RITALIN - THE COVER-UP OF SUICIDES

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Sun, 9 Apr 2006 19:33:31 -0400

[sSRI-Research] RITALIN - THE COVER-UP OF SUICIDES

 

 

 

RITALIN - THE COVER-UP OF SUICIDES

 

 

http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/view_press_release.php?rID=9094 & tf7sid=769b415b8\

4b1ca9ac5c27a127acc4de2

 

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The narcotic drug Ritalin has been withdrawn from the Swedish market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?

 

 

# # #

 

Read more Press Releases from Janne Larsson:

 

 

a.. Eli Lilly withheld disastrous effects of Strattera from

parents and children

b.. MHRA forbids Sweden to reveal Strattera suicide data

c.. Eli Lilly's Strattera - 130 reports of suicidality in one month

d.. Eli Lilly's and Christopher Gillberg's failed experiment with

Strattera