Drug Company Tells Staff Not to Reveal Paxil’s Ineffectiveness

[Guest guest]

http://mercola.com/2004/mar/3/paxil_ineffective.htm

 

Drug Company Tells Staff Not to Reveal Paxil’s Ineffectiveness

 

 

The antidepressant paroxetine (Paxil), made by drug company GlaxoSmithKline, had

no benefit to adolescents, according to a 1998 clinical trial. You may not have

heard of this finding, as a confidential, internal document from the drug

company advised its staff to withhold the findings. The details of the document

are published in the journal of the Canadian Medical Association (CMAJ).

 

 

 

The document reportedly discusses two trials with the following results:

 

 

 

 

Study 329, conducted in the United States from 1993 to 1996, showed paroxetine

(Paxil) to be no more effective than a placebo

 

 

Study 377 showed that the placebo was " actually more effective than the

antidepressant "

 

 

 

 

According to the report, the document recommends that staff " effectively manage

the dissemination of these data in order to minimize any potential negative

commercial impact. " They went on to say, " It would be commercially unacceptable

to include a statement that efficacy had not been demonstrated, as this would

undermine the profile of paroxetine. "

 

 

 

In 2003, several countries banned the use of the antidepressant for children

after potential findings that the drug could increase the risk of suicide.

 

British Medical Journal February 21, 2004;328:422 (Free Full Text Article)

 

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

The drug companies will stop at nothing to sell their products when billions of

dollars are at stake. They are out to make a profit and will seek to sell and

promote their drugs, regardless of whether or not they have scientific evidence

to back them up.

 

It is a tragedy that so many people rely on drugs and therefore must be exposed

to this fraudulent system. There are some cases when drugs are necessary and for

those people who do need them, they will have no choice but to rely heavily, if

not totally, on their doctor’s prescription recommendation.

 

When I posted a previous story on Paxil last year describing how Paxil increases

the risk of suicide, a good friend of mine, David Vaughan, who is one of the top

nutritionists in the country, forwarded me a note regarding his father that

highlighted the pervasiveness of this problem and the fact that doctors are

unwittingly the third-leading causing of death in the United States:

 

“It was good to see you publish the story on Paxil and suicide. That is exactly

why my father shot himself about five years ago at the age of 81. He had torn a

quad muscle in a fall in the shower. His doc was " trying to reduce his

depression " about being stuck in a wheel chair for the duration of healing by

prescribing Paxil.

 

Upon starting the Paxil he immediately fell into a deep confusion including

panic attacks and within days had taken his own life--something absolutely no

one who knew him would have ever expected or predicted. He was a clear-headed,

avid outdoorsman and daily skier right up to his injury. Paxil killed him.

 

Worst part is, the problem with the med was reported to his doctor immediately

after it began by several people including my father.

 

Sadly, I'm sure this is a common story.”

 

Just as this drug is not good for adults, this article illustrates it is equally

unwise to use it for children. Further, antidepressants are in no way, shape or

form the cure for depression, and, as the report above suggests, they may not

even work and may be associated with tragic consequences.

 

 

 

Wouldn’t it make more sense to use less toxic and less expensive alternatives

that at least have a chance at treating the cause? While that might make sense

to you and me it surely is not the choice that most drug companies would have

you and your doctor make for treating depression.

 

 

 

Antidepressants are the top-selling therapeutic class, with $12.5 billion in

annual retail sales. Depression is an enormously common problem and many people

use a drug-based solution to address it.

 

 

 

However, it is clear that omega-3 fat supplementation and restriction of omega-6

fats will profoundly improve the brain function and depression. Dr. Stoll,

director of the psychopharmacology research lab at Boston's McLean Hospital and

assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, discusses this

extensively in his book The Omega-3 Connection.

 

 

 

 

 

Search - Find what you’re looking for faster.