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To: E who wrote (559)	9/9/2002 12:05:01 PM
From: E	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 7689

End Of Antidepressants? - 68 Times Greater Suicide Risk Shown! Dr. Ann Blake Tracy Executive Director International Coalition for Drug Awareness www.drugawareness.org 9-8-2 First we had the thalidomide tragedy, the fen-phen fiasco, even LSD and PCP as prescription drugs, yet none of them begins to compare with this. Never in the history of the FDA do I recall something as tragic or terrible or as shocking or as criminal as this revelation is! Mass murder by prescription is the only expression that fits. Blockbuster Study - 68 Times Greater Suicide Risk With Serotonergic Meds! New research presented at a recent NIH sponsored meeting demonstrates a 68 times greater risk of suicide with the new serotonergic antidepressants and antipsychotics than if a patient never took anything. These shocking figures of increased risk shows that a patient's chances of suicide jump from 11 out of 100,000 to as much as 718 out of 100,000 if one is taking one of these new SSRI antidepressants (Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Celexa) - medications touted to alleviate depressive symptoms and rid one of suicidal tendencies. And the risk is even higher for the new serotonergic antipsychotics (Zyprexa, Risperal, Seroquel) - 752 out of 100,000. Our gratitude for alerting us to this new research goes to Vera Hassner Sharav with the Alliance for Human Research Protection (AHRP) (www.researchprotection.org) Dr. Arif Khan presented his research at a recent meeting sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health. This was a meeting of the New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit. The essence of the research was an analysis of the data on the suicide rate for patients who participated in the clinical trials for these new drugs - over 71,604 people. Now these are the clinical trials where these drugs were tested on the public to see if they were "safe and effective." This clinical data is then presented to the FDA for approval for marketing of these new compounds. In his presentation Dr. Khan made note of what we learned long ago when this information was revealed through court documents in SSRI wrongful death cases - that is, that "actively suicidal" patients are excluded from the clinical trials on the SSRI antidepressants. What he found shocking about this is that despite the actively suicidal being excluded from these clinical trials the suicide rate among those taking these medications ABSOLUTELY SKYROCKETED from 11 out of 100,000 to 718 out of 100,000 !!! So, what I want to know is who is it that flunked their math courses - the FDA or the drug company researchers?!! Obviously it was both! This data is not only shocking, it is horrifying! I urge you to look beyond the numbers to see the individuals behind those numbers who lost their lives as a result. This is not a mere "error" made by the FDA or the drug companies, it is a modern day holocaust when you begin to calculate the number of dead. Please excuse me while I REALLY scream . . . I'm not going to say I TOLD YOU SO!!!!! BUT, FOR 13 VERY LONG YEARS I HAVE BEEN TELLING THE WORLD THAT THESE DRUGS THAT INCREASE SEROTONIN CAUSE SUICIDE, RATHER THAN CURING IT! What frightens me more than anything at this point of realization is millions of patients going into withdrawal from these drugs. The rapid or abrupt withdrawal from these antidepressants can produce suicide, mania, seizures, psychotic breaks, etc. at an even greater rate than while on the drugs. Extreme caution MUST be taken. Here are the suicide rates. Keep in mind as you read through these that the rate of 11 out of 100,000 persons per year is the suicide rate for the population at large. 752 per 100,000 for those treated with atypical antipsychotics--risperidone (Risperdal), olanzapine (Zyprexa), and quetiapine (Seroquel); 718 per 100, 000 for those treated with the SSRIs - Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Celexa) 425 per 100, 000 for those treated for "social anxiety disorder" with nefazodone (Serzone), mirtazapine (Remeron), and bupropion (Wellbutrin/Zyban); 136 per 100,000 for those treated for panic disorder--with benzodiazepine alprazolam (Xanax); *105 per 100, 000 persons for those treated for obesessive-compulsive disorder with anticonvulsant valproate (Depakote). These figures clearly speak for themselves. The massive numbers of wrongful death suits will obviously follow. At least loved ones will know why they have lost those who meant so much to them via such tragic circumstances. Keep in mind as you read through this data that the new antipsychotics listed here are basically a combination of the older antipsychotics and the SSRIs. They too have a STRONG effect upon serotonin levels. Also the most likely reason researchers saw an even higher rate of suicide in placebo with the antipsychotics is that these patients were likely being abruptly discontinued from their older antipsychotics for the clinical trials. This abrupt withdrawal causes suicide. Dr. Ann Blake Tracy Executive Director International Coalition for Drug Awareness www.drugawareness.org and the author of Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? - Our Serotonin Nightmare 800 280-0730 Office 801-282-5282

To: E who wrote (559)	9/9/2002 12:15:46 PM
From: Original Mad Dog	Respond to of 7689

That strikes me as a really difficult issue to approach in a scientific study. How do you define the control group? The people on these meds, especially the ones on the really high doses of the strongest meds, have often exhibited suicidal tendencies or behaviors which have caused them (or their loved ones to force them) to seek medical help. The meds do appear in many if not most cases to elevate mood and dampen suicidal impulses. Abrupt withdrawal can wreak havoc and clearly needs careful study and protocols. But blaming the meds for causing what at first glance they appear to help prevent is a difficult conclusion to draw. Partisans on both sides of the debate can "make" the statistics appear to show one conclusion or the other (either that the meds do more harm than good or vice versa), but the real answer is probably someplace in between....that they can cause more harm than good, but that further study and understanding and advancements will bring us to the point where we know how to use the drugs we have more effectively, know when not to use them at all, know how to withdraw them without causing disastrous results, and also discover better therapies (which may or may not involve drugs at all). I've known many people on various drugs of that type. The majority have said it made a big positive difference in their lives or during a rough period in their lives. Others did not like what the drugs did to them. One had a severe reaction when the drug was withdrawn too quickly. On balance, I would guess that if the drugs were taken off the market there would be a lot of bad effects for a lot of people. But it could very well be that the drugs are being prescribed too readily and that for many of the patients a nonpharmacological approach would be better.