fly the freaked out skies! i feel more at risk in this country with each passing day.

http://ssristories.com/





SSRI Stories

Antidepressant Nightmares

Click For Sortable Database of 3700+ Media Articles Naming Antidepressants

WARNING!

Withdrawal can often be more dangerous than continuing on a medication. It is important to withdraw extremely slowly from these drugs, usually over a period of a year or more, under the supervision of a qualified specialist. Withdrawal is sometimes more severe than the original
symptoms or problems.


This website is a collection of 3700+ news stories with the full media article available, mainly criminal in nature, that have appeared in the media (newspapers, TV, scientific journals) or that were part of FDA testimony in either 1991, 2004 or 2006, in which antidepressants are mentioned.

User Friendly: This massive index of over 3700 cases [which contains over 100 categories] is now capable of showing singly the 14 most important categories by clicking on the following links:
Soldier Cases
School Shootings / Incidents
Most Recent (Last 30 Days)
Workplace Violence
Celebrity Cases
Highly Publicized Cases
Won SSRI Criminal Cases
Women Teacher Molestations
Postpartum Cases
Murder-Suicides
Murders / Murder Attempts
Suicides / Suicide Attempts
Road Rage Cases
Journal Articles

Click For Sortable Database of all 3700+ Media Articles Naming Antidepressants

Antidepressants have been recognized as potential inducers of mania and psychosis since their introduction in the 1950s. Klein and Fink1 described psychosis as an adverse effect of the older tricyclic antidepressant imipramine. Since the introduction of Prozac in December, 1987, there has been a massive increase in the number of people taking antidepressants. Preda and Bowers2 reported that over 200,000 people a year in the U.S. enter a hospital with antidepressant-associated mania and/or psychosis. The subsequent harm from this prescribing can be seen in these 3700+ stories.

Before the introduction of Prozac in Dec. 1987, a little less than one percent of the population in the U.S. was diagnosed with bipolar disorder – also known as manic depression. Now, with the widespread prescribing of antidepressants, the percent of the population that is diagnosed with bipolar disorder (swing from depression to mania or vice versa) has risen to 2.6%3. This is almost one out of every 38 people in the U.S.

This web site focuses on the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), of which Prozac was the first. Other SSRIs are Zoloft, Paxil (Seroxat), Celexa, Sarafem (Prozac in a pink pill), Lexapro, and Luvox. Other newer antidepressants included in this list are Remeron, Anafranil and the SNRIs Effexor, Serzone, Cymbalta and Pristiq as well as the dopamine reuptake inhibitor antidepressant Wellbutrin (also marketed as Zyban).

The Physicians' Desk Reference

The Physicians' Desk Reference lists the following adverse reactions (side effects) to antidepressants among a host of other physical and neuropsychiatric effects. None of these adverse reactions (side effects) is listed as Rare. They are all listed as either Frequent or as Infrequent:


* Manic Reaction (Mania, e.g., Kleptomania, Pyromania, Dipsomania)
* Abnormal Thinking
* Hallucinations
* Personality Disorder
* Amnesia
* Agitation
* Psychosis
* Abnormal Dreams



* Emotional Lability (Or Instability)
* Alcohol Abuse and/or Craving
* Hostility
* Paranoid Reactions
* Confusion
* Delusions
* Sleep Disorders
* Akathisia (Severe Inner Restlessness)
* Discontinuation (Withdrawal) Syndrome


Adverse reactions are most likely to occur when starting or discontinuing the drug, increasing or lowering the dose or when switching from one SSRI to another. Adverse reactions are often diagnosed as bipolar disorder when the symptoms may be entirely iatrogenic (treatment induced). Withdrawal, especially abrupt withdrawal, from any of these medications can cause severe neuropsychiatric and physical symptoms. It is important to withdraw extremely slowly from these drugs, often over a period of a year or more, under the supervision of a qualified and experienced specialist, if available. Withdrawal is sometimes more severe than the original symptoms or problems.

