# Sites for reporting antidepressant side effects



## Talissa (Apr 10, 2004)

Hi guys,The recent article Psychiatric Drug Litigation At All Time High tells where you can report side effects. It doesn't mean you're suing anyone







, it just helps in the post-marketing effort. It helps discern facts which aren't readily revealed by those with a financial interest in antidepressant sales success... Citizen's Commission on Human Rights(The "celebrity abuse & deaths" section is interesting. I didn't know about any of them...)_________________________________Another site on which you can report drug side effects is: MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting Form (3500) This may have more impact than the first site given above...Depends on your point of view. The Medwatch site is FDA, and the Human Rights site is sponsored by the scientology peeps...


----------



## Guest (Aug 11, 2006)

Talissa - as a (probably) long-term user of an antidepressant, I'd just like to add my two penn'eth!!I agree, there are some very alarming side-effects - these drugs are not to be taken lightly - however, I think some of the reading is positively irresponsible and down-right scarey. Forgive me, cos I haven't even read the sites you've mentioned but I have read enough to seriously scare me - well not now, that I'm well (albeit on medication). I think the key to understanding is treating any prescribed anti-d or other related drug, with the respect it deserves, monitoring any adverse reactions very carefully and working very closely with a sympathetic GP - and I'm very lucky in that I have a fabbo bloke - we understand each other thank god, and I know many aren't so lucky, or a pyschiatrist.I don't know how helpful it is in all honesty to read terrifying reports of people who have been literally driven insane or commited suicide whilst on medication. We are all far, far too litigation mad.These drugs seem to have very ideosyncratic side-effects and also, what is worth bearing in mind, is, you have to give them at least 6-8 weeks before you reap any real benefit (well, certainly in my case, though others respond within a matter of days).If you are depressed or mentally ill in other ways, my message is - tread very carefully, don't unduly scare yourself reading horror stories on the web but WORK CLOSELY WITH YOUR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND MONITOR YOUR OWN BODY - YOU KNOW IT BETTER THAN ANYONE WRITING GENERALISED AND OFTEN OVER-DRAMATISED ACCOUNTS ON THE WEB.There, got that off me chest.For those who are depressed or newly diagnosed, please remember there is always, always hope and a treatment (be it pills or something else) that will make you feel better than you do now.DON'T EVER LOSE HOPE!!!!Sue


----------



## Talissa (Apr 10, 2004)

Hi Sue,Thx for your penn'eth.







I could tell you hadn't read the sites because they are diff from, say, the antidepressant survivor stories here:http://www.drugawareness.org/Archives/Surv...ivor_index.htmlThe sites from the first post are just an avenue in which people can officially report adverse effects from the drugs. Its a way to help others. L, T-


----------



## Guest (Aug 11, 2006)

Yes, I know Talissa and yes of course people have a right to report problems but I think also the positive effects of such drugs have to be pointed out, particularly to those who are in the early stages of diagnoses and need to see that there are success stories of people on long-term medication (I'm on Mitrazapene - which mercifully doesn't seem to be widely reported on).If you were newly diagnosed and say, put on Prozac, ANY of these sites would scare the bejaysus out of you and the other side of the story HAS to be told don't you agree!!!!! Its scary enough to have to go on these drugs without all the adverse publicity.Sue


----------



## Gutguy22 (Jul 6, 2004)

Just thought I'd add my 2 cents. I think like most things the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I think the drug companies/psychiatrists are guilty of overhyping the benifits and downplaying the side effects of SSRIs. They also tend to give prescriptions that start people on too high a dose and also many psychiatrists have a scary ignorance of SSRI withdrawal (some even claiming it doesn't exist in some strange game of semantics or due to sheer ignorance). They just generally seem way too casual with SSRIs. I think if they just emphasized slowly upping the dosage of SSRIs and slowly (sometimes very, very slowly) tapering off SSRIs instead of going cold turkey the majority of SSRI horror stories would not exist.Why they don't I have no idea. Maybe they don't want people to think they might have to cut up their pills and slowly taper off them. They seem to be determined to shoot themselves in the foot for some reason.On the other side you have all the horror stories all over the internet concerning SSRIs and side effects, etc. I believe those who experience horrible side effects are far more likely than those who have had success to take the time to post on the internet. Those who have success probably aren't looking around the internet for SSRI discussion forums in anywhere near the percentage as those who have had problems. Then factor in the millions upon millions of prescriptions written for these drugs and well you get the idea.I have major SSRI phobia and I have read so many discussion boards on them I've lost count. While the discussion boards aren't useless, I'd say in the end your left about as confused as before, so it's better to just read the data from the actual trials. That and slowly increasing your dosage and slowly tapering if ever going off seem to be key. I think a lot of psychiatrists disregard withdrawal and other effects because, hey, you're supposed to be somewhat neurotic and nuts in the first place if you need an SSRI, so they just don't take it all that serious when people legitimitely complain. On the flip side, some of the REAL negative effects of SSRIs are overblown because, well, many of the people given SSRIs do have these neurotic issues that cause them to obsess/exaggerate/misinterprete these negatives. Not sure if any of this made sense, but that's how it seems to me.


