Psychotropic Drugs & Failure To Warn

Mother's story about the Death of her 10 year old daughter Shaina, caused form Desipramine toxicity!

By Mother Vicky Dunkle

I am a mother from the state of Pennsylvania working hard to make sure people are being warned properly about the inherent dangers from psychotropic drugs and the off labeled prescribing that continues to be a trend in our society today. Today's educational system is also applying added pressure to make people believe their children are abnormal. Why are parents not being warned properly about side effects? Why are parents being pressured from within the school system?

Why do physician's get away with off labeled prescribing of dangerous drugs not FDA approved because the safety and effectiveness has not been safely tested in children?

Why are innocent children dying from mind altering drugs for a diagnoses that has never been proven?

All questions that are valid and need answers!!

In 1999 I was told by the school psychologist that my 8 year old daughter Shaina couldn't stay focused, talked out of turn, couldn't concentrate, and had trouble staying on task and recommended she go to a doctor because she had all the characteristics of attention deficit disorder. We refused in the past when ADHD was approached to us because we felt she would just out grow her disorganization. We finally gave in because Shaina was being made to feel different, isolated in the hall to do her work, desk dumped upside down because it was messy then left to deal with the after math of humiliation. The resistance began of not wanting to go to school, nightmares surfaced, complaints of always being sick and all to avoid going to a place every parent should feel safe about sending their children. You see my daughter no longer felt safe, secure, or happy about school and she was only a second grade student.

February 26th, 2001 at the age of 10 years old Shaina Louise Dunkle died. Shaina had one grand mal seizure and died within minutes in the arms of her parents as we watched helpless and there was absolutely nothing we could do but watch as her life ended. Medical examiners final report concluded that the main cause of death was DESIPRAMINE TOXICITY. Shaina had a over excessive amount of the drug desipramine in her system. She had a history of urine retention and kidney problems and desipramine is not to be given to children with a history of either so what was happening her body was not excreting the drug properly and was building up a toxic amount until she went into cardiac arrest.

Our daughters death has not only left us to deal with the guilt of believing in the so call professional system but anger that we was not warned properly about the drugs side effects and that it had not been approved for children under the age of 13 because the safety and effectiveness have not been thoroughly tested.

We have filed a civil lawsuit in the state of Pennsylvania in the McKean County Court system on August 12th, 2002 against the psychiatrist that prescribed desipramine and the pharmacy that dispensed it.

Shaina's story is also posted on the ritalindeath.com website in hopes that it will help others in making an educated decision when dealing with psychotropic drugs.

Parents informed consents are being violated. Parents are being led to believe their children are abnormal. Parents are not being warned properly about side effects. Parents are being pressured from the school systems.

We need to take a stand and fight for our children. Children are sent to school for an education not to be evaluated for who's a candidate for drugs in our so call ADHD/ADD society.

Millions of innocent children are dying and will continue to die unless we as parents take a stand to protect them. The so called professionals influence you to believe they know what is best for your child when in all reality parents know their child best. Don't let people influence you to turn your child into something their not. These are what children should be and  allowed to be.

Children on mind altering drugs become a child their parents don't even know. As parents, lets work together to help prevent more Shaina like tragedies from occurring.

Vicky Dunkle Contact  Email dunkle5@pennswoods.net

http://www.ritalindeath.com/Desipramine-Death.htm