RxISK founder Dr. David Healy: Side Effects – The True Story
Side Effects, the film, may well feature some great actors but in the real world of side effects, you the public, take centre stage.
Bangor, Wales — Today’s UK release of the movie Side Effects should remind us of the real world drug side effect problem. Drug side effects are now a leading cause of death, disability, and illness. Experts estimate that only 1–10% of “serious” adverse events (those causing hospitalization, disability, or death) are ever reported. Not to mention the millions of “medically mild” adverse drug events that occur each year — ones that compromise a person’s concentration, functioning, judgment, and ability to care. It has been reported that nearly a million patients a year are admitted to hospital in the UK alone due to adverse reactions to prescription drugs. The MHRA had 274, 123 reported suspected adverse reactions to prescription drugs from Jan 2000 – Nov 2011 of which nearly 12,000 people died. The bill for adverse reactions to drugs costs the NHS nearly a billion pounds a year. During the years 1995-2010, only 26 drugs were withdrawn.
In the first part of the movie, Side Effects, released in the UK on Friday 8 March, there is an expose of the pharmaceutical industry and greedy doctors. Emily Hawkins (Rooney Mara) is put on Ablixa by her psychiatrist Jonathan Banks (Jude Law) and while on it kills her husband. She apparently murders him while sleep-walking triggered by Ablixa and sleep walking being a perfect defence against murder she is acquitted.
That’s the film but in the real world can this happen?
Side Effects launched in the USA on Februay 8, 2013 in a week that saw a Dutch court hear evidence that paroxetine (aka Aropax, Paxil, Pexeva, Seroxat, Sereupin) can cause violent behaviour. An English translation from the court records follows:
“The suspect bashed in his girlfriend’s head using a fire extinguisher and then shot a police officer. Other law enforcement officers then shot the suspect 5 times, but they still had a lot of trouble trying to restrain the suspect”.
“The officers stated that they shot the suspect in the chest but it did not seem to have any effect. After the suspect had also been shot in the leg and shoulder, the suspect was still able to resist arrest. He still managed to hit another officer in the head using his gun. Officers even used pepper spray but that too did not yield any results. The officers stated that the suspect acted like a zombie”.
“Court experts stated that it was highly likely that the behaviour of the suspect had been caused by the use of Paroxetine”.
RxISK is the first free, independent website where patients, doctors, and pharmacists can research prescription drugs and easily report a drug side effect — identifying problems and possible solutions earlier than is currently happening and receive personalised assessments of the risk why their prescriptions are causing the problems they report.
Co-founder of RxISK and prominent psychopharmacologist, author, scientist and acknowledged expert on antidepressants and the pre-market trials that assess their safety, Dr David Healy from Wales says “the public has been deprived of crucial information about the behavioural side effects that these and other common medications can have. The film will highlight some of these issues. There are national and international regulations concerning prescription drugs, but are these enough to protect us? Obviously not.”
Side Effects, the film, has some interesting twists in the storyline; side effects from prescription drugs also have some dark and sinister twists totally unexpected by most people. For more information on these twists see RxISK.org.
About Data Based Medicine Americas Ltd.
RxISK.org is owned and operated by Data Based Medicine Americas Ltd. (DBM). DBM’s founders have international reputations in early drug-side-effect detection and risk mitigation, pharmacovigilance, and patient-centered care. Although drug side effects are known to be a leading cause of death and disability, less than 5% of serious drug side effects are reported. DBM’s mission is to capture this missing data directly from patients through RxISK’s free drug side effect reporting tool and use this data to help make medicines safer for all of us.
Media contacts
David Carmichael
david.carmichael@RxISK.org
+1 (647) 799-3792
David Healy
David.Healy@rxisk.org
T 44-1248-384453
C 44-7771-897792
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Hi
It will be interesting to see what sort of impact this film has on viewers>
Almost begs a follow up in the credits like -‘anyone who is affected by the contents of this film – go into Rxisk.org’
Hi
Yes, I agree with the notion that the public are deprived from necessary information about drugs they are prescribed . Having experienced a strong adverse reaction which caused a massive behavioural change . to which I am fortunate to have recovered from- I feel there ought to be more emphasis on the more unusual behavioural side effects a person can suffer (suffer – being the operative word) .
The medical profession need to be more open about acknowledging these effects along with the pharmaceutical companies -whom I feel are almost in denial.
My behaviour changed slowly – and crept up on me-I was unaware when I was in mid flight so to speak – Thanks to medical help I am fine now – but still at times completely flabber gasted at how I was.
The medical profession need to be more open about acknowledging these effects along with the pharmaceutical companies -whom I feel are almost in denial.
You will be waiting a long time they are in denial, all you’ll get from any of them is could be, maybe and might be, here try another one. That’s why most people look to others on the Internet for answers.
This type of side effect, becoming murderous or suicidal, is not uncommon. In fact, anywhere from a few percent to ten percent will experience Akathsia from taking a SSRI or other psychotropic medication. I believe akathsia is basically an overdose because I always felt this when I was accidentally overdosed.
There are two things that psychotropic medicine do to negatively effect behavior in a larger perspective.