----------



## Guest (Aug 12, 2006)

You talk alot of sence Gutguy - yeah, well said.Sue


----------



## Talissa (Apr 10, 2004)

Hi guys,Well, this is an interesting discussion & I could -definitely- add my 2 cents. But the point wasn't are antidepressants good/bad, nor whether online reaction stories are relevant.Information from post-marketing accounts can help save peeps from pain, and sometimes, it can help save lives.Ex, from people reporting severe symptoms which indicated "serotonin syndrome", the FDA was able to investigate & learn that taking ctn migraine medications while on ctn antidepressants was the cause.I'm really glad the FDA didn't disregard the patients information & accounts due to the misguided impression that they have neurotic issues anyways & shouldn't be taken seriously.It helps people. I've read the stories here on this bb. I thought some may want to report their experiences, if severe, to authorities, esp since many MDs aren't doing it for them...T-


----------



## Gutguy22 (Jul 6, 2004)

Talissa, with all due respect I think your take on the Citizens Commission on Human Rights agenda is niave. This is a group that was established by the Church of Scientology. It is regarded by the government as part of the Church of Scientology's network of corporate entities (seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_Comm...on_Human_Rights).I am hardly a huge supporter of the psychiatric community but I think it's fair to say that CCHR's views are extreme, and that the site they have is more of a front to attack the psychiatric community than anything else. The celebrity abuse and deaths section is an example of this, and rather than finding it interesting I found it a rather odd thing to find on a site like that. Are we to believe that celebrity anectodal experiences with psychiatric treatments are the best (or even a good) guide for the general population? And even if we did, what about the celebrities whos lives have been saved by psychiatric treatments? Why are they not mentioned? I'm not against reporting negative experiences with psychiatric medications, but I'd suggest reporting it only to more objective organizations like the FDA.


----------



## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Yep my take is scientology really really really wants to replace all of psychology with its religion so anything that comes from them tends to be a bit suspect IMHO.Really, are you trying to portray these drugs as ONLY having negative effects and being a total danger to every single person that takes them? Honestly, sometimes it seems that way. I know of no one that has ever said antidepressants or any other medication is totally safe and without side effects, although I've seen a lot of other things marketed like that because they are not regulated at all by the FDA like medications are.Because that is IMHO really unfair. These drugs can do a lot of people a lot of good. Like anything they also have a downside and can be problematic for a few people that take them. No one should take any medication, herb, alternative treatment or diet with blind faith. Every.Single.Thing no matter how it is marketed has its dangers.Trying to scare someone out of something that could make all the difference is just as irresponsible IMO as saying something has no risk. People do need to be informed, but they don't need to be scared to death with highly biased information.K.


----------



## Talissa (Apr 10, 2004)

From my original post:


> quote:Another site on which you can report drug side effects is:MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting Form (3500)This may have more impact than the first site given above...Depends on your point of view. The Medwatch site is FDA, and the Human Rights site is sponsored by the scientology peeps...


This is a site which is sponsored by the FDA guys.For those who don't trust the FDA, the Human Rights site is another option...


----------



## Talissa (Apr 10, 2004)

With regards to the scientologists, for whom I've no feelings one way or the other:"A Psychiatric Drug Adverse Reaction Report Hot Line could lead to thousands more suits against psychiatrists forcing these drugs onto patients, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) announced. The group launched a reporting system on itâ€™s website, http://www.cchr.org/drugreporting,[/URL] to make it easier for patients to report drug risks. This was in response to Food and Drug Administration revelations about antidepressants. Three alerts were issued this month warning that homicidal thoughts are a side effect of the antidepressant, Effexor; that antidepressants can cause a rare lung disease in newborns of mothers who take antidepressants during pregnancy and that migraine medication taken concurrently with antidepressants could result in a life-threatening condition called serotonin syndrome."http://pharmaceuticals.press-world.com/v/7...-time-high.html


