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
Sex
SNOMED, Your Doctor and You – Having an Impact
This post is about you who read it, and the ten of us or so who have helped write it, having an impact on the system. Modern healthcare is very disempowering. The arrangement that makes some medicines Prescription-Only began life as a police function and unfortunately many of us consulting a doctor can feel knee-high to a policeman especially if we even begin to hint that a … [Read more...] about SNOMED, Your Doctor and You – Having an Impact
MHRA Adopts Code for Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction
A longstanding problem for people with post-SSRI sexual dysfunction (PSSD) when trying to report their condition to drug regulators has been the absence of a code for PSSD. When regulators receive adverse event reports, they are coded against specific terms in their database which are usually taken from the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA). Without a code … [Read more...] about MHRA Adopts Code for Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction
It is Hard for Thee to Kick Against the Pricks
The title of this post by Peter Selley comes from the Acts of the Apostles. It captures the moment where the Divine is advising Paul to stop persecuting Christians. Acts 9:5 (KJV). An if you can't beat them, why not join them moment. The words lend themselves to the situation of anyone attempting to grapple with the growth of a new RSV religion in more than one sense. Among … [Read more...] about It is Hard for Thee to Kick Against the Pricks
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
New Article about PSSD Epidemiology
We are pleased to announce the publication of “Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction: barriers to quantifying incidence and prevalence” in Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences. The journal was an ideal fit for the article, so we’re pleased that they not only accepted it for publication but also made it an editorial and freely available. RxISK first explored the idea of PSSD … [Read more...] about New Article about PSSD Epidemiology
Madness, Normality and Antidepressant Dysregulation
Some weeks ago, Bob Whitaker asked me to do a Mad in America Continuing Education Webinar on the problems stopping Antidepressants. The talk with discussion is here Stopping Antidepressants and responses to points raised will be followed up in forthcoming posts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIlk1My4ZgQ I prerecorded the talk in case of disaster as Tapering … [Read more...] about Madness, Normality and Antidepressant Dysregulation
The Seductive Charm of Pharmacology
The Post-Finasteride Syndrome Foundation has done great work for over a decade raising the profile of the sexual dysfunction that finasteride (Propecia) can cause - Post-Finasteride Syndrome - and more recently the suicidal effects this drug can have. The clear similarities between the difficulties triggered by Finasteride/Propecia, Isotretinoin/Accutane and SSRIs often … [Read more...] about The Seductive Charm of Pharmacology
Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction and Protracted Withdrawal Syndromes
Escaping the Hell of Protracted Withdrawal Syndrome by Thomas Staczewski is a well written post on Mad in America this week. TS's post links to an attractive Protracted Withdrawal Syndrome website he has, that has eye-catching imagery of brains. The bit, however, that really caught my eye was a suggestion - not quite an outright claim - that protracted withdrawal and PSSD are … [Read more...] about Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction and Protracted Withdrawal Syndromes
Complex Sensory Imbalances: New Remedies
In the Beginning The sulfonamides transformed medicine in the 1930s. They were the first effective antibiotics and they gave rise to the first diuretics, antihypertensives and hypoglycemics. The latest medical miracle, Semaglutide – Novo-Nordisk’s Ozempic - is touted not just as an effective hypoglycemic (anti-diabetic) medicine but also a Holy Grail drug that … [Read more...] about Complex Sensory Imbalances: New Remedies