FDA Public Health Advisory

*

On March 22, 2004 the FDA published a Public Health Advisory that reiterates several of these side effects and states (in part) "Anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, impulsivity, akathisia (severe restlessness), hypomania, and mania have been reported in adult and pediatric patients being treated with antidepressants for major depressive disorder as well as for other indications, both psychiatric and non-psychiatric." (Click Links button at bottom of this page for a direct link to this FDA Warning.)
*

On September 14, 2004 the FDA added a Black Box Warning in regard to antidepressants & suicidality in those under age 18.
*

On September 14, 2004 the FDA mandated that pharmacies provide to all parents or guardians for those younger than 18 an Antidepressant Patient Medication Guide. This guide reads (in part) "Call healthcare provider right away if you or your family member has any of the following symptoms: Acting aggressive, being angry, or violent & acting on dangerous impulses." This Antidepressant Patient Medication Guide also states "Never stop an antidepressant medicine without first talking to a healthcare provider. Stopping an antidepressant medicine suddenly can cause other symptoms." (Click Links button at bottom of this page for a direct link to this FDA Antidepressant Guide.)
*

On December 13, 2006, the Black Box Warning for suicidality was updated to include those under age 25. The Black Box Warning is included in the insert to the drugs and in the Physicians' Desk reference.

54 School Shootings/Incidents Involving SSRIs

Most of the stories on this site describe events that occurred after the year 2000. The increase in online news material and the efficiency of search engines has greatly increased the ability to track stories. Even these 3700+ documented stories only represent the tip of an iceberg since most stories do not make it into the media. There are 71 cases of bizarre behavior, 54 school shootings/incidents, 67 road rage tragedies, 16 air rage incidents, 61 postpartum depression cases, over 700 murders (homicides), over 200 completed murder-suicides and other acts of violence including workplace violence on this site. There are also over 100 Journal Articles and FDA reports listed in the Index. They are at the top of the Index immediately below the 54 school shootings/incidents and the 19 "won" cases.

An Absence of Controlled Scientific Evidence

In the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, Volume 14, Number 1, Spring 2009, there is a journal article by Joel M. Kauffman, Ph.D., which is titled: Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) Drugs: More Risk Than Benefits?" In reference to SSRIStories.com, Dr. Kaufmann made the following statement: "Since no clinical trial involving multiple homicides is ever likely to be run, no firmer evidence is likely to be found. Healy noted that much of the evidence for suicide and murder came from the efforts of journalists and lawyers".

To read the full article go to the Links page on this site (click the button at the bottom of this page).

Japanese Warning on Violence

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan has investigated reports where people on antidepressants have committed sudden acts of violence against others. The agency has decided to revise the warnings on the medication guide to read, "There are cases where we cannot rule out a causal relationship with the medication."

A Public Health Problem of Epidemic Proportions

There is a grave concern among advocates that adverse reactions are greatly underestimated by the public, the medical profession, and the regulatory authorities. Each of these stories in our list can be interpreted as an adverse reaction and in most cases we have highlighted the portion of the article that refers to evidence of bizarre behavioral change consistent with drug reaction. In some stories causation is acknowledged and the juxtaposition of these stories with those where it goes unrecognized as well as the repetition of themes and circumstances is chilling. If indeed medications played a significant role in all these tragedies, then this is a public health problem of epidemic proportions on a global scale.
How to Use This Web Site

To enter the site, click on the button below. This will bring up the site index. The index contains 5 columns, each with its own column header displayed in red. Clicking on the column header will re-sort the index according to that heading. A link to the complete media article or testimony, often with a summary heading, is available by clicking on the "What" column entry displayed in blue.

There are 2 flags set in the index which have special meaning as follows:

1.

If the first character of the "Additional" column is a special character sequence (*,**,+,++), then the moderators of SSRIStories consider that story to be of special interest.
*

** Indicates a school shooting or school incident.
*

* Indicates a legal case won using SSRI defense.
*

++ Indicates an important journal article.
*

+ Indicates a highly publicized case.
2.

