Don't Do Drugs! Here take this.

Thursday, December 31, 2009

A guide to psychiatric medications that increase suicide risks

If you knew that your psychiatric medication could potentially increase your risk of experiencing suicidal thoughts or feelings, would you still take it? And if you chose to continue the medication, how would you protect yourself against the possibility, however improbable, of experiencing such a serious side effect?

More >> A guide to psychiatric medications that increase suicide risks

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Ritalin Linked With Sudden Death of Children

Research from The National Institute of Mental Health has revealed that popular Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) drugs like Ritalin are responsible for causing sudden death in many children. Study numbers indicate a 500 percent increased risk in childhood death from taking such mental health drugs.

More >> Ritalin Linked With Sudden Death of Children

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Decrease in potency leads to nasal H1N1 vaccine recall

Citing a slight decrease in the potency in the nasal version of the H1N1 vaccine, drug maker MedImmune is ordering a voluntary recall of the affected batches of FluMist. The recall will take over 4.5 million doses off the market following concerns that the potency of the vaccine is beginning to decrease.

More >> Decrease in potency leads to nasal H1N1 vaccine recall

Nearly 10,000 children on Ritalin

Medical experts believe that the sharp rise in young people taking Ritalin is due to the drug being over-prescribed

More >> Nearly 10,000 children on Ritalin

Sunday, December 27, 2009

How Do Children Get ADHD?

There is a lot of misunderstanding about ADHD which is basically a neurological condition in which the child has a certain chemical imbalance which means that he or she has difficulty in concentrating and may be hyperactive and impulsive. How do children get ADHD? It is not a disease in that it is contagious like a cold or measles but it is a mental disorder or condition.

More >> How Do Children Get ADHD?

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Critical Alert about Ritalin and Your Child



The FDA's at it again. Protecting their sacred cash cow Big Pharma. And this time it might be at the expense of your child or grandchild's life.

A recent study conducted by the FDA and the National Institute of Mental Health revealed shocking information about the potential danger of Ritalin and other ADHD drugs to children.

These safe drugs may greatly increase the risk of sudden death. Yet no one is sounding the alarm. Least of all the FDA.

Get the facts you need to protect your children. Their very lives may depend on it! Watch this important video and visit http://www.hsibaltimore.com/youtube for more information.

Sign up for my FREE daily e-Alert for urgent health alerts you, and your family, need to know http://hsibaltimore.com/sign-up-today/

Health Disclaimer: The information provided in this video should not be construed as personal medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken based solely on the contents of this video. Viewers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Medicaid and Antipsychotic Drugs for Children: Poverty at Work?

According to research discussed in the New York Times this morning, children whose family poverty makes them eligible for Medicaid are four times as likely to be given antipsychotic drugs than children whose families have private health insurance, and the drugs are more likely to be given to the Medicaid children for less severe mental and behavioral conditions (Wilson,D.[2009, Dec. 12]. Poor children likelier to get antipsychotics. New York Times, p. A1, p. A11). Concerns about this are related to the known potential side effects of such drugs, including serious weight gain and metabolic changes which do not disappear when the medication is stopped. Because of these worries, a group of state Medicaid directors has started a project called "Too Many, Too Much, Too Young" (sorry, I cannot find any web site discussing this project; can readers help?).

More >> Medicaid and Antipsychotic Drugs for Children: Poverty at Work?

Prescription narcotics cause more deaths than both heroin and cocaine

On the heels of the sudden death of celebrity actress Brittany Murphy (http://www.naturalnews.com/027781_B...), people are once again raising the question of just how dangerous prescription drugs might really be.

More >> Prescription narcotics cause more deaths than both heroin and cocaine

Another US kids' swine flu vaccine recalled

A week after 800,000 doses of children's swine flu vaccine were recalled in the United States for losing their potency, a second vaccine maker recalled its A(H1N1) nasal spray for the same reason.

More >> Another US kids' swine flu vaccine recalled

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Drug Prescription for Children is Troubling

American children are more than three times likely to be prescribed psychotropic medication than children in Europe and that is certainly troubling.

Every year more than 200 million drug prescriptions are written for children and teenagers in the U.S., according to California’s Board of Pharmacy.

In any two-week period in the United States, 13 million children take a prescription medication. And over 6 million of them are taking drug prescriptions for chronic diseases, like asthma, epilepsy, attention deficit disorders, arthritis, and diabetes which are the top five diseases that children take medications for.

The amount of drug prescriptions being given to U.S. children is outrageous. Compared to children in other countries, U.S. children are taking three times more drug prescriptions like antidepressants and stimulants and up to double the amount of antipsychotic than kids in some other countries.

