Last week's post on Montelukast Withdrawal Syndrome has attracted comments at a higher rate than any prior post in 7 years of RxISK posts. It followed a post on Asthma causing Suicide and Homicide two weeks previously, which had links to the QuarterWatch 2015 report of adverse events in children fingering montelukast and suicidality as the second most common pediatric … [Read more...] about Montelukast, Fluoroquinolone, Psychotropic Withdrawal & Toxicity
Suicide
Montelukast Withdrawal Syndrome
When my happy, full-of-life, adventure-seeking 11-year-old son experienced severe, debilitating neuropsychiatric symptoms after stopping his asthma medication, I embarked on a journey in a desperate search for answers. How could a medication that acts on the respiratory system reduce my healthy child to a lifeless shell? How could our beloved doctor not discuss the … [Read more...] about Montelukast Withdrawal Syndrome
When Asthma leads to Suicide or Homicide
It seems like it's all happening in Wales at the moment. Wales Online last week reported on two children who developed suicidal behaviour and change of personalities on montelukast - Singulair. It was two mother who pieced the story together in the case of their children and confirmed the link to the drug by getting it stopped and seeing the problem clear up. … [Read more...] about When Asthma leads to Suicide or Homicide
RxISK Rorschach: Do not Go Gentle
Last week's RxISK post on Assisted Dying proved something of a Rorschach test. People read diametrically opposite messages into it. It was written at the same time as Something Stupid This Way Comes and cross-referenced this. This I thought made it clear that there is no such thing as Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD). TRD is a phenomenon created by antidepressants - … [Read more...] about RxISK Rorschach: Do not Go Gentle
Assisted Dying: Going Gentle or Not so Gentle
Assisted dying has become a hot topic. For large parts of human history when people came toward an end, they might have been left in an outhouse by relatives or consigned themselves to a hut in the woods. Children too. When born, Spartan children were taken outside and their hands placed on the eaves of the house - if they didn't cling on, the bodies were … [Read more...] about Assisted Dying: Going Gentle or Not so Gentle
Encountering Doctors
Editorial Note: The image goes with a study headlined Doctors stop listening to patients several seconds into a conversation. This post is from one of the many PSSD sufferers who behind the scenes has been helping push research on this awful condition forward. It would be a lot easier if doctors did listen. Just as the brain and the human nervous system are largely … [Read more...] about Encountering Doctors
Silent Night – in the Vatican
There is no intention in this piece to cause offence. But there seems to be no point in being anything other than blunt. Two thousand years ago, Aristotle could argue that politics should be moral - that we should govern the polis in a manner that fostered virtue in its citizens. There wasn’t then the split between public and private morality there is now. The polis was … [Read more...] about Silent Night – in the Vatican
Akathisia, Depression & Suicide: The List
This post closes our series on akathisia. Along with posts on davidhealy.org, the other posts were: Akathisia Anthem 500+ Drugs that Cause Depression and Suicide – AKA Akathisia Akathisia Challenge Even Politicians get killed by Akathisia In 500 drugs that cause depression and suicide, we mentioned building a new list of drugs that can cause depression and … [Read more...] about Akathisia, Depression & Suicide: The List
Even Politicians get killed by Akathisia
Editorial Note: - This continues our series of the lethal effects of akathisia running on RxISK and davidhealy.org - with special reference to Little Red SSRIding Hood and Even Docs get killed by Akathisia. Akathisia and treatment induced suicide took a political turn over the weekend, along with the issue of whether teenagers should be informed of these risks, when Ruth … [Read more...] about Even Politicians get killed by Akathisia
Akathisia Challenge
A post on May 31st on davidhealy.org, The Greatest Failure in What Used to be Called Medicine, and the following post on the Spectre of Dissent, triggered two conversations. One was about the appropriateness of the imagery used. The other was a long conversation initiated by Tim and then developed by Heather about what to do about Akathisia. One of the suggestions was that … [Read more...] about Akathisia Challenge