Child drug abuse - at the hands of adults

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[sSRI-Research] Child drug abuse - at the hands of adults

 

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=@616

 

Saturday, September 25, 2004

 

 

 

 

Child drug abuse - at the hands of adults

 

Posted: September 25, 2004

1:00 a.m. Eastern

 

By Dr. Kelly Hollowell

© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com

 

After months of investigation and an emotional public hearing,

the FDA is responding to evidence that use of antidepressant

medications prescribed to children actually raises their risk of

suicide. The agency said in a recent statement it was working on new

warning labels for all antidepressants to explain these risks.

 

What may further alarm parents, however, is that of the 10 drugs

involved in this investigation only three are FDA-approved for use in

children: Prozac, Zoloft and Luvox.

 

 

That means most antidepressants prescribed for children are

prescribed for off-label use. Off-label use refers to the use of a

drug for any purpose other than what is described in the medication's

official insert. Off-label uses, which are not regulated by the FDA,

may include treatment of unapproved diseases, unapproved dosages and

for unapproved populations such as children. The American Medical

Association has estimated that as many as 40 percent of all

prescriptions are issued for off-label use.

 

So how are off-label uses discovered?

 

Turns out that researchers (especially pharmaceutical

researchers) continually conduct studies to determine new uses for

already marketed drugs in a clear effort to increase profits. The

results of these studies are most often published in peer-reviewed

medical journals, which some allege are ghost-written by

pharmaceutical companies themselves. Doctors then begin prescribing

the drugs for these " advertised " uses.

 

Of course, off-label drug use may cause harm because all drugs

have side effects. According to a report published by the pharmacy

industry magazine, Drug Topics, over 200,000 people a year die from

adverse reactions to drugs, compared to only 41,000 who die in auto

accidents each year. Similarly alarming numbers are reported by the

Journal of the American Medical Association and the National Academies.

 

These frightening stats aside, off-label prescriptions of

antidepressants to children have been dramatically on the rise in the

last 10 years. Reportedly, " the use of Prozac among children from ages

6-12 went from 41,000 in 1995 to 203,000 in 1996. " This kind of use

has made antidepressants some of the biggest moneymakers ever for the

pharmaceutical companies.

 

In response to this trend, at least one researcher, Dr. Ann

Blake Tracy, head of the International Coalition for Drug Awareness

and author of " Prozac: Panacea or Pandora, " has been warning the

American public against the deceit of industry's stakeholders in

legally prescribed drugs.

 

She claims the public has been duped by a " highly organized,

extremely well-financed promotional apparatus concerning the use of

antidepressants. " She claims " fake science has been passed off as

evidence-based treatment strategies; selective, partial data have been

manipulated to show positive results; physicians and parents have been

deceived - and children were put in harm's way, exposed to potentially

lethal drugs that have not demonstrated an effect greater than placebo. "

 

Corroborating claims of drug-industry deception, " a two-year Los

Angeles Times investigation published in December 2000 found that the

seven drugs approved since 1993 have been withdrawn after reports of

deaths and severe side effects. In the article written by Times Staff

Writer David Willam, it states, 'The FDA approved each of those drugs

while disregarding danger signs or blunt warnings from its own

specialists. Then, after receiving reports of significant harm to

patients, the agency was slow to seek withdrawals.' "

 

This raises questions of whether the government and medical

community have been duped along with the American public by these high

tech drug pushers, or whether they are in cahoots.

 

Worse news concerning antidepressant drugs is their almost

undeniable link to rampant acts of violence. Some of the more

high-profile incidents include the shootings at Columbine, the Phil

Hartman murder/suicide, the Texas mother Andrea Yates who killed her

five children, the Atlanta day-trader shooting and countless others.

Many of the families and victims of these so-called antidepressant

" side effects " testified at the public hearing held by the FDA

advisory panel two weeks ago.

 

The FDA response for now is to place an increased warning on the

labels of these drugs. Until more is done, everyone should think about

the drugs they are taking. Are they approved for their prescribed use,

or off-label? And how much do you really know about the possible side

effects?

 

The use and abuse of prescription drugs is clearly a worldwide

problem with dire consequences benignly called " side effects " by the

medical and pharmaceutical industries. This pop-a-pill mindset is

particularly dangerous in America, where we are driven by a

quick-fix-it mentality. Tragically, the price we may pay is with our

lives and the lives of our children.

 

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Kelly Hollowell, J.D., Ph.D., is a scientist, patent attorney

and adjunct law professor of bioethics. She is also a nationally

recognized conference speaker and founder of Science Ministries Inc.