RITALIN, THE COVERUP OF SUICIDES

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http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/view_press_release.php?rID=9094

 

 

 

 

 

 

RITALIN - THE COVER-UP OF SUICIDES

TREATMENT WITH RITALIN HAS CAUSED SUICIDES AND SUICIDE ATTEMPTS IN

CHILDREN. " 21 CASES OF ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AND SIX SUICIDES " - SWEDISH

MEDICAL AGENCY APPROVED RITALIN ANYWAY. FDA HAS WARNED ABOUT " SUICIDE

IDEATION " IN CONNECTION WITH RITALIN TREATMENT - DIDN'T FDA KNOW

ABOUT THE SUICIDES?

 

 

 

/24-7PressRelease/ - SWEDEN, October 29, 2005 - From the depths of

the archives at the Swedish Medical Products Agency (MPA) some

astonishing papers have emerged. Papers showing that Ritalin,

prescribed to children with the diagnosis ADHD, causes depression and

has led to suicides and suicide attempts.

 

The MPA knew about these disastrous effects when approving Ritalin

for sales in Sweden June 15 this year. No warnings were given to

physicians or the public.

 

FDA announced June 28 that Ritalin and other methylphenidate drugs

had been linked to " visual hallucinations, suicidal ideation,

psychotic behavior, as well as aggression or violent behaviour " .

Nothing was said about suicides or suicide attempts.

 

The narcotic drug Ritalin has been withdrawn from the Swedish market

for 37 years - since the abuse catastrophe in the 60-ties. But

Swedish psychiatrists have in recent years demanded the right to

prescribe Ritalin and other stimulants to children - with the false

pretence that the narcotic drug for children with the diagnosis ADHD

would work as insulin for persons with diabetes. The expert child

psychiatrist at the MPA has led the campaign; he has assured the

public there are no serious short-term or long-term side effects from

stimulant treatment of children.

 

When the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) 2003

tried to get approval for children for its blockbuster drug Seroxat

(Paxil) it was revealed that the company already five years earlier

had known that the drug increased the suicide risk in children. This

exposure led to the disapproval of the application and the British

authorities instead banned Seroxat - should not be prescribed to

children.

 

History seemed to be repeating itself when pharmaceutical company

Novartis in 2004 was seeking approval for Ritalin for children in

Sweden - a country in the unique position of having banned the drug

already in the 60-ties. Novartis had not for many years had reason to

turn in documentation in other countries, but they had to do it in

Sweden. And in the submitted documents (written already year 2000!)

it is under the heading SUICIDE revealed: " it is known that Ritalin

therapy and its sudden discontinuation may cause depression in some

patients... "

 

Under the same heading Novartis is also revealing: " A search of the

Novartis international safety data base allowed the identification of

21 cases of attempted suicide and six suicides, in addition to 25

reports of suicidal ideations in patient aged 6-48 years, 56% of whom

were children aged less than 16 years. "

 

But unlike the British authorities in the Seroxat case the Swedish

MPA didn't come to the defence of the children. Instead the MPA in

June 2005 approved Ritalin, and covered up the information about

suicides and suicide attempts! The public or physicians didn't get

any warnings.

 

And now the MPA has taken one step further: declared that the

document telling about the suicides is classified information. It is

decided, " the pharmaceutical company in question can be harmed " if

access is granted to the documentation.

 

The agency supposed to be for the public is, under pressure from

psychiatrists and a pharmaceutical company, approving a narcotic drug

that can cause depression and suicide. It is then hiding the

disastrous results to protect the company.

 

This medical scandal also involves the FDA. The agency can be

expected to have known about the deadly effects of Ritalin - but did

not act. What is buried in the files of the FDA?