They cause disinhibition from disrupting REM sleep and overdose. Just like alcohol, it can make people numb to morality. Immoral actions are not as bad to people on SSRI’s than they would be to people not on them.
All serotonin energetics can disrupt REM sleep. A somewhat rare but very fatal side effect of SSRI’s is that they can seem to stop REM sleep. If you do not go into REM while sleeping, you will go into while awake. This is how many psychedelic drugs work. They put you into a state of REM while awake. Look up Kipp Kingle.
The second thing they do to dis-inhibit is that they often overdose you.
In fact, it seems that no matter the dose of SSRI’s, their always will be an overdose.
Why else do so many serotonin connections shut down in the brain?
The body is compensating for an overdose of serotonin and so the body basically shuts down many of the receptors because if it did not; you would overdose and die.
Psychiatrists and mainstream doctors will tell you overdose is uncommon, but it is actually one of the most common, “side effects” their is. Swelling of the brain is not uncommon with SSRI overdose.
This is why Ativan is often given to people when they start to take an SSRI is Britain. So, if they overdose the patient accidentally, the person is less likely to go into seizures because Benzos can stop convulsions very well.
When you are accidentally overdosed, this is what is responsible for “Zombie like behavior”.
In America, overdose from SSRI’s are “uncommon” because they do not look, but in many countries, it is the number one “side effect”.
Thanks again FDA for giving me seizures and migraines from Effexor withdrawal and too many overdoses.
I have been on ssri’s for 20 years. My moral compass has faded away in many respects. It was gone by the 2nd or 3rd year. I just don’t care anymore about anything. I have no outrage to ANYTHING I see or hear. Nothing fazes me, no matter how outraged the rest of the world is.
At the same time, my internet pornography use went through the roof on these drugs. Paraphilic porn use came out of nowhere and became an obsession. Weird sexual fantasies.
After discussion with doctors and getting several expert opinions, the solution – withdraw slowly from the meds.
Down to 10mg daily of paroxetine (from 20mg). Paraphilias disappearing and sexual fantasies toning down. Psychiatrist believes these pills played a big role in deviation due to a number of factors including disinhibitory effects of these drugs. Previously diagnosed with ocd, anxiety and aspergers (asd).
P.s. Don’t get me wrong, paroxetine killed my worries and anxieties, so was effective in doing what it was designed to in that respect, but other side effects have become apparent over time. Have also been previously prescribed fluoxetine, desvenlafaxine, venlafaxine and duloxetine. All had same general zombie effect and instilled a care-factor of zero about everything, except they appeared to induce panic attacks from time-to-time.
My daughter committed suicide a year ago by hanging herself while on antidepressants, anti psychotics and Lorazepam. My daughter was desperately trying to get help but after a few admissions to a treatment and assessment centre she was discharged, after two days earlier attempting to hang herself in there, she couldn’t go back to her own house because of the fear for her 12 year old son, so she came to me. It;s a much longer story than this but the inquest has not yet occurred and there is a court case for Medical Negligence ongoing.
I myself have worked in Acute, Functional and Dementia settings as an OT helper for four and a half years before going on to train as a general nurse then as a Holistic Therapist, I also worked in a continuing rehabilitation for the brain injured (Headway) Abergavenny Mind, Hospice with my Holistic Therapies. I have just finished reading Katinka Blackford Newman’s book The Pill That Steals Lives and am certain my daughter had an adverse reaction to these drugs, there were so many light bulb moments while reading her story and I had been telling my daughter for months to get her med’s reviewed, check the side effects and get them to reduce the dose because they were not making her any better in fact they were making her worse. I could probably write a book about our experience of these poisonous chemical straight jackets but that’s for another day.
My husband committed suicide after slowly tapering off of Effexor (SSRI) and Imovane (sleep aid). Effexor was making him feel worse, but after he was off for about 3-4 weeks, he hanged himself, and didn’t even leave a note. He was always healthy, worked out, ate well, was smart (bordering genius, actually) and worked as an aerospace engineer. Had everything going for him, and one day, at age of 35, he decided to hang himself. Why? He totally changed when was prescribed Effexor, and even though he tapered off, he was not the same person he was before. He was prescribed Effexor, because he was struggling with the trauma of losing his mother in a tragic accident. Doctors immediately prescribe meds for everything! Wouldn’t have been better to help him process his grief with talk therapy? It’s natural that people get depressed after suffering a trauma, a sudden loss of a loved one, witnessing something awful, etc. Why is that, that doctors reach for brain altering meds right away? Getting over loss and grieving is a process, and does not require an SSRI. The brain sorts these things out naturally in stages over time. I believe that Effexor killed my husband, and basically ruined my life, as I’ve been struggling to pick up the pieces after his death. Lost EVERYTHING. Docs got me hooked on benzos, and now I am so far gone, it is almost impossible to stop. I’ve been struggling with withdrawal symptoms, insomnia, panic attacks for years. It’s a vicious cycle, and sometimes I wish I would have NEVER started to take anything. You trust your doctor, right? Me…not anymore. I have lost faith in the healthcare system. It’s all about MONEY. Doctors are obedient soldiers of drug companies who are raking in BILLIONS, and we are obedient idiots believing in what they give us. Please do your research before blindly accepting a script, and QUESTION everything.
