Editorial Note: Wikipedia astonishingly removed their post on Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction on January 27th (see this week's previous posts: Sexual DEATH, Wikipedia Stumbles and Wikipedia Falls). This was a huge mistake. PSSD and related conditions like Post-Finasteride and Post-Isotretinoin Syndromes are very real, probably holding the key to a number of physiological and … [Read more...] about Post Finasteride Syndrome: PFS
Suicide
At First a Lifeline, Then a Noose
Editorial Note: The death of Philip Seymour Hoffman featured heavily in early news bulletins this week. It seems highly likely that Hoffman's death originated from a prescription drug problem. As it happens Johanna Ryan from RxISK's Community Board had been liaising with the parents of Steve Rummler and others concerned about the licensing of yet another opiate pain-killer - … [Read more...] about At First a Lifeline, Then a Noose
The Strange History of Lariam
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 international levels. At the personal level there is a range … [Read more...] about The Strange History of Lariam
Lariam Hell
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 many this may mean little or nothing, but to quite a few … [Read more...] about Lariam Hell
Accutane: 30 Years of Trading our Sex Lives for Clear Skin
Editorial: Bill G. Sex and skin There are an ever-increasing and disturbing number of young people claiming their sex lives have been permanently ruined from taking the acne drug, isotretinoin, commonly referred to by its former brand-name, Accutane. Often these affected young men and women, many in their teens and early 20s, cannot overcome their embarrassment to report … [Read more...] about Accutane: 30 Years of Trading our Sex Lives for Clear Skin
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
We Have a Dream: Getting Engaged to a Doctor
Still, you take the medication as prescribed. At first you imagine your body may adjust or the pills will come to understand you. It is no use. From Virginia Chase Sutton: Lithium and the Absence of Desire. Patient engagement Patient engagement is one of the mantras of current healthcare improvement efforts. Medical students and junior doctors likely think they are doing … [Read more...] about We Have a Dream: Getting Engaged to a Doctor
Suicide on Pain-Killers: John’s Story
Editorial note: Nearly 20 years ago I put someone on sodium valproate for a mental health problem. She was likely the first person in North Wales put on this drug for this reason. I was the person who knew most about psychotropic drugs in North Wales. She had left school before finishing and at the time there was no access to the internet. Listening to what I was proposing to … [Read more...] about Suicide on Pain-Killers: John’s Story
Suicide is Painless: Sylvia’s Story
Editorial note: In 1962, Sylvia Plath committed suicide a week after going on phenelzine, an antidepressant. She had two young children, making her death close to inexplicable - unless the medication she was put on disturbed the balance of her mind. But what does 'disturb the balance of your mind' mean? In this account, another Sylvia put on doxycycline gives one of the best … [Read more...] about Suicide is Painless: Sylvia’s Story
Daily Mail Online: What is wrong with randomised trials Part 2
May 5, 2013 By Jerome Burne Could alcohol get a licence as a drug for depression? How do you test for the safety of a drug that causes the same side effects as the disease it is used to treat? These are just two of the points I didn’t have room for in my post last week on randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and why they don’t tell you what you want to know. (More on these … [Read more...] about Daily Mail Online: What is wrong with randomised trials Part 2