The U.S. culture seems to encourage drugged up children. From a very young age, sometimes even before they leave the hospital at birth, kids are given medicine. Antibiotic drugs for colds and ear infections are prescribed (even though they don’t work for that purpose) plus pills for indigestion, fever, headaches and the flu.

Kids are taught that in order to "cure illness" they need to go to the doctor and get a prescription. Or they need to go to the corner drug store and get some liquid gel-cap to cure illness.

What makes matters worse, kids are exposed to TV commercials, some with animated characters and talking animals, pedaling drugs to their parents and sometimes directly to teens.

Now it’s widely accepted that drugging our children is state mandated, forced medication has become a growing trend.

There was a case, without the presence of a doctor, where a court decided to put a 6-year-old child with mild autism on five powerful antipsychotic drugs, even though none of drugs had been approved by the FDA for use in children. Sadly, the mother begged them not to do it.

Now besides the mind-altering drugs, young kids are prescribed many other unnecessary drugs to get a good nights sleep, heartburn medication or

statin drugs to lower cholesterol.



What the problem is here, none of these drugs address the real cause of the problem. Most all of these ailments are easily overcome if you change lifestyle habits.

It’s really a shame, that instead of the doctor writing a prescription for a child’s ailment, the parent should help the child change lifestyle habits, which would be a much better remedy. A better diet, daily exercise, additional healthy nutrients added to the diet and even relieving stress could be the very things that would improve the child’s condition.

But you have to understand doctors were not trained to do that in medical school. They never got enough education in medical school to be nutrition smart at all. Couple that with the fact they get tremendous pressure put on them by their professional organization plus the over-whelming pressure they get from the drug companies, and you see why this happens.

Here’s a strong warning I recommend to all parents. Please don’t let this happen to your child. Take a stand about how your child should be treated and cared for and stick to what is good for your child before your child’s life is ruined forever.

About the author:

Sonny grew up in a family business. After 29 years he left it to pursue a career in sales. After retirement he became interested in the Internet. He built some websites dealing with self-help issues and then his interest turned to health issues. You can retrieve his new free health ebook at: http://freehealthebook.homestead.com

Medicating our children

The use of ritalin and other drugs to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) in children remains controversial, with parents, patients, physicians, and the media taking different stances. Lucie Robson examines the debate around medicating our children.

More >> Medicating our children

How to Sue Drug Companies for Free

Defective drug legislation is big right now. Pharma is rapidly becoming the next big tobacco but on a much grander scale.

More >> How to Sue Drug Companies for Free

Monday, December 21, 2009

Balancing act: Moms-to-be weigh risks, benefits of antidepressants

Moms-to-be memorize a litany of nutritional dos and don'ts.

More >> Balancing act: Moms-to-be weigh risks, benefits of antidepressants

Forced Drugging and Special Services: A Holocaust in America’s Schools

Thousands of children across the nation are being poisoned, legally, by psychotropic and other medication that causes devastating health consequences and death. This “drugging” of America’s school children occurs in order to control behavior and attentional deficits in classroom environments.

More >> Forced Drugging and Special Services: A Holocaust in America’s Schools

Safety data from kid drug trials often unpublished

When drugs approved for adults are studied in youngsters, the research yields important safety data that could guide the use of these medications in children, a report published this week indicates.

More >> Safety data from kid drug trials often unpublished

Dangerous drugs OK'd for kids

The two faces of the FDA strike again – and this time, millions of American children are at risk.

Face Number One pretends it's worried sick over reports of weight gain, diabetes and metabolic syndrome in kids forced to swallow atypical antipsychotic drugs. Many of these dangerous drugs were never approved for use in children – but have been prescribed for them off-label.

Face Number Two then went and approved the use of two of these meds – Eli Lilly's Zyprexa and AstraZeneca's Seroquel – for teens... meaning some of those worrisome off-label uses will now be completely marketable.

More >> Dangerous drugs OK'd for kids

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Dump Your Drugs



It's one of the fastest growing substance abuse problems in the country, and last year alone, it was the cause of 36 deaths in North Dakota. Prescription drug abuse is a definite cause for concern, but a new effort by the state Attorney General and several community police departments is trying to change that. Minot is one of four North Dakota pilot cities taking part in the Prescription Drug Take Back Program. Residents are urged to deposit their old or unused prescriptions in this box to prevent any future abuse of the medication. Minot Police Lieutenant, Jason Olson, says the box will be under 24-hour surveillance until the Ward County Drug Task Force is able to dispose of its contents. He believes small steps like these can go a long way in preventing a major drug-related accident. (Lt. Jason Olson, Minot Police Dept.) "It's just an effort with the Attorney General's office spearheading this project and we're just a drop point for that project for the Attorney General's office to help get those drugs out of the homes when they're unused, so they won't be a danger to the public." The box is located in the Minot Police Department's lobby area. Containers are also available in Bismarck, Fargo, and Grand Forks.

