Thursday, December 09, 2004

More Warnings About Anti-Depressants

Britain seems to be at the leading edge of exposing the dangers of anti-depressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors - SSRIs). Britain was the first to ban the use of most SSRIs on children under 18 because they cause suicide and psychotic behavior. Now the British medical authorities have issued warnings about the dangers of these drugs for patients over 18.

These drugs are following the same path as so many drugs before them: they start off as wonder drugs, then the complaints start, the drug companies and medical authorities deny the "anecdotal" evidence, more deaths occur, the "anecdotal" evidence is eventually validated by "scientific" evidence and the drugs are banned. The great shame is the deaths and destroyed lives caused by the pride of medical professionals and the avarice of the drug companies.

Some extracts from the article:

  • "... 'clear advice' should be given in all product information about withdrawal reactions, dose changes and suicidal behavior." (emphasis added - all SSRIs are included here).
  • "...young adults are at a higher background risk of suicidal behavior than older adults, so as a precautionary measure, young adults treated with S.S.R.I.'s should be closely monitored." (notice it only says "at a higher background risk than older adults", this means ALL adults are at risk.)
  • "In separate guidelines, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, which is part of the National Health Service and issues rulings on treatments and care, said that antidepressants should not be used at all in the initial treatment of mild depression because 'the risk-benefit ratio is poor.' " (emphasis added)
  • "... patients could suffer withdrawal symptoms if they reduce their dosage or stopped taking the drugs." (that's something the drug companies have been denying for years.)

The article: New Level of Caution Over Antidepressants in Britain

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