SSRI Stories

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SSRI Stories

http://www.ssristories.com/  

 

 

This website is a collection of 1600+ news stories with the full media

article available

http://www.ssristories.com/index.php , mainly criminal in nature, that have

appeared in the media or that were part of FDA testimony in either 1991, 2004

or 2006, in which antidepressants are mentioned.  These stories have been

collected over a period of years by two directors of the International Coalition

for Drug Awareness (ICFDA).  They experienced firsthand the drugs' power to

harm and want to save others from the fate that befell them.  Their focus has

been on Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), of which Prozac was the

first, launched in December 1987. Other SSRIs are Zoloft, Paxil  (Seroxat),

Celexa, Sarafem (Prozac in a pink pill), Lexapro, and Luvox. These drugs are

widely employed as first line treatment for depression. Other antidepressants

included in this list are Remeron, Anafranil and the SNRIs Effexor, Serzone and

Cymbalta as well as the dopamine reuptake inhibitor antidepressant Wellbutrin

(also marketed as Zyban).

 

 

A public health problem of epidemic proportions

 

The Physicians' Desk Reference lists the following adverse reactions to

antidepressants among a host of other physical and neuropsychiatric effects:

 

manic reaction (mania), emotional lability (or instability), abnormal

thinking, alcohol abuse, hallucinations, hostility, lack of emotion, paranoid

reaction, amnesia, confusion, agitation, delirum, delusions, hysteria,

psychosis,

sleep disorders, abnormal dreams, and discontinuation (withdrawal) syndrome. 

Adverse reactions are especially likely when starting or discontinuing the drug,

increasing or lowering the dose or when switching from one SSRI to another

SSRI.  Adverse reactions are often diagnosed as bipolar disorder when the

symptoms could be entirely iatrogenic (treatment induced).  Withdrawal,

especially

abrupt withdrawal, from any of these medications can also cause severe

neuropsychiatric and physical symptoms. It is important to withdraw extremely

slowly

from these drugs, usually over a period of a year or more, under the supervision

of a qualified and experienced specialist.

 

In addition to the adverse reactions listed in the Physicians' Desk

Reference, the FDA published a Public Health Advisory on March 22, 2004 which

states

(in part): " Anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability,

hostility, impulsivity, akathisia (severe restlessness), hypomania, and mania

have been

reported in adult and pediatric patients being treated with antidepressants

for major depressive disorder as well as for other indications, both

psychiatric and nonpsychiatric. "   (Click Links button at bottom of this page for

a

direct link to this FDA Warning.)

 

There is a grave concern among advocates that adverse reactions are greatly

underestimated by the public, the medical profession and the regulatory

authorities. Each of these stories in our list can be interpreted as an adverse

reaction and in most cases we have highlighted the portion of the article that

refers to evidence of bizarre behavioral change consistent with drug reaction.

In

some stories causation is acknowledged and the juxtaposition of these stories

with those where it goes unrecognized as well as the repetition of themes and

circumstances is chilling. If indeed medications played a significant role in

all these tragedies, then this is a public health problem of epidemic

proportions on a global scale.

 

Most of the stories on this site describe events which occurred after the

year 2000.  The increase in online news material and the efficiency of search

engines has greatly increased the ability to track stories.  Even these 1600+

documented stories only represent the tip of an iceberg since most stories do

not

make it into the media. There are 24 school shootings/incidents, 44 road rage

tragedies, over 370 murders, over 100 murder-suicides and other acts of

violence included on the site.