Student Suspended And Assaulted For Handing Out ANTI-VACCINE Flyers

The flyers consisted of simple medical studies that disprove vaccine safety claims by the CDC. On December 16th Breckenridge High School was holding a free vaccination clinic for all willing students, I signed up on the 14th and intended to enter the science room to hand out educational flyers.

More >> Student Suspended And Assaulted For Handing Out ANTI-VACCINE Flyers

Saturday, December 19, 2009

As bipolar diagnoses in foster children rise, informed consent becomes a bygone

Powerful mood-altering drugs were prescribed to hundreds of Illinois foster children without the required consent of state child welfare officials, a Tribune analysis of government data has found.

More >> As bipolar diagnoses in foster children rise, informed consent becomes a bygone

Big Pharma paid $500,000 to Chicago psychiatrists who used children as guinea pigs

A federal lawsuit has been filed against pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca for its role in paying Chicago psychiatrist Dr. Michael Reinstein nearly $500,000 over the course of a decade to conduct research and to promote its anti-psychotic drug, Seroquel. Reinstein is being accused of wrongfully preying on thousands of mentally-ill patients in order to rake in profits for AstraZeneca.

More >> Big Pharma paid $500,000 to Chicago psychiatrists who used children as guinea pigs

Friday, December 18, 2009

Brown Settles $21.3M Medi-Cal Fraud Suit

Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced Thursday a $21.3 million settlement with Schering-Plough Corporation, resolving allegations the company "deliberately inflated" the price of Albuterol and other drugs, causing California's Medicaid (Medi-Cal) program to overpay millions of dollars in pharmacy reimbursement.

More >> Brown Settles $21.3M Medi-Cal Fraud Suit

P&G recalls DayQuil not in child-proof packaging

Procter & Gamble Co said on Friday that it is recalling some Vicks DayQuil Cold & Flu medicine that did not come in a childproof package.

More >> P&G recalls DayQuil not in child-proof packaging

Autism Rates Jump 57% as Awareness of Disease Grows

Autism rates increased 57 percent from 2002 to 2006, part of a decades-long surge of cases as doctors and parents become more aware of the disorder.

More >> Autism Rates Jump 57% as Awareness of Disease Grows

Antidepressants cut risk of hospital readmission for suicidal youth

Suicidal adolescents who were prescribed an antidepressant medication during inpatient psychiatric hospital treatment were 85 percent less likely than others to be readmitted within a month after discharge, a new study found.

More >> Antidepressants cut risk of hospital readmission for suicidal youth

Children are Alleged Victims of Medical Malpractice at Streamwood Behavioral Health Center

Some of our most vulnerable youth have been the victims of alleged abuse at Streamwood Behavioral Health Center – one of Illinois’s largest psychiatric hospitals.

More >> Children are Alleged Victims of Medical Malpractice at Streamwood Behavioral Health Center

Psychiatrist faces Grassley's wrath over Medicaid prescribing

A Miami psychiatrist has incurred the wrath of no less than Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who argues that the doctor is dramatically over-prescribing medications for Medicaid patients.

More >> Psychiatrist faces Grassley's wrath over Medicaid prescribing

Brain Finding Raises Concerns About Seizure Drug in Children

Discoveries concerning the formation of synapses reveal many secrets of the brain, from the overlapping mechanism of epilepsy and pain to persistent cravings in addiction.

More >> Brain Finding Raises Concerns About Seizure Drug in Children

Thursday, December 17, 2009

WV Health Officials Explain H1N1 Vaccine Recall

On Wednesday, state health officials said 4,900 doses of Sanofi Pasteur’s pre-filled syringe of H1N1 vaccine, for children six to 35 months of age, have been voluntarily recalled after post shipping tests of the vaccine showed antigen levels less than recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration.

More >> WV Health Officials Explain H1N1 Vaccine Recall

TeenScreen - Controversial and Unscientific



National Public Radio: "This is a program that has some very vocal critics. They say Teenscreen usurps parental authority, sends kids to therapy who might not need it and they say the program encourages families to put adolescents on antidepressant drugs."

