Thousands of people are being prescribed Prozac and other so-called wonder drugs to stop them feeling depressed. Do they risk doing themselves more harm than good? Clare Thomson (The Bulletin, June 5, 1997) “I’m not mad ” says Frank van Meerendonk, a former English teacher who is now […]
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Dangers of fluoxetine [Prozac] [Reprint of letter, which appeared in the January 18, 1997 issue of the journal Lancet ] Sirs– For many years, there have been unsubstantiated reports about the possible serious adverse effects of fluoxetine (Prozac, Eli Lilly), especially in the mass media. Newspaper articles, TV broadcasts, […]
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by Peter R. Breggin, M.D. On April 29 the Washington Post confirmed that Eric Harris, the leader in the Littleton tragedy, was taking the psychiatric drug Luvox at the time of the murders. On April 30 the same newspaper published a story quoting expert claims that Luvox is safe and […]
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Recently, TIME magazine seemed to undermine earlier reports in the press that Eric Harris was taking the Prozac knock-off Luvox at the time he committed the tragic murders at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Seemingly based on unpublished video tapes, TIME said that Harris stopped taking his Luvox in […]
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By Peter R. Breggin, M.D. Ithaca, New York In 2004 the FDA issued a black box warning about the increased risk of suicidality in children taking the newer antidepressants, including the SSRIs (Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Celexa, and Lexapro) and also Effexor and Wellbutrin (also marketed as Zyban). On […]
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By Peter R. Breggin, M.D. Getting the FDA to move forward by presenting it with scientific data is like using a peacock feather to tickle a sleeping giant tortoise on its shell. Many people die before the agency opens its eyes and then it barely reacts at all. Bloated with […]
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On June 28, 2007 more than 250 headlines around the world promised that SSRI antidepressants (such as Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, and Celexa) are safe for pregnant mothers and their developing babies. “Mom’s Antidepressant Use Poses Little Danger to Baby,” heralded the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “Antidepressants pose low birth defect risk,” claimed Boston Globe. The New York Times ran with the Associated Press’s article titled “Antidepressants Not Big Risk for Defects.” The Wall Street Journal’s coverage was titled “Reassurance on Antidepressants in Pregnancy.” The day before the news stories broke, the Centers for Disease Control spun the news in advance with a press release headlined, “New Study Finds Few Risks of Birth Defects from Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy” (CDC Division of Media, 2007).
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February 27, 2006, Ithaca, New York Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry (EHPP) has published an excerpt from a previously sealed product liability report against Glaxo SmithKline (GSK). The medical expert report documents how the company systematically hid and manipulated data concerning Paxil-induced suicidality in depressed adults. The number of suicide […]
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On December 13, 2006 the FDA’s Psychopharmaceutical Drugs Advisory Committee (PDAC) is meeting in Silver Spring, Maryland to discuss antidepressant-induced suicidal behavior in adults. In 2004 the FDA held similar hearings on children and concluded that antidepressants do in fact cause suicide in humans under age eighteen. A warning has been placed in all antidepressant labels or package inserts.
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By Peter R. Breggin, M.D. January 12, 2006 A report in the January 9th Newsweek asks about retired star baseball pitcher Jeff Reardon, “Did drugs make a star hurler rob a jewelry shop?” The story has been all over the media. Apparently taking numerous antidepressants, Jeff Reardon, a wealthy […]
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