antidepressants, antipsychotics, and children in foster care

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atracyphd2 Thu, 30 Sep 2004 22:49:21 EDTMaker Admits Hiding Its Risks of Serotonergic AntipsychoticRisperdolSorry about the delay, this has been sitting in my outbox waiting togo outto you for some time:"On Wednesday, drug maker Janssen Pharmaceutica wrote a two-page letter todoctors, warning them that the company, in promotional material, had''minimizedpotentially FATAL risks, and made misleading claims'' that themedication wasmore safe in treating mental illness than other drugs in the samecategory."I added the emphasis to the word FATAL risks. Keep in mind that whatthey areadmitting to is premeditated murder. They knew this drug could killand didnot disclose that fact thus allowing people to die when they unknowinglyingested it.One of the most unconscionable crimes in this country today is the massdrugging of children

in foster care - those we are supposedlyprotecting by "savingthem from a life of abuse" while we drug them with these extremelydangerousand damaging serotonergic drugs. Now we learn that yet another of the drugmakers is being forced to admit that they too hid the risks of the fartoo widelyused Risperdol.First they give them antidepressants because they are naturally depressedwhen taken out of their homes and away from their families. Andbecause theseantidepressants are so similar in action to LSD these children begin to gopsychotic. Then they add the new atypical antipsychotics likeRisperdol or Zyprexaor Geodon or Abilify. We read the impact of that from the article below:"One of the clinic's most high-profile clients, identified in courtpapers asM.W., won a Florida Supreme Court ruling that child welfare authoritiescannot lock up foster kids in psychiatric hospitals without a hearing.M.W.

haddeveloped lactating breasts after forced him to take Risperdal, courtrecordsshow."One of Salisbury's clients, a 15-year-old girl, begged her to prevent thechild welfare agency from forcing her to take Risperdal, Salisburysaid. Thegirl had become obese and suffered from dramatic mood swings,alternating betweenfeeling agitated or very depressed.''I always object to my foster child clients being placed on Risperdal . ..,'' Salisbury said. ``However, DCF continues to place children intheir care onthe drug, even though DCF knows full well the horrible side effectsfoster children continue to suffer on this drug.''And who funds this atrocity? We do with our tax dollars. I just readan article stating that an astonishing 70% of the Zyprexa sold thispast year was paid for by our tax dollars!Several years ago after reading about foster children available foradoption I phoned the agency, Rocky

Mountain Adoption Exchange. Aftera couple of years of watching our local paper who weekly featured twochildren a week I had not found even one that was not being"medicated" for some type of emotional or mental disorder. What Iwanted this company to tell me is if they had ANY children availablefor adoption who were not on drugs because I did not want tobegin a relationship with a child by having to take them through drugwithdrawal.The girl who answered was surprised at my question but quicklyresponded, "Isn't it terrible! We have a doctor here who is druggingall of these little children and there is nothing we can do about it."Well, WHO can do something about it? We as a society are supposed tobe protecting these children and instead we are destroying their onlychance at life.There are times I wonder if they would not be safer left in the homeswe have taken them out of. Perhaps they would have a better chance.Clearly

something MUST be done to stop this atrocity!Ann Blake Tracy, Ph.D.,Executive Director, International Coalition For Drug AwarenessAuthor: Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? - Our Serotonin Nightmare & audio tape on safe withdrawal: "Help! I Can't GetOff My Antidepressant!"Order Number: 800-280-0730Website: www.drugawareness.org http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/ Maker of drug admits hiding its risksThe maker of Risperdal, an antipsychotic drug commonly used onchildren in state care, said it downplayed fatal risks despite yearsof complaints.» Warning letter » Letter from Janssen Pharmaceutica » Previous articles | Use of drugs to control kids worriesspecialists

» School inquiry: Too many kids put on drugs Posted on Sat, Jul. 24, 2004 _krdDartInc++;document.write('');  • Warning letter  • Letter from Janssen Pharmaceutica  • Previous articles | Use of drugs to control kids worriesspecialists  • School inquiry: Too many kids put on drugs  • Reform aims to curb drugging of foster kids  • Report decried giving drugs to kids  • Foster workers can't OK kids' pills  • Psychiatric medications made 'everything a blur' for one girl CHILD WELFAREMaker of drug admits hiding its risksBY CAROL MARBIN MILLERcmarbinThe maker of a billion-dollar antipsychotic medication has

acknowledgedmisleading doctors and other healthcare providers about the safety ofits product,minimizing potentially deadly side effects.The drug, Risperdal, has been commonly prescribed to Florida children instate care, including to a handful of boys who developed lactatingbreasts aftertaking it.On Wednesday, drug maker Janssen Pharmaceutica wrote a two-page letterto doctors, warning them that the company, in promotional material,had ''minimized potentially fatal risks, and made misleading claims''that the medication was more safe in treating mental illness thanother drugs in the same category.Most physicians received the letter Friday.Risperdal is the leading drug used to combat schizophrenia and othertypes of psychotic disorders, earning Janssen about $2.1 billion inannual sales. The drug was first marketed about eight years ago, andis prescribed to more than 10 million people worldwide.The

