Lots of people complain of cognitive problems on or after taking medications, whether psychotropic drugs, cholesterol lowering statins, asthma drugs like montelukast, or fluoroquinolone antibiotics. They often use the word “Brain Fog” to cover this. Women get Brain Fog in pregnancy that can linger afterwards. People with Long Covid complain of Brain Fog as do […]
This post covers difficulties primarily on antidepressants that medicines can cause to people in schools or universities who end up unable to study or do course-work, as well as the difficulties people can have trying to get off medicines, a process that can be pretty disabling. The materials linked to this post are being put […]
Stimulated by the recent Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) discussion, the following began as a comment from one of RxISK’s background activists but grew into a post. RxISK is not about to desert orthodox medicine and turn to herbalism but herbalism may well have a lot to offer. It looks like many traditional remedies actually do […]
In recent years, there has been increasing concern about the problem of antidepressants finding their way into the environment. These drugs aren’t fully absorbed by the body and are present in human waste. Small concentrations are then flowing into rivers via wastewater treatment facilities where wildlife can be affected. In August 2018, several media outlets reported […]
Editorial Note: This post reflects a probably not uncommon reality. There is no doubt people can be left with permanent dysfunction after a short course of SSRIs, or permanent depersonalization, so a permanent change of identity is possible and even likely for some – but features nowhere in the books. The author initially figured his […]
Editorial Note: Twenty-five years ago, Diane Fried took Floxin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic and a predecessor of Levaquin and Cipro, and was severely damaged as a consequence, leading her husband to write Bitter Pills. Three years ago we featured two posts on fluoroquinolone antibiotic problems. We have also featured posts on the closely related Lariam – mefloquine […]
Editorial Note: This is the transcript of a program broadcast as The Lariam Legacy on BBC Radio on March 31 2015. The narrator is Victoria Derbyshire. The featured drug is the anti-microbial Lariam, mefloquine. Mefloquine is closely related to the Fluoroquinolone’s Levaquin and Cipro. See previous RxISK posts on Lariam History, Lariam Hell and Flox-Tox. Atabrine […]
Editorial Note: This post is taken with permission from an article authored by Hazel Summers that first appeared in Canyon News – The Secret Danger of Statin Drugs, on December 28th. Moyra Peyralta, who wrote one of the key RxISK stories – Nearly Invisible – drew it to our attention. There is a Nearly Invisible […]
This story illustrates the issues described in Polypharmacy: when is enough, enough? It also illustrates how important the voice of the patients and, when they can’t advocate for themselves, their family. The experience of this family has motivated Johanna Trimble to become an advocate to help others avoid a similar situation. We hope stories like this […]
Editorial Note: This is the second part of a Lariam Odyssey by Dr Sam Ramsay Smith. The first part ran last week – Lariam Hell. Like most good stories this one involves expediency, hegemony, immorality, greed and even scientific bias, blindness and dishonesty all in the quest for power and money at the national and […]
Editorial Note: This post and the following one on the strange story of the Birth of Lariam come from Dr Sam Ramsay-Smith who has some questions he wants answered. In October, ‘The Independent’ printed the news that the US Armed Forces had banned the use of the anti-malarial drug mefloquine, otherwise known as Lariam. To […]
Editorial Note: Many years ago, Moyra Peralta lost her eldest son in a Road Traffic Accident. As she put it, she flipped out. She spent several years afterwards working with homeless people on the streets of London. Out of this she created an extraordinary “book”, Nearly Invisible – see Worldly Goods – covering lives lived on the street. […]
Editorial Note: This is a third post on Statins. The first two were Birth of a Statinista and The Legacy Effects of Statins. This one deals with one of the more complex problems these drugs can cause – cognitive failure. Many people might ask why post a story like this here and court media attention – this is a scientific […]
Editorial Note: This chilling account of the effects of statin drugs brings out a key role for reporters to RxISK.org – we need good data on how long the after-effects of drug treatment can last. This data is rarely collected but is of critical importance when it comes to insurance and disability assessments. A statin […]