uk DAILY MAIL: They sold us 'happy pills' - but all we got was suicide and misery

[angie007]

Take a look at this thats just appeared,

 

They sold us 'happy pills' - but all we got was suicide and misery

This is Peter Hitchens’ Mail on Sunday column 7 July 2012

A scandal can exist for ages before anyone notices. Here is one such. Ten years from now we will look back in shame and regret at the way the drug companies bamboozled us into swallowing dangerous, useless ‘antidepressant’ pills.

 

You’d be far better off taking a brisk walk. The moment of truth must come soon, though most of Britain’s complacent, sheep-like media will be among the last to spot it.

 

I would have thought it was blaring, front-page, top-of- the-bulletin news that GlaxoSmithKline, one of our biggest companies, has just been fined £2 billion (yes, you heard that right, £2 billion) in the US for – among other things – bribing doctors, and encouraging the prescription of unsuitable drugs to children.

 

Its drug Paxil, sold here as Seroxat, was promoted as suitable for teenagers and children, even though trials had shown it was not.

 

Doctors were sent on free trips where they were treated to snorkelling, sailing, deep-sea fishing, balloon rides and spa treatments (and cash payments), to persuade them to prescribe these drugs, or to reward them for doing so.

 

A medically-qualified radio host was allegedly paid more than £150,000 to plug one GSK antidepressant for unapproved uses. GSK paid for articles approving its drugs to appear in reputable medical journals.

 

It is well known now among doctors that other drug companies have suppressed unwelcome test results on modern antidepressants. These results show they are largely useless for their stated purpose. In many cases they were not significantly more effective than dummy tablets in lifting the moods of patients. Thanks to Freedom of Information investigations, the truth is now out.

 

Even worse than this is the growing suggestion that, far from making their users happy, these pills can increase suicidal thoughts in their minds, perhaps with tragic results.

 

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency undertook trials which showed that teenagers and children who took Seroxat were significantly more likely to experience such thoughts.

 

Sara Carlin, an 18-year-old Canadian student with everything to live for, hanged herself in 2007 despite official warnings (and warnings from her mother) that the drug could lead to self-harm.

 

Quite why it should magically be safe for adults, I am not sure. Nor was the coroner in the 2003 inquest on Colin Whitfield, a retired headmaster, aged 56, who slit his wrists in his garden shed two weeks after starting to take Seroxat. The coroner recorded an open verdict and said the drug should be withdrawn until detailed national studies were made.

 

Mr Whitfield’s widow Kathryn said: ‘We have no doubt that it was the drug that caused him to do it.’

 

I would also remind readers of the recent statement by Dr Declan Gilsenan, Ireland’s former Assistant State Pathologist, who says he has seen ‘too many suicides’ after people had started taking antidepressants and is sure the evidence is ‘more than anecdotal’.

 

The defenders of this nasty, profiteering enterprise – including doctors who ought to know better – will come up with the usual bleat of ‘correlation is not causation’.

 

Just remember that this was the same sly song that Big Tobacco sang, when it first became obvious that cigarettes caused cancer. It is time for a proper investigation, with evidence on oath and the power of subpoena.

 

.... go http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2170202/They-sold-happy-pills--got-suicide-misery.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Edited July 9, 2012 by Altostrata
added link and date

[angie007]

Here is another one i found online, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2170179/Why-GP-drug-bias-wont-happen-here.html

Edited July 9, 2012 by Altostrata
corrected link

[angie007]

Tested that link to find it doesnt open, so iv copied it over here

Sunday, Jul 08 2012 3PM 18°C 6PM 17°C 5-Day Forecast

Why GP drug bias won't happen here

By DR ELLIE CANNON

 

PUBLISHED: 22:03, 7 July 2012 | UPDATED: 22:03, 7 July 2012

 

I was agog at the news last week that US doctors had accepted Madonna concert tickets, among other gifts, as incentive to prescribe GlaxoSmith-Kline’s medicines.

 

The UK-based manufacturer was given a $3 billion penalty after admitting to what’s being called the ‘biggest healthcare fraud in history’.

 

One antidepressant involved is Paxil. Known here as Seroxat, or paroxetine, it has been linked to a higher risk of suicide in some patients.

 

In one case in 2003, an 18-year-old Londoner, Jamie Hoole, hanged himself after being put on it for two months. An inquest concluded his death may have been ‘wholly or in part’ linked to his use of the drug.

 

The new scandal adds to the worry for the millions of Britons on antidepressants, including Seroxat. As a GP who has written many prescriptions for these types of drugs, my first message is: don’t panic.

 

Might my GP have been pressured to prescribe me a certain antidepressant?

 

It is highly unlikely. In Britain, all doctors have to be very careful about accepting gifts or anything that may appear to be a financial incentive from pharmaceutical companies (or patients for that matter).