''important correction of drug information'' came shortly afterfederal regulators had accused Janssen of ''disseminating''advertising and marketing material that was ``false or misleading.''A letter from Janssen to doctors, dated Nov. 10, 2003, claimedRisperdal did not increase the risk of diabetes among consumerscompared with other similar drugs, called neuroleptics or antipsychotics.But an April 2004 letter from the U.S. Department of Health and HumanServices to Janssen asserts quite the contrary. Research indicated''an increased risk of hyperglycemia-related adverse effects anddiabetes with Risperdal,'' the letter stated.A TROUBLED HISTORYIn 2001, The Herald published a series of stories about the common useof Risperdal among children in state care. Child-welfare advocatessaid the drug routinely was being used by foster care providers as a''chemical restraint'' on children whose unruly behavior was

afrustration to caretakers.''I had clients who were displaying severe side effects, and I triedto alert the Department of Children & Families both as to the localproblem and the growing national concern about a range of psychotropicmedications, Risperdal and other antipsychotics in particular,'' saidCoral Springs attorney and children's advocate Andrea Moore.''They listened, but they did not hear me,'' Moore added.Broward Circuit Judge John A. Frusciante, who must approve requestsfrom doctors before they can prescribe mind-altering drugs to childrenwhose cases he oversees, said Risperdal continues to be usedfrequently by doctors who treat children in state care.''It is not uncommon,'' Frusciante said.''This whole psychotropic drug issue is a problem for us,'' Frusciantesaid.``It's a very scary area to be in, because we know medication can be atremendous help for a number of children. But we also

know that thereare risks to the children who are taking these medications.''Friday, DCF officials told The Herald they would review the newmaterial and ask doctors who care for foster children to re-evaluatetheir medication options.''We will make this information available to all our districts,program supervisors, community-based care agencies and partners,''said DCF spokesman Bill Spann. ``In addition, we will provide thisinformation to all the physicians who care for the children in fostercare, and ask them to review the cases of any children who are on thedrug.''We will ask them to take the appropriate action,'' Spann said.ONE IN THREE TREATEDThe state Agency for Health Care Administration, which pays the drugbill for most children in state care, as well as needy children whoare insured by Medicaid, could not say Friday how many FloridaMedicaid recipients are being administered the drug.In

2001, after The Herald's series, DCF reviewed the records of mostfoster children. Records showed about about one in three fosterchildren taking a powerful mood-altering drug. Many were takinguntested combinations, or ''cocktails,'' of the drugs.Infants and toddlers were being given psychiatric drugs, according toa 2003 study by the Florida Statewide Advocacy Council.Antoinette R. Appel, a Plantation neuropsychologist, studied therecords of about 50 South Florida foster children who had beenprescribed Risperdal.She said many of the children developed severe side-effects, includingobesity, lethargy, lack of concentration, hormonal disorders and theinappropriate development of secondary sexual characteristics, such aslactating breasts in boys or young girls.Carolyn Salisbury, associate director of the University of Miami'sChildren & Youth Law Clinic, has pleaded with child welfareauthorities for about five

years to curtail the widespread use ofmood-altering drugs among foster kids, who often complain the drugsmake them more ill.VICTORY IN COURTOne of the clinic's most high-profile clients, identified in courtpapers as M.W., won a Florida Supreme Court ruling that child welfareauthorities cannot lock up foster kids in psychiatric hospitalswithout a hearing. M.W. had developed lactating breasts after doctorsforced him to take Risperdal, court records show.One of Salisbury's clients, a 15-year-old girl, begged her to preventthe child welfare agency from forcing her to take Risperdal, Salisburysaid. The girl had become obese and suffered from dramatic moodswings, alternating between feeling agitated or very depressed.''I always object to my foster child clients being placed on Risperdal . ..,'' Salisbury said. ``However, DCF continues to place children intheir care on the drug, even though DCF knows full well the

horribleside effects foster children continue to suffer on this drug.''