Patience Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Is there no end to the greed of these pharmaceutical companies? This is truly a new low. This is an article from the Alliance for Natural Health. ============================================= Prozac for Pets Posted By ANH-USA On August 16, 2011 @ 4:33 pm In Uncategorized http://www.anh-usa.org/prozac-for-pets/ Now Fido can have the same violent and psychotic breaks from SSRIs as humans. Please support our new Citizen Petition to the FDA! The FDA has approved a reformulated version of the much-prescribed SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) Prozac, but this one is just for dogs. Reconcile was created to treat canine separation anxiety. It is a once-daily, chewable, dog-treat-flavored drug that is supposed to be used “in conjunction with a behavior modification plan.” Reconcile’s full product label, which by law includes complete safety information, does not contain the black box warning that is mandatory on the drug for humans. Of course, that black box notice merely warns of increased risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children, adolescents, and young adults. The label doesn’t make any mention of the documented connection between antidepressants and violence towards others, nor the drug’s propensity for causing mania, or increased feelings of hostility or anxiety in humans. Withdrawal from SSRIs can be similarly dangerous, ranging from nausea to suicidal ideations. Given the tremendous risk of humans having a psychotic break when they take Prozac, what are the risks associated with animal use? No one knows—certainly not the FDA, which approved it. What if the dogs turn inexplicably violent? What if the breed is naturally aggressive (which would include the very breeds most prone to canine separation disorder)—will the drug heighten the aggression? ANH-USA is submitting a Citizen Petition to the FDA to ask that information be added to the black box warning label for humans about the increased risk of violence from SSRIs, and to create a similar black box warning label for Reconcile for dogs as well. A recent high-profile article in the New York Review of Books (links: part 1 and part 2) discusses the symbiotic relationship between the pharmaceutical industry and psychiatrists to push antidepressants. Some of the revelations: Many psychiatric drugs were created first, and then psychological abnormalities were postulated to fit the drug (not the other way around as is usually the case). The evidence that these drugs actually work is decidedly mixed, especially in the long term. Pharmaceutical companies have to provide the FDA with two clinical trials to prove efficacy of the drugs—and usually these successful trials are widely published. However, they never publish—and never make public—all the trials that were outright failures. Many pharmaceutical companies have close links with both the FDA (as we have reported in these pages many times before) as well as the medical industry. Antidepressants, whether for humans or for pets, is a massive industry. According to the CDC, antidepressants are now among the top three classes of human medications prescribed in the US. ... Pushing drugs on animals is driven by the same profit incentive that we see with humans. Americans will spend over $50.8 billion on pet products and services this year. It is the fastest growing retail segment in our economy... ... Eli Lilly created its “companion animal” division at the beginning of 2007 and over the next three years hopes to release several other drugs. Pfizer, whose companion animal revenues have grown 57 percent since 2003 to nearly $1 billion, hopes to develop medications for pain, cancer and behavioral issues. The FDA has approved other drugs for dogs as well: Slentrol is the country’s first canine anti-obesity medication, and Anipryl treats cognitive dysfunction so that absentminded pets can remember the location of the supper bowl or doggie door. ... We have a new Action Alert for you. Please write to the US Food and Drug Administration today in support of our Citizen Petition to put Black Box Warnings on all SSRI drugs—whether for humans or for dogs—that warn of the link between antidepressants and sudden violent behavior. TO SEND YOUR MESSAGE TO THE FDA Click THIS LINK to go to the Action Alert page. Once there, fill out the form with your name and address, etc., and customize your letter. We have a suggested message for you, but please feel free to add your own comments to the letter. We’d also love to hear your comments about this article—just add your thoughts below—but remember that the messages below are only seen by our ANH-USA readers and not the FDA, Congress etc. 1989 to 2008: Prozac then Paxil then Celexa. Numerous attempts to quit. Then I got off the SSRI poop-out merry-go-round. 