Guest guest Posted August 9, 2005 Report Share Posted August 9, 2005 atracyphd2 Tue, 9 Aug 2005 10:46:10 EDT [drugawareness] Antidepressant warning too late for some (?) patients I would change the title of this article to read, " Antidepressant warning too late for FAR TO MANY patients. " But I know that generally editors, rather than the writers, pick out the titles of articles. Other than that I am more than excited to see information like this come out nationwide in a nationally syndicated column that commands the respect that this one holds! Joe and Teresa Graedon have touched lightly upon this issue for years in their column, but never to this extent! At this point they have obviously heard enough and finally jumped in with both feet to sound the alarm on these most deadly antidepressants!!!!! I applaud their courage to do so and to stand up for all those whose lives have been destroyed by these drugs! These are stories you have heard from me for a decade and a half now. You have seen them posted on our website for years. And FINALLY after so many needless deaths and years of pain and suffering by so many patients and their families, these stories are in your mainstream news for all to obtain the warning they have needed for so long! THANK YOU Joe and Teresa Graedon for having the courage to speak the truth and in doing so give honor and respect back to those who have been victims of these deadly drugs! Dr. Tracy ______________________ Dr. Ann Blake Tracy, Executive Director, International Coalition For Drug Awareness www.drugawareness.org Author of the " Bible on Antidepressants, " Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? - Our Serotonin Nightmare & audio " Help! I Can't Get Off My Antidepressant! " (Order: 800-280-0730) _________________________ http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_Basic\ Article & c=MGArticle & cid=1031784324296 & path=!living!article & s=1037645509005 Tuesday, August 9, 2005 Antidepressant warning too late for some patients KING FEATURES SYNDICATE Some psychiatrists may have been shocked by the Food and Drug Administration’ s recently revised labeling for antidepressants: “Adults being treated with antidepressant medication, particularly those being treated for depression, should be watched closely for worsening of depression and for increased suicidal thinking or behavior.†This warning follows a similar one directed toward children and adolescents. These cautions are doubly troubling because they are long overdue. For years the FDA has reassured physicians and patients that drugs like Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft would not make people worse or lead them to suicide. Shortly after Prozac was introduced, however, we heard from a bereaved father about the death of his daughter, who was given Prozac for an eating disorder: “One month later, after taking this medication, she committed suicide by hanging herself. What was so strange about this unsuspected action was that she was not behaving like a person who was depressed or suicidal.†When we first heard from him in the late 1980s, we checked published reports of Prozac side effects and found nothing to suggest this could be a drug reaction. In 1990, however, a case report was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Harvard psychiatrists described six patients who suddenly developed “intense violent suicidal preoccupation after 2-7 weeks of fluoxetine (Prozac) treatment.†When we asked the drug company and the FDA about this report, we were told that depressed people sometimes commit suicide and that the drug was not to blame. Over the past 15 years, we have heard of many other instances in which people became preoccupied with harming themselves or others after starting on an antidepressant. A man taking Zoloft woke in the middle of the night with a strong urge to kill himself. A woman reported having wild thoughts while on Prozac about ramming her car into other cars and getting a gun to kill an irritating co-worker. One reader shared this sad story: “I am convinced that Zoloft caused my cousin to kill himself, even though he was strongly opposed to suicide. He saw Zoloft advertised on television and asked his family doctor about it.†“The night my cousin told me he had started taking Zoloft, I immediately looked up the drug in your book The People’s Pharmacy. I became alarmed when I read this sentence: ‘Family members should help monitor people on Zoloft for suicidal thoughts or self-destructive behaviors. The doctor must be notified immediately in such cases.’ “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t feel I could tell my cousin to stop taking the Zoloft. I regret to this day that I didn’t call him back immediately and read that warning to him. “One week later, he went out to check on his cattle. When he didn’t return, his wife and sons went looking for him. They found him dead under his favorite tree. He had shot himself in the head with his father’s double-barreled shotgun.†We wonder how many families have had to suffer like this one. We wish the FDA had moved sooner on the analysis that led to its recent warning. Perhaps now, though, patients will be watched more closely and given the support they need during treatment for depression. Q. The subject of taking vitamins or medication with coffee came up in a friendly discussion recently. Some in the group take medicine or vitamins with morning coffee and breakfast. Others take their pills at breakfast with orange juice. A few of us went to vitamin stores to research the issue. One store manager said that orange juice was OK, but he wasn’t sure of combining vitamins and medicines. He had no idea whether coffee would affect either of them. A second store manager indicated that coffee negates the value of vitamins or medicine. We asked about tea, and he stated that was fine. He does not recommend ingesting vitamins and medicine together. A third manager could not provide any answers to our questions. Can you tell us what effect coffee, tea or orange juice has on vitamins or drugs and whether it is safe to take these together? A. Interactions between foods, drugs and nutrients are complicated, and different medicines have distinct interactions. Prednisone, for example, may deplete the body of vitamin D, calcium, potassium and B vitamins. Antibiotics such as tetracycline, Cipro or Noroxin should not be taken with calcium-fortified orange juice, calcium supplements or dairy products. Calcium can prevent the absorption of the antibiotic. Such drugs as Cipro magnify the effects of caffeine. Some medicines, such as Fosamax, must be taken at least an hour before food, vitamins, coffee, tea or anything but tap water. • If you have a question or comment, write to Joe and Teresa Graedon, c/o Features Department, Winston-Salem Journal, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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