If the last character of the "Drug" column is an asterisk, it indicates some expert has indicated the drug contributed to the events documented in the story.

1 Klein DF, Fink M. Psychiatric Reaction Patterns to Imipramine. Am Journal Psychiatry 1962; 119: 432-438

2 Preda and Bowers. Antidepressant-Associated Mania and Psychosis Resulting in Psychiatric Admissions . Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 2001: 62: 30-33

3 NIMH Health Publication August 10, 2009

yep, they picked the right ones, it looks like.

http://www.sailhome.org/Concerns/BodyBurden/Burdens/Fluoride.html


Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs are commonly prescribed to treat depression.

These drugs incorporate fluorine into their chemical structure.


Brand Name Generic Name
Celexa ‣ citalopram
Lexapro ‣ escitalopram oxalate
Luvox ‣ fluvoxamine maleate
Paxil ‣ paroxetine
Prozac ‣ fluoxetine
Zoloft ‣ sertraline (chlorine instead of fluorine)


The drugs are designed to block metabolism of the neurotransmitter serotonin. The result is increased serotonin.

It appears this may not be a good approach. Excess of a neurotransmitter makes it excitotoxic.

This is significant because depression is an excitotoxic condition -- it is the result of excess glutamate activation in the frontal cortex of the brain (basis here and here). Manipulating the level of serotonin does not address the underlying problem of excess glutamate. Instead it simply adds burden to the degenerative condition already underway. Recent research indicates that genetic variability in glutamate activity can make a significant number of people more sensitive to SSRI effects, including a much higher likelihood of expressing suicidal thoughts.

Serotonin receptors exist throughout the body. Altering the level of serotonin affects the entire body, not just the brain. Elevated serotonin is associated with

Agitation
Altered REM sleep behavior
Alzheimer's
Anxiety
Autism spectrum disorders
Depression
Exhibitionism
Hostility
Impulsive behavior
Insomnia
Mental retardation
Mood disorders (wild mood swings)
Nightmares
Organic brain disease
Psychosis
Reckless driving
Schizophrenia
Substance abuse
Suicide
Violence


Several things happen as the SSRI forces a constant excitotoxic state -- serotonin receptors die off, serotonin levels become depleted, and a cascade of metabolic disruption takes place. The person becomes acutely worse. Additional conditions SSRI's have been shown to directly trigger include

Angina pectoris
Atrial fibrillation
Bone fractures
Cardiac arrhythmia
Congestive heart failure
Diarrhea
Dystonia
Gastrointestinal distress
Hemorrhages
Hypertension
Hypotension
Migraine syncope
Mood swings
Myocardial infarction
Nausea
Obesity
Osteoporosis
Seizures
Sexual dysfunction
Tachycardia
Trigeminy
Vascular headache
Vomiting


Also, any SSRI crosses the placenta and exposes the fetus to its effects.


There are hundreds of high-profile cases of murders, suicides, school shootings, incidents of workplace violence, road rage and other events -- all tied to the use of prescription SSRI drugs.

Large clinical studies in the U.K. show SSRIs increase suicides by at least 3x. According to GlaxoSmithKline internal data the rate is at least 6.4x. These results are based on short-term trials (4-6 weeks). In real-world use the rate may be 60x higher, but nobody has been paid publicly to study that.


CAUTION: If you are currently taking an SSRI and want or need to stop, it is important not to simply go "cold turkey" or to reduce use too quickly. It can take months to safely discontinue use of these drugs. It is imperative you consult a qualified practitioner. These drugs are dangerous to start, and dangerous to stop.


The internet is filled with additional information. Here are just a few starting points

‣ Prozac's House of Horrors
‣ Wikipedia
‣ DrugAwareness.org
‣ McGill University Health Centre
‣ Whale