Syndromes introduced the idea that tapering might not be the only way to solve some of the problems SSRI antidepressants can cause. Tapering supporters give the impression tapering is the only legitimate way to go, leaving little or no room for the possibility that antidotes might help. Quite aside from … [Read more...] about Antidotes for Akathisia and Dysregulation
The Fantasies of Psychopharmacology
This talk was first given at a Medicating Normal Meeting for mental health staff in Lexington Kentucky organized by Geoff Wilson and a few days later in May at the invitation of Don Marks to a group of clinical psychologists in Kean University New Jersey. I'm hoping it will lead to feedback from both groups and others. It is twinned with Truth, Trust and Health also given … [Read more...] about The Fantasies of Psychopharmacology
Challenging My Doctor to Disclose
This recently published US strategy on Suicide Prevention epitomizes all that is going wrong in medicine today. It is stuffed full of references to Shared Decision Making, Informed Consent and Lived Experience. Stuffed full of token words, window-dressing, tick-boxing. It will increase rather than reduce suicide rates. It is clear that the people behind this, and … [Read more...] about Challenging My Doctor to Disclose
Is Your Treatment Making You Suicidal?
This post links to a RxISK Reducing the Risk of Treatment Induced Suicide Resource. The immediate idea for this Resource came from an article by Katinka Newman on the Downward Spiral many prescription drugs can cause. Five years ago RxISK posted lists of drugs that can cause a downward spiral. Three years ago a mother of a 14 year old boy - see Mentally Hijacked by … [Read more...] about Is Your Treatment Making You Suicidal?