June 2007
Obesity Drug causes psychiatric problems. FDA:
Not to be sold in the United States        
    French Pharmaceutical Company Sanofi-Avenis, markets the drug rimonabant in 37 countries. It is a drug for obesity. Concerns about the drugs psychiatric effects have been called into question by the FDA in the US, and the committee voted not to allow the drug to be sold at the present time in the US. Worries about whether the drug induced seizures, a high dropout rate in clinical studies, as well as evidence of doubling patient’s risk of problems such as anxiety, depression, aggression and psychosis, lead the decision. Snofi-Aventis also has been the patent holder for the sleeping medication Ambien. Obesity drugs typically help a person lose 5% of weight, (for some up to 10%). That means a 220-pound woman, might be expected to lost 10 or 20 pounds, to 210 or 200.

   Dr Jules Hirsch, an FDA advisory committee member who is a research physician at Rockefeller University stated, “The problem I see with this whole thing is that the number of people who are going to lose weight is very small, You’re telling a 220  pound woman that she has a one in four chance of getting down to 200 pounds if she sticks with the program. That’s not going to make anyone very happy. This is true also of other drugs for obesity. Often times, when the drug regimen stops, the weight is gained again.

May 3, 2007
Antidepressants: A recent study from Maryland, USA reported that antidepressant use increased 300% in the US from 1997-2006 (2007). See: F.D.A. Expands Suicide Warning on Drugs…for minors taking antidepressants, the rates of children…295 studies of antidepressants, including 77,000 adults from college….May 3, 2007, by Benedict Carey, New York Times. 

March 2007
Antidepressants: A recent report  that studied 27 clinical trials of antidepressants and their effects confirmed that antidepressant use by children and teenagers does increase the risk of suicidal thoughts, although this study puts the number at 3% as opposed to 4%. Interestingly placebo treatment had a 50% success ratio in depression, slightly lower than the short term success ratio with antidepressants. (2007)  

2006 Black Box Warnings in 2004 on antidepressants caused their use to decline for a number of months and then level off from mid-2004 to the end of 2006. This was due to reports that antidepressant use doubled the risk of suicidal thoughts from 2-4% in children and teenagers. (FDA) The warning was recently expanded to include the 18-24 year old age group.

Walking and Depression  A Duke University study reported that regular brisk walking and other forms of exercise had a greater positive effect on depression than antidepressants and a greater success ratio in terms of recurrence rate as well, doing better than even exercise when combined with medicine.

September 20, 2006.  Walking at least three times a week could be as effective as medication in relieving the symptoms of depression in older adults. Walking will also decrease the chances that depression will return over time. That is what researchers at Duke University Medical Center are saying after studying 156 older adults suffering from depression.

Results indicate that taking regular walks will help lift depression, lessen tension, increase optimism, boost self-esteem, and increase energy. Researchers at Stanford University have also been studying depression. Their study found that exercise significantly reduced anxiety and depression without any of the side effects of medication.

One big problem for outside researchers, and for the public, is that the data that seems to show a link between the drugs and suicide is privately held by drug companies, though it has been provided to the government agencies.   40,000 Britons under 18 were taking such drugs, with about half taking Prozac.  Dr. David Healy, of the University of Wales College of Medicine has been one outspoken opponent of the growing use of antidepressants.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E4DD173CF932A25751C1A9659C8B63&sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=all

 

1992-2000
Antidepressants and Increased Risks of Abnormal Bleeding:

Most are aware that seretonin is a neurotransmitter and that it is what is increased through use of SSRIs-Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. Like plugging up the drain so that more water stays in the sink, SSRIs block the reuptake openings in the brain cells so that more serotonin remains in the synapses, the gap between the “braches” of the two extended cells. This contributes in many persons, to a feeling of well being. Seretonin also has an effect on  blood clotting. Some researchers were concerned that SSRIs might be contributing to excessive bleeding in those taking SSRIs. Heerdink of the Utrecht Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Netherlands,  studied over 64,000 patients who were on SSRIs between 1992 and 2000. During the evaluation period of  a little over 200 days, over 196 persons were admitted to the hospital for abnormal bleeding.

Their conclusion was, they felt that SSRIs do contribute to excessive bleeding. It has been stated in other studies that SSRIs and similar drugs can contribute to bleeding in the brain. The degree of bleeding in the Netherlands study was at least 2 times as high as might be considered normal.