----------



## Gutguy22 (Jul 6, 2004)

I'm not exactly sure how you can have no feelings one way or the other towards the agenda of scientologists concerning psychiatry, which are extreme. Who is the author of the quotation you just posted? Anyway, the quote you posted is just a press release put out by scientologists referring to their group in the "third person" so to speak. You seem to believe that it's an objective article or something to be taken as truth.As for the comments in it like the lung disease thing, I am unaware that CCHR is responsible for uncovering this through their reporting system. Just because the scientology site issues an "alert" doesn't mean their system somehow uncovered this through people reporting side effects. I searched briefly and found this:"These findings are likely to generate significant anxiety among child-bearing women who suffer from depression. About 10% to 15% of women in the general population suffer from depression during pregnancy. The risk is particularly high in women with histories of depression who discontinue antidepressants during pregnancy. Women considering the use of antidepressants during pregnancy must be made aware of this risk but it must be weighed against the risks of untreated illness in the mother. To avoid or withhold antidepressants during pregnancy places these women - and their children - at risk. Depression in the mother is not a benign event and, when left untreated during pregnancy, has been associated with poor neonatal outcomes, including preterm birth, low birthweight, and lower Apgar scores. If we assume that these findings are correct, the risk is still relatively small; the authors estimate the risk of PPHN to be less than 1% in infants exposed to SSRIs in utero. Thus many women with more severe or recurrent illness may elect to continue treatment with SSRIs during pregnancy, acknowledging that the risks associated with untreated depression are greater than the risks of SSRI use. Ruta Nonacs, MD, PhD"the rest can be read at http://www.womensmentalhealth.org/resources/ht.htmlThere is a big difference between logically looking at facts from an unbiased viewpoint and coming at a subject from a scientology point of view, where they have already made up their minds. Scientology's viewpoint on psychiatry isn't some small thing that can be overlooked. It's a huge part of their belief system and is at odds with the vast majority of mental health professionals and the scientific community as a whole.


----------



## Gutguy22 (Jul 6, 2004)

Talissa, I just wanted to add that I think your basic idea is a good one, and I wasn't attacking that. I just don't want people going to CCHR websites, which are really sneaky in presenting themselves as having no connection with scientology, and freaking out over SSRIs. There are people in real pain and in need of help for example that could be put off from getting relief because of sites like that with an agenda.


----------



## Talissa (Apr 10, 2004)

Hey gutguy,We're cool. I understand where you're coming from re: scientologists, & its good of you & Sue to put it out there that sometimes antidepressants are a necessary evil, like in the cases of debilitating depression or bipolar. Talissa


----------



## Guest (Aug 13, 2006)

Kathleen - thank you, thank you, thank you, thats exactly what I'm trying to say and I think I'm pretty much an expert in this field (being a long-term depressive) - you are so right - thank god I was really too too sick to read any of this irresponsible blurb - and of course no-one is naive enough to think that everything has its price (ie side-effects in this case) but really you have to give these things time and monitor your own bodies reactions and work with the professionals - well, thats what has worked and is working for me.SuePS: Talissa that is irresponsible - anti-d's are NOT a "necessary evil" - they saved my life thank you very much


----------



## Talissa (Apr 10, 2004)

Sue, Maybe its an American saying.."necessary evil". It means you have to do something you don't necessarily want to do, but by doing so, you get the desired result.Ie~~ Tech-writers â€" a necessary evil by Glenn Murray Security: A necessary evil? Doesn't mean tech writers & IT security are evil...You see? It means you have to do something you don't want to in order to get a desired result...Nobody wakes up saying, Oh I can't wait to finally take antidepressants, I've always wanted to take them. People take them reluctantly--but if they're working, gladly, in order to live a productive, happy, well-adjusted life.Glad to see they're doing that for you now.L, T-


----------



## Guest (Aug 16, 2006)

TalissaI know perfectly well what a necessary evil is but I just think its an incredibly unfortunate way of describing what, for many, are life-saving drugs.Sue


----------



## CASS508 (Aug 12, 2007)

Regarding Talissa and this quote (below) as an example, i can tell you that Talissa is a scientologist from the language and terms she uses in the posts and replies on this thread.for example when Talissa says "Doesn't mean tech writers" thats contains scientology language.just thought i would point that out. may explain why she slipped the CCHR site in....having said that i do disagree myself with the use of A.D's for any reason, there are other ways to deal with the problems they seem to be so readily given out for. what ever you think of A.D's they do mess you up forever, you may have masked the original condition for a short or long while but it will never go away just cause you have popped an Anti D, its not a cure just a cover up of the problem, but also with there use you will have a whole host of further new problems as a resut of Anti D's.


Talissa said:


> Sue, Maybe its an American saying.."necessary evil". It means you have to do something you don't necessarily want to do, but by doing so, you get the desired result.
> 
> Ie~~
> Tech-writers â€" a necessary evil by Glenn Murray
> ...


