RxISK's last story featured a young woman who went on Paxil soon after the Keller et al version of Study 329 was published. We would love to hear more from anyone who was put on an SSRI during this period or who was recruited into an SSRI trial. What were you told about the risks and what happened to you? Study 329 has just gone live. The Restoring Study 329 article with its … [Read more...] about Study 329
Suicide
The Man who thinks he is a Monster: Sertraline and Violence
Editorial Note: See The Man who thought he was a Monster Sunday’s child is full of grace He was born on a Sunday. He had an average background with few health, physical or mental problems. His main difficulty was a certain social anxiety. He went to University to study Neuroscience – probably to try and understand people. His first attempt to seek help was from the … [Read more...] about The Man who thinks he is a Monster: Sertraline and Violence
Withdrawal from Sertraline
This is the story of Anna. My first encounter with psychiatry and the “mental health” system was in the summer of 2008. A beautiful; warm summer indeed. But unfortunately I will recall this summer for other, less glorious, reasons. I was 20 years old at the time and had moved eight times in my short life, changed countries twice and had become increasingly more lonely and … [Read more...] about Withdrawal from Sertraline
My Trip Through the Polypharmacy Blender
By Rory Tennes I was asked by David Healy to write my own story after he read my comment on another RxISK story. I agreed but have been surprised how hard it was to sit down and do it. I knew the story, the words were in my head. Yet I avoided getting started. Perhaps it was because of the painful emotions I knew it would bring to the surface. Or maybe because it reminds me … [Read more...] about My Trip Through the Polypharmacy Blender
The Year of My Life that was Stolen
This post is by Katinka Blackford-Newman, who can be seen here running a half-marathon to raise money for RxISK but who also since the events described here has been involved in several criminal trials, believing that it is important that juries get to hear stories like hers when faced with the challenge of assessing what contribution a drug might have made to a crime. There … [Read more...] about The Year of My Life that was Stolen
Abilify, Tourette Syndrome and Me
Editorial Note: This post is by DG. It's number three in the Abilify series, following Dodging Abilify and Abilify from the Inside Out. I was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome (TS) as a child. It was always manageable. I did well in school and was actively involved with music programs at church and school. At 17, my tics suddenly became severe and despite extensive testing, … [Read more...] about Abilify, Tourette Syndrome and Me
Abilify from the Inside Out
Editorial Note: This is part 2 of Johanna Ryan's series that started with Dodging Abilify. Abilify is at present the best-selling drug in North America - how come? In last week’s column, Dodging Abilify, I described the fan-club enthusiasm for this drug among doctors I’ve met, my own reluctance to try it, and what I’d learned about Abilify from casual research. This week … [Read more...] about Abilify from the Inside Out
Dodging Abilify
Editorial Note: This post is by Johanna Ryan, who has a unique ability to capture the American Nightmare. The best-selling drug in the United States isn’t a blood pressure pill, a painkiller or even an antidepressant. It’s Abilify, an antipsychotic agent with $6.3 billion in 2013 sales. Granted, Abilify isn’t the most prescribed pill, but its #1 status is sealed by popularity … [Read more...] about Dodging Abilify
Becoming Suicidal on an Antibiotic
Editorial Note: The last post on Lariam and suicide mentioned an alternate treatment for malaria prophylaxis - doxycycline. Doxycycline is not without its problems. It can cause suicide - Suicide is Painless. It and other tetracycline antibiotics can also cause sexual dysfunction including enduring post-treatment sexual dysfunction - makes you wonder if they also inhibit … [Read more...] about Becoming Suicidal on an Antibiotic
Antibiotics: Suicide & Psychosis
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 was the … [Read more...] about Antibiotics: Suicide & Psychosis