Drugs which had “intermediate” inhibition effects had a rate of bleeding 2 times that of normal:

In other words this second groups of drugs is considered stronger or to cause more bleeding. Around 1% of those who took the drug experienced such bleeding (1 in 100). These drugs are representative of a broader range of drugs.

 

Feb 15, 2007  Pharmaceuticals and Children:

Debate Over Children and Psychiatric Drugs:

From New York Times February 15, 2007,

 

On December 13, 2006 in Hull Massachusetts a 4-year old girl was found dead on the floor of her parent’s bedroom. The cause was overdose from prescription psychiatric medications. Her parents were arrested and accused of deliberately giving the child an overdose of her medications. She had been on psychiatric medications since she was 2 years old for ADHD and bipolar disorder.

 

The practice of aggressively treating childhood psychiatric disorders  in children is something that is open to much debate. Some claim that without aggressive treatment many of such children become suicidal; others claim that never should a child be treated with these type of medications. Though drugs need to be approved by the FDA for children, the practice of treating children with psychiatric medications in the treatment of  children is widespread.

 

Rebecca, the little girl was on a prescription “drug cocktail” of Seroquel, an atypical antipsychotic, of the newer generation of antipsychotic drugs, less tranquilizing than the older typcial antipsychotics, as well as Depakote, an equally powerful medication, and Clonidine, a heart medication that is frequently prescribed to children to calm them down. “Drug cocktails” of three, four, five or even more drugs have are often prescribed to patients with bipolar disorder or other psychiatric problems, to address various symptoms. While such medications can be effective in calming a patient down, they also can be very sedating, making normal everyday functions difficult for many. Such a practice is not uncommon in the psychiatric community. Seroquel is part of a class of drugs that includes Risperdal and Zyprexa which has been implicated in weight gain among its users, as well as a greatly increased risk of diabetes in the case of Zyprexa, which has led to both sickness and death in patients.

 

Rebecca, for one, “seemed sleepy and drugged” most days. One teacher said that Rebecca seemed to come to life about 2:00 PM when the drugs seemed to be  “wearing off”.

 

“Parents very often want a quick fix,” stated Dr. Carlson of  “and doctors rarely have much time to spend with the, and the great appeal of prescribing medication is that it is simple.”  Dr. Gabrielle Carlson is professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at Stony Brook University School of Medicine in Long Island, NY.

 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/15/us/


Feb 11, 2007
Doctors and Pharmaceutical Companies

It was recently reported in the New York Times of the relationship between doctors and pharmaceutical companies. $12 billion a year is spent marketing pharmaceuticals to doctors. The University of Michigan banned such a practice, which amount to $2.5 million a year. The practice often involves free samples to doctors and meals to entire staffs.  Some other universities have similarly banned the practice. Some however, are reluctant to stop the practice, as research money is often coming in from pharmaceutical companies for the universities.

 

“Gifts bring with them the need to reciprocate,” said one professor of social medicine. It is not the same as a bribe, but the big money does have influence in a doctor’s psychological persuasion. New York Times Feb 11, 2007

 

2006-2007
Zoloft and Diabetes

There has been an ongoing story of Zoloft and its propensity to contribute to a higher incidence of diabetes. While its manufacturer had knowledge to that effect, the date was apparently manipulated in such a way so as to had the severity of the problem. Zoloft is an atypical antipsychotics, (of the newer variety since the 1990s, which produce less side effects than the older typical antipsychotics) and is commonly used in the treatment of bi-polar disorder. Weight gain is a serious side effect of many antipsychotics, including newer drugs. Along with that, the risk of diabetes rises tremendously with use of Zoloft. Millions of dollars in restitution money was awarded in a class action suit from the manufacturers of Zoloft.

 

January '07 Art & Medicine 

A hospital in Newark, NJ is giving 6 months of art supplies to children in a program to use art as a rehabilitational tool for children and teenagers who are ill. The program was inspired by one little girl with leukemia who painted to take her mind off things. Children’s paintings are displayed as part of the program in showings and galleries. It helps the children to build self-esteem during a difficult time in their life, and helps them not to take their minds off of things.

 

  Any decisions made concerning mental health are personal decisions and winmental health bears no responsibility. The information on this website are for educational and informative purposes only and each person must make their own decisions on mental health treatment. We hope that this information is helpful.