----------



## 20840 (Dec 9, 2005)

CASS508 said:


> what ever you think of A.D's they do mess you up forever, you may have masked the original condition for a short or long while but it will never go away just cause you have popped an Anti D, its not a cure just a cover up of the problem, but also with there use you will have a whole host of further new problems as a resut of Anti D's.


Wrong.In many cases IBS can trigger from a stressful experience; such an experience can be ongoing/traumatic and hence the IBS gets worse. The body then learns to react to certain situations in the same way.The unfortunate reality is that even when your environment changes in such a way where you have removed all external factors that effect your well-being, the problem still exists. You might say the body is programmed at this point. The trick is to re-program the body, if ADs can help bring the IBS under control for a considerable timeframe there's no reason why the body can't see this as the norm and continue to function normally after the treatment.It's a Syndrome not a disease. How does a low-dose treatment of an AD mess you up forever?


----------



## CASS508 (Aug 12, 2007)

linds_ said:


> Wrong.In many cases IBS can trigger from a stressful experience; such an experience can be ongoing/traumatic and hence the IBS gets worse. The body then learns to react to certain situations in the same way.The unfortunate reality is that even when your environment changes in such a way where you have removed all external factors that effect your well-being, the problem still exists. You might say the body is programmed at this point. The trick is to re-program the body, if ADs can help bring the IBS under control for a considerable timeframe there's no reason why the body can't see this as the norm and continue to function normally after the treatment.It's a Syndrome not a disease. *How does a low-dose treatment of an AD mess you up forever?*


if you look into the long term effect of AD's for example from brain slices are death (as one of many examples) the brain has been damaged and alter by there use, i dont mean to offend you but seriously you need o look into this, just cause they help appear to help the condition does not make they good or safe. personally i will struggle on and never take a AD.


----------



## 20840 (Dec 9, 2005)

CASS508 said:


> if you look into the long term effect of AD's for example from brain slices are death (as one of many examples) the brain has been damaged and alter by there use, i dont mean to offend you but seriously you need o look into this, just cause they help appear to help the condition does not make they good or safe. personally i will struggle on and never take a AD.


If a doctor does an autopsy on my brain when I'm dead and discovers evidence that it has chemically or physically left traces of it's usage, why would I care? The ADs would have allowed me to live a normal life, one which would be no shorter than someone else not on ADs (show me proof that 25-35mg of Nortriptyline used for an extended period of time will have dire consequences). The fact is -you can't-.I've been down -every- path to try and live a normal life for the past 8 years, using treatments that didn't involve AD drugs. The fact is none were anywhere near as effective as AD drugs. You can continue down the path of living a miserable life with IBS and I'll continue to have a more forfilling, pain-free life. Enjoy.


----------



## Guest (Sep 16, 2007)

OK - but I take a much more pragmatic view on Anti-Depressants - they have helped me live a fulfilling and NORMAL life (whatever that is) - I'm not medical - but I think I have had depression because of a chemical imbalance in the brain - I'm not side-stepping responsibility for my illness - just stating the facts as I see them. Now I have been well on 30mg Mitrazapene for over 20 months now. Would I be well without them? I don't know and personally don't really want to even explore the possibility - YET - of a life without them. Does that make me a drug addict - yes, probably but I see anti-d's in the same way as a diabetic would look at the managment of their condition with insulin. I don't know about what my brain will look like after my death - and frankly, I don't really care.I think we have to be very, very careful about the sort of language we use when discussing the long-term effects of taking anti-depressants, some of the language used here is unnecessarily emotive and frankly not very helpful. Any drug managing any condition will probably come at a price - we are all responsible, intelligent human beings and really we know our bodies better than anyone else - work closely with the health and psychiatric professionals but don't be unduly unkind - if having to rely for ever on anti-depressants means a half-way happy and fulfillng life - I'll take the long-term consequences any day over the unbearable alternative.A final word - for anyone of a neurotic or anxious nature - FOR GOD'S SAKE STEER A VERY WIDE BERTH FROM SENSATIONAL ARTICLES ON THE INTERNET - ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS DISCUSS WITH YOUR DOCTOR.Sue


----------



## Lilly1 (Jul 24, 2007)

Based on the manner in which you write, I'd say you shouldn't be claiming to be an expert in anything. And who is saying that AD's are a magic pill? Nobody here. AD's with counseling are a life saver for many. In fact you're talking to people who are telling you that AD's SAVED THEIR LIFE!! What part of that don't you understand?You telling people that AD's are a big no no is not only irresponsible it's very ignorant.


----------



## Guest (Sep 20, 2007)

Thanks Lilly - well said.Sue


----------