 

Every year we have to carry out a detailed appraisal, overseen by the local Primary Care Trust (PCT), in which we declare all gifts. If we do accept any, we run the risk of being disciplined for a conflict of interests.

 

All PCTs have a medicines management team who monitor all prescriptions from every GP practice. If a doctor was seen to favour one drug over others, it would be picked up on quickly.

 

So how do doctors decide on which drugs to prescribe for depression?

 

The most prescribed antidepressants are those that increase levels of the mood-balancing hormone serotonin in the brain. These are known as SSRIs (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors). First-line treatments include the drugs fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline and citalopram.

 

This is in line with the recommendations of the National Institute of Clinical Excellence, which sets prescribing guidelines based on large amounts of research. From experience we know these work well, and cause least side effects.

 

Other choices for those with more complex problems or in whom previous treatment has failed include amitriptyline, lithium or venlafaxine. Drugs such as lithium would normally be started by a psychiatrist after assessment, rather than a GP.

 

What if I’m on Seroxat? Should I stop taking it?

 

Seroxat isn’t so commonly prescribed: though these drugs all work the same way in theory, in practice some seem more effective that others. But if you are on it and have no problems, you should carry on.

 

How quickly can you tell if an anti-depressant is working?

 

These drugs are only prescribed after clear symptoms of depression such as poor appetite, early-morning waking, loss of enjoyment of life or marked loss in concentration. The symptoms will wane when an antidepressant works but it can take up to four weeks for it to happen.

 

People can feel worse in these first few weeks: close supervision by family and a GP is essential. Antidepressants are not a quick-fix and require a long-term commitment.

 

What options do I have if the antidepressant doesn’t work?

 

SSRIs are usually started at a low dose and altered according to the response. An alternative SSRI can be tried – this is not uncommon before finding the one that works best. Finally, it may be appropriate for a review either with a psychiatrist or a psychotherapist. Good access to therapy may avoid the need for a prescription.

 

I feel fine now, so can I stop taking my pills?

 

This is a joint decision between you and your doctor. Patients may feel ready when symptoms have improved greatly – but it’s a mistake to stop as soon as you feel better. This is a sign that the drugs are working but a relapse can happen if you suddenly stop. Antidepressants should usually be slowly reduced over a few weeks.

 

I always recommend that patients wait until exacerbating stresses – such as financial or family worries – have passed.

 

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2170179/Why-GP-drug-bias-wont-happen-here.html#ixzz202O1eGbJ

[poodlebell]

They sold us 'happy pills' - but all we got was suicide and miseryThis is Peter Hitchens’ Mail on Sunday column

A scandal can exist for ages before anyone notices. Here is one such. Ten years from now we will look back in shame and regret at the way the drug companies bamboozled us into swallowing dangerous, useless ‘antidepressant’ pills.

 

You’d be far better off taking a brisk walk. The moment of truth must come soon, though most of Britain’s complacent, sheep-like media will be among the last to spot it.

 

I would have thought it was blaring, front-page, top-of- the-bulletin news that GlaxoSmithKline, one of our biggest companies, has just been fined £2 billion (yes, you heard that right, £2 billion) in the US for – among other things – bribing doctors, and encouraging the prescription of unsuitable drugs to children.

 

Its drug Paxil, sold here as Seroxat, was promoted as suitable for teenagers and children, even though trials had shown it was not.

 

Doctors were sent on free trips where they were treated to snorkelling, sailing, deep-sea fishing, balloon rides and spa treatments (and cash payments), to persuade them to prescribe these drugs, or to reward them for doing so.

 

A medically-qualified radio host was allegedly paid more than £150,000 to plug one GSK antidepressant for unapproved uses. GSK paid for articles approving its drugs to appear in reputable medical journals.

 

It is well known now among doctors that other drug companies have suppressed unwelcome test results on modern antidepressants. These results show they are largely useless for their stated purpose. In many cases they were not significantly more effective than dummy tablets in lifting the moods of patients. Thanks to Freedom of Information investigations, the truth is now out.

 

Even worse than this is the growing suggestion that, far from making their users happy, these pills can increase suicidal thoughts in their minds, perhaps with tragic results.

 

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency undertook trials which showed that teenagers and children who took Seroxat were significantly more likely to experience such thoughts.

 

Sara Carlin, an 18-year-old Canadian student with everything to live for, hanged herself in 2007 despite official warnings (and warnings from her mother) that the drug could lead to self-harm.

 

Quite why it should magically be safe for adults, I am not sure. Nor was the coroner in the 2003 inquest on Colin Whitfield, a retired headmaster, aged 56, who slit his wrists in his garden shed two weeks after starting to take Seroxat. The coroner recorded an open verdict and said the drug should be withdrawn until detailed national studies were made.

 

Mr Whitfield’s widow Kathryn said: ‘We have no doubt that it was the drug that caused him to do it.’