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Antipsychotic Prescribing in Children: What We Know—What We Need to Know

A pair of recent research articles has cast the public spotlight on treating children and adolescents with antipsychotic medications.1,2 In the first report, a large and broadly representative group of child and adolescent patients, all naive to antipsychotic medications, was followed for approximately 10 weeks after initiating treatment with olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine, or aripiprazole. The average weight increase ranged from 18.7 pounds (olanzapine) to 9.7 pounds (aripiprazole).3 In the second report, Medicaid-insured youth were found to be approximately 4 times as likely as privately insured youth to fill prescriptions for antipsychotic medications. Only a minority of the privately-insured (32.6%) and Medicaid-insured (26.9%) youth had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or a pervasive developmental disorder.4

More >> Antipsychotic Prescribing in Children: What We Know—What We Need to Know

Fox News Covers Mass Drugging of Society with Lithium

In the remarkable Fox News report posted below, Dr. Archelle Georgiou, described as a well-recognized physician leader who “helps consumers make better health care decisions,” argues the case for adding lithium to the water supply. Georgiou is affiliated with the Center for Health Transformation, an organization founded by the notorious neocon Newt Gingrich.

Fox News Covers Mass Drugging of Society with Lithium

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Medicaid children take more antipsychotics

Riddle me this: Why would children covered by Medicaid get antipsychotic drugs four times more often than children covered by private insurance? And why would the Medicaid kids often get those drugs for less severe conditions than their middle-class counterparts did? The New York Times poses these questions today after federally funded research discovered the imbalance.


More >> Medicaid children take more antipsychotics

Seizure Drug Limits Aggression in Kids With ADHD

If your child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is having trouble controlling his aggressive behaviors, adding a drug commonly used to treat seizures and manic depression may help, according to a small new study.

More >> Seizure Drug Limits Aggression in Kids With ADHD

Monday, December 14, 2009

Glaxo Said to Have Paid $1 Billion in Paxil Suits (Update1)

GlaxoSmithKline Plc has paid almost $1 billion to resolve lawsuits over Paxil since it introduced the antidepressant in 1993, including about $390 million for suicides or attempted suicides said to be linked to the drug, according to court records and people familiar with the cases.

More >> Glaxo Said to Have Paid $1 Billion in Paxil Suits (Update1)

Why Are We Drugging Our Kids?

PsychRights now has a national "Medicaid Fraud Initiative Against Psychiatric Drugging of Children & Youth," designed to address this problem by "having lawsuits brought against the doctors prescribing these harmful, ineffective drugs, their employers, and the pharmacies filling these prescriptions and submitting them to Medicaid for reimbursement," according to its web site.

More >> Why Are We Drugging Our Kids?

The Ugly Facts About Adhd Medication

You may be shocked to know that the FDA (The Food and Drug Administration) had to issue a warning to doctors and pediatricians across the nation about psychostimulant drugs used in ADHD medication. They have warned of possible heart complications and even a risk of severe psychiatric symptoms which may develop in children who have been prescribed with these drugs. One of the drugs Strattera has been associated with suicidal thoughts in some children and adolescents. I could only shake my head in disbelief when I discovered that Strattera is only for adults with ADHD!

More >> The Ugly Facts About Adhd Medication

Regarding Medicaid Giving children antipsychoic drugs

I am not surprised by kids under Medicaid getting antipsychoic drugs more and for less serious ailments. Drug companies are out for money for profit..The older anti anxiety drugs don't work as well anymore so they are combining say prozac with zyperxa. The latter is intended only for more serious conditons than anxiety....So people are drugged more unless someone is there to protect them or their children. If you don't have a brain to question what the heck this is for or someone to speak up for you and ask the questions what are the side effects, long term problems with the drug, and what happens when this child or adult wants to get off the drug?? Then you don't stand a chance in not getting the medicine you don't need.

More >> Regarding Medicaid Giving children antipsychoic drugs

Sunday, December 13, 2009

US Kids Represent Psychiatric Drug Goldmine

Prescriptions for psychiatric drugs increased 50 percent with children in the US, and 73 percent among adults, from 1996 to 2006, according to a study in the May/June 2009 issue of the journal Health Affairs. Another study in the same issue of Health Affairs found spending for mental health care grew more than 30 percent over the same ten-year period, with almost all of the increase due to psychiatric drug costs.

US Kids Represent Psychiatric Drug Goldmine

Saturday, December 12, 2009

DSM-5 Publication Date Moved to May 2013

On 10 December, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) issued a press release announcing a revised timeline for publishing the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), moving the anticipated release date from May 2012 to May 2013.

More >> DSM-5 Publication Date Moved to May 2013

remember, this book was co-written by the drug companies.