11-12 week taper. Muddy water, let stand, becomes clear If you're going through hell, keep walking The only way out is through Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted August 17, 2011 Administrator Share Posted August 17, 2011 And the poor animals can't report side effects. Terrible. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Baxter Posted August 17, 2011 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted August 17, 2011 This makes me insane. The dogs that "need" SSRIs are typcially the highly social breeds which have really specific job descriptions like herding or guarding or companioning. PEOPLE who treat animals as accessories rather than sentient beings are the problem. You can train an animal to lie in a crate that is just about large enough for him/her to stand and turn in. You can leave him/her there for 10 hours while you are at work/on you commute. But the stress is going to have an impact on that animal's behavior. Then I could go off on puppy mills but I will stop here. I know I am preaching to the choir. 1989 - 1992 Parnate* 1992-1998 Paxil - pooped out*, oxazapam, inderal 1998 - 2005 Celexa - pooped out* klonopin, oxazapam, inderal *don't remember doses 2005 -2007 Cymbalta 60 mg oxazapam, inderal, klonopin Started taper in 2007: CT klonopin, oxazapam, inderal (beta blocker) - 2007 Cymbalta 60mg to 30mg 2007 -2010 July 2010 - March 2018 on hiatus due to worsening w/d symptoms, which abated and finally disappeared. Then I stalled for about 5 years because I didn't want to deal with W/D. March 2018 - May 2018 switch from 30mg Cymbalta to 20mg Celexa 19 mg Celexa October 7, 2018 18 mg Celexa November 5, 2018 17 mg Celexa December 2, 2019 16 mg Celexa January 6, 2018 15 mg Celexa March 7, 2019 14 mg Celexa April 24, 2019 13 mg Celexa June 28, 2019 12.8 mg Celexa November 10, 2019 12.4 Celexa August 31, 2020 12.2 Celexa December 28, 2020 12 mg Celexa March 2021 11 mg Celexa February 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Altostrata Posted August 17, 2011 Administrator Share Posted August 17, 2011 One also suspects that humans, or their neglect, play a role in a dog's misbehavior. Dogs are drugged into being manageable, same as children. This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has surpassed our humanity." -- Albert Einstein All postings © copyrighted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Emeritus Rhiannon Posted September 10, 2011 Moderator Emeritus Share Posted September 10, 2011 This makes me insane. The dogs that "need" SSRIs are typcially the highly social breeds which have really specific job descriptions like herding or guarding or companioning. PEOPLE who treat animals as accessories rather than sentient beings are the problem. You can train an animal to lie in a crate that is just about large enough for him/her to stand and turn in. You can leave him/her there for 10 hours while you are at work/on you commute. But the stress is going to have an impact on that animal's behavior. Then I could go off on puppy mills but I will stop here. I know I am preaching to the choir. WORD. I'll stop there or I"ll be here all day. Started on Prozac and Xanax in 1992 for PTSD after an assault. One drug led to more, the usual story. Got sicker and sicker, but believed I needed the drugs for my "underlying disease". Long story...lost everything. Life savings, home, physical and mental health, relationships, friendships, ability to work, everything. Amitryptiline, Prozac, bupropion, buspirone, flurazepam, diazepam, alprazolam, Paxil, citalopram, lamotrigine, gabapentin...probably more I've forgotten. Started multidrug taper in Feb 2010. Doing a very slow microtaper, down to low doses now and feeling SO much better, getting my old personality and my brain back! Able to work full time, have a full social life, and cope with stress better than ever. Not perfect, but much better. After 23 lost years. Big Pharma has a lot to answer for. And "medicine for profit" is just not a great idea. Feb 15 2010: 300 mg Neurontin 200 Lamictal 10 Celexa 0.65 Xanax and 5 mg Ambien Feb 10 2014: 62 Lamictal 1.1 Celexa 0.135 Xanax 1.8 Valium Feb 10 2015: 50 Lamictal 0.875 Celexa 0.11 Xanax 1.5 Valium Feb 15 2016: 47.5 Lamictal 0.75 Celexa 0.0875 Xanax 1.42 Valium 2/12/20 12 0.045 0.007 1 May 2021 7 0.01 0.0037 1 Feb 2022 6 0!!! 