Paxil News from WorstDrugs.com
December 1, 2005 07:47

Paxil and Birth Defects December 2005 You should consult with your doctor immediately if you are taking paroxetine and are pregnant and particularly if you are in your first trimester. Suddenly stopping paroxetine and drugs like it may result in a withdrawal syndrome. See the warning statement above.

Worst Drugs: December 2005
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Public Health Advisory on Sept. 29, 2005 to warn of suicidal thinking in children and adolescents being treated with atomoxetine (STRATTERA) for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). There is no convincing evidence that atomoxetine (STRATTERA) is as effective or as well tolerated as stimulants such as methylphenidate (CONCERTA, and others) for treatment of ADHD.

Frail, elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease who are given widely used antipsychotic drugs such as Zyprexa and Risperdal have a higher risk of dying than patients who are given sugar pills, and doctors should be cautious in prescribing the drugs, according to a new analysis of earlier studies. The report is likely to complicate the limited choices that families face while caring for elderly patients with Alzheimer's. And it lends support to a decision by the Food and Drug Administration earlier this year to require warning labels on the drugs. The drugs are approved for the treatment of psychoses in adults but have not been specifically approved for use among elderly patients with dementia, so physicians prescribing them for this group are relying on their clinical judgment. Experts said the new study should help doctors better weigh the risks and benefits. Shankar Vedantam, The Washington Post, 10/19/2005

Federal regulators are considering requiring drugmakers to perform longer-term studies of many psychiatric medications before they can be approved for marketing in the U.S. In documents posted on its website, the Food and Drug Administration said for the past six months, it has been asking manufacturers to provide "longer- term efficacy data" for psychiatric drugs that treat chronic conditions. But the shift has met with resistance from companies and some researchers, who have said it will slow the process of developing new drugs, said Thomas Laughren, acting director of the agency's division of psychiatry products.

Leila Abboud And Anna Wilde Mathews, The Wall Street Journal, 10/18/2005.

A landmark government-financed study that compared drugs used to treat schizophrenia has confirmed what many psychiatrists long suspected: newer drugs that are highly promoted and widely prescribed offer few -- if any -- benefits over older medicines that sell for a fraction of the cost. http://www.ncpa.org/prs/cd/2005/20050920.htm

Results from the National Institutes of Mental Health Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) trial, published in the September 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, underscore that people with schizophrenia need many medication options because what works well for one patient may not work as well for another. The efficacy results for RISPERDAL? (risperidone) did not demonstrate the full efficacy of RISPERDAL? because many patients in the CATIE trial received doses that were too low(i). Further, the study highlights the need for newer therapies that can improve adherence to medication and address other unmet needs of these patients who battle this lifelong disease.

Contact your doctor immediately if you experience fever, sweating, severe muscle stiffness (rigidity), confusion, fast or irregular heart beat. These could be symptoms of a potentially fatal side effect called Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS).

1. Burns BJ, Costello EJ, Angola A, et al. Children's mental health service use across service sectors. Health Aff (Millwood). 1995;14:147-159 2. Shaffer D, Gould MS, Fisher P, et al. Psychiatric diagnosis in child and adolescent suicide. Arch Gen Psychiatry.... (Read Risperdal Article)

Among the celebrated thinkers believed to have had ADHD or ADD (attention deficit disorder, where the energy level is lower), are Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and Galileo. Musicians like Beethoven also are thought to have had the disorder. People with ADHD can think outside of the box and are willing to take risks, which can make them successful entrepreneurs.

Perhaps Tom Cruise's points hould have been:
1) People do change when they use psych drugs -- they are on drugs! Not medicines! Get the difference? Medicines cure actual illnesses. Drugs mask personal problems or actual physical issues no differently than street drugs or liquor do. LSD was once a psychiatric drug. So the actual problems are never solved unless the individual works it out himself or with friends, or finds real help. But we also have the problem of the side effects of these drugs which brings me to my next point. This is the danger Cruise warned of.

2) In June, the FDA warned that the use of the drugs Concerta, Ritalin, Straterra and Adderall can produce "visual hallucinations, suicidal ideation, psychotic behavior, as well as aggression or violent behavior" in children.

3) The entire premise for the use of these drugs is based on the claim of a "medical" cause for peoples' emotional issues -- the so-called "chemical imbalance." American Psychiatric Association President Steven Sharfstein admitted recently that there is no way to test for a "chemical imbalance" so none is ever done. Again, Cruise is right and they concede.