Can Therapy Be Addictive? : The Power and Terror of Termination

Despite the disappointing experiences with therapy recently reported by PT blogger Carla Cantor, psychotherapy has been shown to be effective in most cases. This is especially true when psychotherapy is combined with psychiatric medication for treating more severe and debilitating mental disorders. Having said this, I would remind readers that there is, for me, especially today, really no such thing as “therapy” per se: only differently trained clinicians with different personalities, skills and different degrees and kinds of education and experience, providing what they believe to be the best therapeutic treatment for the patient’s problems. While according to some research, no one single theoretical approach to therapy is, in the final analysis, clearly superior to others, not all psychotherapists are created equal. Which is why the consumer of mental health services must be mindful that it is not just a generic matter of “going to therapy” as much as carefully finding the right therapist for you. One area of particular importance in my opinion pertains to how psychotherapists deal (or avoid dealing) with anger or rage, a topic I’ve posted about frequently. But another equally fundamental matter has to do with how therapists tackle the ticklish process of termination.

More >> Can Therapy Be Addictive? : The Power and Terror of Termination

Poor Children Likelier to Get Antipsychotics

New federally financed drug research reveals a stark disparity: children covered by Medicaid are given powerful antipsychotic medicines at a rate four times higher than children whose parents have private insurance. And the Medicaid children are more likely to receive the drugs for less severe conditions than their middle-class counterparts, the data shows.

More >> Poor Children Likelier to Get Antipsychotics

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Bullshit--Anti-Psychiatry and Anti-Medication Song



This song is from my album "Songs from the Locked Ward," written and recorded in the summer of 2009.

I wrote it as a testament to the horrors people suffer at the hands of psychiatry---the lack of empathy, the forced medication, the involuntary hospitalizations, the pseudoscience of psychiatric studies, the lies about genetic causes of mental problems, the corrupt ties of researchers to Big Pharma, the shallow and emotionally blind therapists, the denial of trauma, and the denial of full recovery, to name a few .

As a therapist, I've heard these stories---in painful detail---from my patients all too many times.

A few notes: I mention E. Fuller Torrey, the author of "Surviving Schizophrenia," in this song. I find his biological and forced treatment point of view repugnant. He's on Youtube, so you can see him for yourself.

I also mention Peter Breggin. He's a radical psychiatrist and heroic critic of psychiatry. He's also on Youtube---and I've put up some video interviews of him as well.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Side effects from antipsychotic drugs on kids lead to calls for new FDA review

It was just at the end of October that the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study which found that children taking the latest generation of antipsychotic drugs gain significant amounts of weight -- as much as 18.7 pounds on average in just 11 weeks. Young people taking Eli Lilly's (LLY) Zyprexa gained the most compared to those on other antipsychotics. Researchers recommended that doctors prescribing those drugs keep close tabs on their young patients' weights.

More >> Side effects from antipsychotic drugs on kids lead to calls for new FDA review

Drugging our children to death – Gwen Olsen

Gwen Olsen spent more than a decade as a sales rep in the pharmaceutical industry, working for health care giants such as Johnson Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Abbott Laboratories. A well-known media resource, she has been in numerous print, radio, and television media reports, and testified before Congress and the FDA. A 2007 Human Rights Award winner, she currently devotes her time to writing, national speaking engagements, and mental health activism and is the author of the new book, Confessions of an Rx Drug Pusher.

More >> Drugging our children to death – Gwen Olsen

Zypreza, Seroquel Side Effects in Children Need Further Review: FDA Staff

According to documents released Friday, FDA staff members say that the agency needs to conduct more of an in-depth investigation into the metabolic side effects for children using Seroquel, Zyprexa and other newer atypical antipsychotics, which could lead to weight gain, diabetes and other serious health problems.

More >> Zypreza, Seroquel Side Effects in Children Need Further Review: FDA Staff

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Handbook: A Physician's Guide to ADHD, second edition by J. Gordon Millichap

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Handbook: A Physician's Guide to ADHD, second edition by J. Gordon Millichap

A free PDF download.

Weight gain in children with antipsychotics recommended by FDA staff

The U. S. Food and Drug Administration medical reviewers said that Friday the agency should conduct an additional review of antipsychotic drugs to check the impact of weight gain in children, which is a common side-effect of the drugs.

More >> Weight gain in children with antipsychotics recommended by FDA staff

Harvard Suicide Victim’s Father Sues School Over Prescriptions

The father of a Harvard College sophomore who killed himself in 2007 sued the school’s president and fellows for wrongful death, alleging the institution’s health service prescribed drugs known to increase suicide risk.

More >> Harvard Suicide Victim’s Father Sues School Over Prescriptions