For the last 3 years I am on various antidepressants.They have taken the life out of me and I am still depressed. Don’t know what to do next. I am really suffering with all my feelings gone. My stomach problems are getting worse.
Highly recommend David Healy’s book “Let Them Eat Prozac” and agree almost completely with the narrative he presents. I was prescribed, and took, SSRI’s twice, with the same essential result both times: hyperactivity, insomnia, delusions, and “l’idéé fixé”, i.e. getting fixated on some random idea. Both times I managed to stop taking the drug myself, with fortunately the help of some people around me to provide an environment in which I could do so. The second time was more than a decade after the first time and I allowed myself to be convinced by the doctor that the drug had come a long ways from Prozac to Lexapro, which was what I took the second time. But – pardon my french – it was the same fucking shit. Some people swear by these drugs and good for them if it helps them. But it is clear that more than a few people are affected very negatively, with sometimes very dire consequences. Nevertheless, prescriptions are written “one size fits all” with absolutely no attempt to determine if someone is going to have an adverse reaction, and with no monitoring of the patient’s response to the drug in case they do have an adverse reaction. It is very much, “throw them in the water and see if they can swim”, together with “if they drown, or come close to drowning, blame the condition that led the drug to be prescribed; do not ascribe any causation to the drug itself”. Or course, there are many things that clearly point to the fact that the drug is definitely to blame, such as the predictable occurrence of bizarre behavours that reliably manifest themselves within a short time window of the initiation of the drug, continue while the drug is being taken, and disappear once the drug is terminated. This latter termination of the drug, of course, for those like me that are lucky enough. I look at the horror story in this movie, that is based on real-life horror stories from people less fortunate than I was, and feel very lucky that I escaped the worst of it. Now, after these two experiences, I have Prozac and its derivatives (fluoxetine) listed as a family of drugs to which I am allergic, and I certainly will never willingly take any of this family of drugs again. I think the same should be true for many others, and I absolutely think greed and deception are involved throughout the pharmaceutical industry and the medical industry with respect to these drugs. I think people like me who have been adversely affected do well to follow Dr. Healy’s lead and the lead of the makers of Side Effects by standing up and speaking openly about our experiences and by shining a bright spotlight into these shady depths. The monsters that will creep out of those depths are Greed and Corruption. Now, of course, we are seeing an even more obvious repetition in the form of the opiod epidemic. In order to prove that their products are not addictive as they have claimed, I would like to see each and every one of the purveyors of opiods be forced to take a maximum daily dose for a year and then go cold turkey! Since it is only those disgracefully weak addicts that succumb to dependence, and none of our fine pharma bros or pill doctors or pill mills – whether Sackler, McKesson, Johnson and Johnson or etcetera etcetera etcetera – have such weaklings associated with them, I’m sure withdrawal will be a breeze! Good luck with it, mother fuckers! [Again, pardon my vulgar language; I’m normally much more well-spoken, but harsh experience has taught me that sometimes vulgar is absolutely appropriate, and this is one of those times, in my opinion].
If it were only that simple.
The pivotal issue here is that people are extremely reluctant to accept the enormity of the problem; which is that the world is captive to a Medical/Pharmacopoeia Mafia that embraces eugenics, based entirely on the proselytised myth of global overpopulation.
Interpreted, this psychopathic behaviour conjoins megalomania and pathological elitism with an ambition to return the world to feudal medievalism. Actually, worse. Slavery will be the life of most survivors.
What paralyses most people is the realisation that the only remedy is to kill the perpetrators. Retreating from this conclusion has been lubricated by the globalist’s promotion, using Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luthor King, of non-violent peaceful protest, beautifully reinforced by Hollywood. Gandhi was a fraud, as so many Africans and Indians of the 1940s shouted so loudly to the world, futilely. The City of London had already designed an alternative format for colonialism.
King was simply managed. Those who would have eliminated him earlier were themselves eliminated by the CIA, FBI, and other agencies. Peaceful protest must be shown to work, and this was the real objective from the beginning. The masterstroke was assassination by “the forces of evil”: martyrdom.
“All the world is a stage” was never more true.
And now humanity is marching joyously and non-violently to the slaughterhouse, precisely as planned. Others, equally, or perhaps more delusional, have lodged expensive legal challenges. Lawyers smirk. Meanwhile, those who might have fought back have been tranquilised or exterminated with chemically-induced suicide.
The globalists know full well that there are people like Healy, Yeadon, Malone, Cory, and Borody, who emit warning signals, but the ones they really fear are those who know how to end this nightmare, the only way that works. Terminally.
To this end, there is actually a Globalisation Plan B to follow possible defeat, with some of the sleeping participants already identified. A resistance counter-ploy has been installed already. Nevertheless, if humanity is to survive long enough to launch rescue number two, a lot of people are going to have to get real right now. The question is, has the brainwashing and propaganda been thorough enough?