Psychiatrists don’t generally tell you about this when they prescribe them, do they? if it happens to anyone it should be part of informed consent. That it’s happening to many thousands of us, we now know. We talk to one another. We’re here and we’ve experienced this. It’s important to know what is happening to people who take psychiatric drugs and not just to those who perceive their experience as helpful.
It’s always nice when national newspapers dare to tell the truth about psychiatric drugs. The below article is about antidepressants. The fact is all the psych drugs cause such issues in a large percentage of folks. Regardless of class of drug, all the psychiatric drugs can and do cause damage to the nervous system which for some people creates illness and disability that can last years. These illnesses are often diagnosed as psychiatric which continues the assault by the offending substances rather than their removal. It’s an ugly thing that needs to be stopped.
Today from the Telegraph in the UK:
Lives ‘left in ruin’ by rising tide of depression drugs
Prof Gøtzsche, author of Deadly Medicines and Organised Crime: How Big Pharma Has Corrupted Healthcare, believes that some drug companies have obfuscated the truth about antidepressants, much as tobacco firms attempted to hide the dangers of cigarettes.
“My research has led me to the uncomfortable conclusions that these drugs help very few people. They are often being taken needlessly and, in many cases, ruining lives.
“GPs and psychiatrists hand out these drugs for the most unbelievable reasons — when patients are having marital problems, have failed exams, split up with their boyfriends — occasions that would make anyone feel sad and stressed but don’t indicate clinical depression.
“In such cases, and also in truly depressed patients, the patients will feel better anyway with the passing of time, but doctors and patients attribute their recovery to the antidepressants. When they stop the drugs, withdrawal symptoms will often make them feel bad. This is often misdiagnosed as the depression not being cured, so they are told to continue taking the pills, sometimes for life.” (read the article here)
Generally, prolonged withdrawal syndrome is not recognized by medicine. In the course of my work with those coming off psych meds I’ve learned that there are few people, even among critics of psychiatry that have a clue at the potential severity of psychiatric drug withdrawal syndromes. That also means there are virtually no professionals that can offer meaningful support when people encounter serious issues. We remain dependent on each other.
Other than those who’ve directly experienced protracted withdrawal or those who have lived with those who have experienced it, it simply remains under appreciated and therefore under treated and under recognized even, as I said, among critics of psychiatry. It’s rather horrifying for those of us who find ourselves struck by such illness. While perhaps a minority, we are not an insignificant minority. I alone have had contact with 1000s of us.
The other thing to consider is that we are perhaps not even a minority because the fact is so many issues with withdrawal are not recognized at all and are instead considered and then treated as the “underlying illness,” many folks simply get sicker and sicker on meds and never even know why they’re ill. Those people never come to understand that all the multiple trials of drugs and the numerous times of coming off and on them has actually been the cause of their illness.
So you see, it’s wonderful to see an article like this in a national newspaper. I hope to see such pieces in the American press too some day.
I’m cutting and pasting and old post below: my comments and the video interview with Prof Gøtzsche, author of Deadly Medicines and Organised Crime:
A very excellent and damning interview that was also heartbreaking (all over again) for me to listen to. I’ve seen more harm and pain and suffering caused by these drugs both in myself and in the 1000s of people who have chosen to share their experience with me. We need to stop this genocide.
Yes, how can people not see this? Peter Gøtzsche is both sober and practical. Please watch.
Open Paradigm Project interview with Peter Gøtzsche on the topic of his recently-released book Deadly Medicines and Organised Crime: How Big Pharma Has Corrupted Healthcare
This video was made possible by Mad in America
See also: Medically induced illness and death: iatrogenic injury
Statistics for iatrogenic injury: Iatrogenic Disease: The 3rd Most Fatal Disease in the USA
More info: ANTIDEPRESSANT INFO
READ: Deadly Medicines and Organised Crime: How Big Pharma Has Corrupted Healthcare
*it is potentially dangerous to come off medications without careful planning. Please be sure to be well educated before undertaking any sort of discontinuation of medications. Do not assume your MD will know how to do it either. They are generally not trained in discontinuation and may not know how to recognize withdrawal issues. A lot of withdrawal issues are misdiagnosed to be psychiatric problems This is why it’s good to educate oneself and find a doctor who is willing to learn with you. See: Psychiatric drug withdrawal and protracted withdrawal syndrome round-up
Support Beyond Meds. Enter Amazon via a link from this blog and do the shopping you’d be doing anyway. No need to purchase the book the link takes you to. THANK YOU or make a donation with PayPal
You must be logged in to post a comment.