0.00167 0.98 2.5 mg Ambien Oct 2022 4.5 mg Lamictal (off Celexa, off Xanax) 0.95 Valium Ambien, 1/4 to 1/2 of a 5 mg tablet I'm not a doctor. Any advice I give is just my civilian opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summer Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Last week we got a 3 month old precious puppy for my granddaughter (really for me, but don't tell her ). Prozac... NEVER, in a million, zillion years!!!!! Charter Member 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilu Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 I watch a show called My Cat from Hell, and while Jackson's therapies are usually holistic, he does advocate putting some of the "crazy" and unmanageable cats on antidepressants or anti anxiety meds. 2005-2008: Effexor; 1/2008 Tapered 3 months, then quit. 7/2008-2009 Reinstated Effexor (crying spells at start of new job.) 2009-3/2013: Switched to Pristiq 50 mg then 100 mg 3/2013: Switched to Lexapro 10mg. Cut down to 5 mg. CT for 2 weeks then reinstated for 6 weeks 8/2013-8/2014: Tapering Lexapro (Lots of withdrawal symptoms) 11/2014 -8/2015: Developed severe insomnia and uncontrollable daily crying spells 12/2014-6/2015: Tried Ambien, Klonopin, Ativan, Lunesta, Sonata, Trazadone, Seroquel, Rameron, Gabapentin - Developed Anxiety disorder, PTSD, and Psychogenic Myoclonus 7/2015-1/2016: Reinstated Lexapro 2 mg (mild improvement, but crying spells still present) 1/2016-5/2017: Lexapro 5 mg ( helped a lot, but poor stress tolerance & depressive episodes) 5/20/2017 - Raised dose to Lexapro 10 mg due to lingering depression(Total of 2 failed tapers & severe PAWS) 9/11/2018 - Present: Still on 10 mg Lexapro and mostly recovered.(Anxiety still triggers Myoclonus.) 10/7/2022 - 20 mg Lexapro (brand only) Plus occasional Klonopin for anxiety and Ambien for insomnia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meistersinger Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 This makes me insane. The dogs that "need" SSRIs are typcially the highly social breeds which have really specific job descriptions like herding or guarding or companioning. PEOPLE who treat animals as accessories rather than sentient beings are the problem. You can train an animal to lie in a crate that is just about large enough for him/her to stand and turn in. You can leave him/her there for 10 hours while you are at work/on you commute. But the stress is going to have an impact on that animal's behavior.Then I could go off on puppy mills but I will stop here. I know I am preaching to the choir.WORD.I'll stop there or I"ll be here all day.Being that I live in one of the largest area of puppy mills (Since the Amish and Mennonites consider dogs and cats as nothing more than livestock), the conditions are atrocious. some of those dogs are so overbred, that no amount of training could make them bend to their owners will. History: 1995--Prozac--Quit CT by GP 1995--Effexor--Quit per my GP 1996--Amitriphene--Quit CT when changed GP 2005--Citalopram and BusPar. Prescribed when I decompensated in my GP's office. GP referred me to behavior health. Psychiatrist prescibed these drugs. Taken off citalopram in 2011 due to FDA warning. Quit Buspar during transition to viibryd. Viibryd--2011 to present. Had a severe reaction in March 2012. Advised both GP and Psychiatrist I was trying to get off these drugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 I have no words to comment about this atrocity. 4 years aprox. on 150mgs.Effexor for situational major depression.No AD before.Tapered 150-0mgs in 3 months. Tapered Quetiapine,Xanax in the last 18 months.NO med of any kind anymore.First 3 months off acute w/dProtracted w/d ever since.Symptoms:Anxiety,anhedonia,insomnia,tinnitus,PSSD 04/13/2014 Awful Relapse.Recovered fairly fast. 3 years and 4 months off. waves and windows.Very much recovered. November 2015,health issue.Setback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Jamie1979 Posted September 2, 2013 Mentor Share Posted September 2, 2013 Is that a joke? It isn´t, I fear... Diagnosis: * severe insomnia * PTSD * highly-sensitive person (hsp) * invalid since 2015 * benzo-addicted for 8 ys, withdrawal in 2013-2014 --> successful * drug-free now 👍 (and feeling better 🌟) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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