Editorial Note: These excerpts from Bruce Springsteen's new book Born To Run were picked out for us by a colleague who is a lifetime Bruce fan. Zero to sixty in nothing flat The blues don’t jump right on you. They come creeping. Shortly after my sixtieth I slipped into a depression like I hadn’t experienced since that dusty night in Texas thirty years earlier. It lasted for a … [Read more...] about Bruce Springsteen: Born to Withdraw?
Withdrawal
The Pill that Causes you to Steal Someone Else’s Life
Katinka Newman's The Pill that Steals Lives brings out the hazards of being put on a treatment that then becomes the problem that other treatments are used to treat. In her case she could have easily killed herself - or her children. The website 100Families.org lists 1250+ cases where mental health is linked to homicides. The thrust of the website is that mental illness is … [Read more...] about The Pill that Causes you to Steal Someone Else’s Life
Stopping Antidepressants: Kenny’s Dilemma
Editorial Note: This request came to RxISK through Contact Us, last week. It went out to several of the panel who contribute to our responses, some of whom have qualified in medicine and some who have qualified by going through the medical system. There was no consensus among us about how to respond. Beneath the dilemma there are some notes toward a response. The dilemma I'm … [Read more...] about Stopping Antidepressants: Kenny’s Dilemma
Olanzapine: Still Treading Water
Editorial Note: Ages back, Sally MacGregor wrote this piece to follow up to her Olanzapine experience - Olanzapine Withdrawal: Sally's Story. The original piece has routinely been among the top ten RxISK blog posts visited. This update slipped between the cracks. But here it is. Time for a progress report. I was in feisty mode last time – determined not to be beaten by the … [Read more...] about Olanzapine: Still Treading Water
Kidnapped: Natalie’s Story
Editorial Note: Natalie's story parts 1 and 2 are by her mother Kristina. Natalie, celebrating her tenth birthday in 2003, shortly after being prescribed Prozac. Her left eye was starting to show signs of amblyopia, more commonly called “lazy eye.” This adverse drug reaction worsened and was one of many Natalie suffered from unnecessary prescribing. We couldn’t understand how … [Read more...] about Kidnapped: Natalie’s Story
Medical Kidnap: Withdrawal & Non-Compliance
Editorial Note: This post is by Wendy Murray. It comes from a chapter in her new book that deals with the problems many of us have with prescribers of all kinds for medications of all kinds when we question their judgment. Their attitudes can kidnap us just as much as a detention can. I had reached the stage of taking a very low dose (6.5 mg) of citalopram during my second … [Read more...] about Medical Kidnap: Withdrawal & Non-Compliance
A Kidnapped Daughter 2
Continued from Part 1. Put on mirtazepine my daughter deteriorated rapidly. The crisis intervention team descended. They started by counting pills. When they found the number correct, they assumed I had destroyed the pills. They seemed perplexed. One of the team would take her out for some one–to-one. They would visit the local park, go to the café and drink some cocoa. … [Read more...] about A Kidnapped Daughter 2
Medication and Withdrawal
The RxISK website has been undergoing major renovation. There is still a great deal of work going on behind the scenes to look at new ideas and better ways to make available the best tools and information about prescription drug side effects. The old site had a Symptoms on Stopping Zone – a Withdrawal Zone. Withdrawal is an important feature of RxISK, so we are hoping to … [Read more...] about Medication and Withdrawal
United States of Adderall
Ed Note: This post is by Johanna Ryan who covers most of our stimulant related topics. Dr. Larry Diller is a pediatrician who specializes in children’s behavioral problems, especially Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He’s by no means anti-medication; he has prescribed stimulants to kids for decades. But twenty years ago he was already concerned about their … [Read more...] about United States of Adderall
Greg’s Dilemma: Feeling Blue
Magic bullet In Greg's Dilemma 1 and Dilemma 2, Greg outlined more than one dilemma linked to getting hooked to antidepressants and benzodiazepines. The responses to these posts were all over the shop - from pull yourself together, to entrust your life to God, to support for descriptions of positions others find themselves in. The responses also split in terms of what the … [Read more...] about Greg’s Dilemma: Feeling Blue