 

I would also remind readers of the recent statement by Dr Declan Gilsenan, Ireland’s former Assistant State Pathologist, who says he has seen ‘too many suicides’ after people had started taking antidepressants and is sure the evidence is ‘more than anecdotal’.

 

The defenders of this nasty, profiteering enterprise – including doctors who ought to know better – will come up with the usual bleat of ‘correlation is not causation’.

 

Just remember that this was the same sly song that Big Tobacco sang, when it first became obvious that cigarettes caused cancer. It is time for a proper investigation, with evidence on oath and the power of subpoena.

 

............................................................................................................

 

Mr Slippery, who pretended to have wielded the European veto when he hadn’t, now pretends he is offering a referendum when he isn’t. The Tory leader’s struggle to avoid commitment on anything increasingly resembles that favourite entertainment at American country fairs, the greased pig contest. It takes quite a few honest citizens to catch one well-lubricated hog.

 

The CPS will put anyone on trial... except crooks

 

The main purpose of the Crown Prosecution Service is to save money by pretending that crime and disorder are not as bad as they really are.

 

That is why it is almost impossible to get it to prosecute anyone, unless you have clear, high-definition film of the crime actually being committed.

 

Burglary? Why bother? Here’s a crime number, if you can still get insurance in your postcode. Car theft? Happens all the time. Probably your fault. Assault? How about a caution? Drugs? Well, Chuka Umunna, the Shadow Business Secretary, reckons that it isn’t news any more that he smoked dope. So why would we trouble ourselves over that?

 

In which case, why on earth did the CPS think it was worth spending heaps of our money on prosecuting Cinnamon Heathcote-Drury after a bizarre and faintly comical scuffle in Tesco, in which nobody was hurt?

 

Could it be because her accuser was a Muslim who alleged she was a ‘racist’?

 

But now that a jury has thrown out this ludicrous case after 15 minutes of deliberation (God bless them), will anyone in the CPS be disciplined?

No real army and no real country

 

A country without an army isn’t a country any more. And, thanks to the Coalition, among the worst and most irresponsible and incompetent Governments in our history, we no longer have an army.

 

We will pretend we do. But nobody will believe us. The British Army will soon be smaller than the sad, rump defence force that Vichy France was allowed to keep by Hitler. Something very similar has happened to the Royal Navy, now a demoralised, politically corrected remnant.

 

Meanwhile, money is poured into overseas aid, and into the huge apparatus of bureaucrats and sinecures that our state maintains to hide the level of unemployment.

 

This Government will be remembered in ten years’ time for its bad management of the economy, its failure to reform schools, its pitiful inability to cope with crime and disorder, its stupid tinkering with the constitution and its cave-ins to Brussels.

 

But it will be remembered in 20 years’ time, with bitterness and remorse, as the Government that stripped our defences bare in a dangerous world.

 

............................................................................................................

 

The latest deaths of British soldiers in Afghanistan are, as usual, needless – and are Mr Slippery’s direct personal responsibility.

 

David Cameron has long promoted the fantasy that we must stay in that hopeless country while we train Afghans to take over from us.

 

But everyone in Helmand knows perfectly well that the Afghans hate us, and that as soon as we go, the Taliban will take over.

 

A large share of our casualties now result from Afghans, who we have trained and armed, murdering the British troops who are supposed to be their allies. This fact is itself the proof that our policy will never work.

 

Only one thing prevents an immediate exit from this worse-than-pointless pit of grief and loss.

 

It is Mr Slippery’s cowardly refusal to admit that the whole deployment was a stupid mistake, and that his braying support for it, trumpeted in the Murdoch press, was the price he paid for the backing of the Sun newspaper during his fraudulent Election campaign.

If you want to comment on Peter Hitchens, click on Comments and scroll down

July 7, 2012 Comments (63) Categories: Afghanistan , Antidepressants , Armed Forces , Brief History of Crime (see also Abolition of Liberty) , Cameron Delusion (see also Broken Compass) , Cameron, David , Coalition government , Conservative Party (see also Useless Tories, Tories) , Crime , Drugs , Police , Tories , Useless Tories | Permalink

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Poodlebell

[enufodat]

May I just say that my father was fortuante enough to be fired as the vice president of marketing for Smith, Kline and French, before there was a Glaxo? Technically he "resigned." He told me years later that he had finally realized, with time, that he was "not up to it." It was at a time when corporate America was revving up and becoming more cutthroat. I have since realized that he was simply too decent a man to thrive in such a place; failure is not necessarily failure. But he was too embedded in the world of business to be able to see this; I wish I had realized it and told him before he died.

 

But he did later move to Maine and built a house and grew vegetables by the ocean, so I think he learned some things and found a different success of a sort. I also remember, prior to that, in a rather tumultuous household, how our nervous poodle would go every evening and not just sit by, but lean up against his chair while he had a drink and read the paper. I will trust a dog's judgement over a corporation's any day. ;-)

 

I hope it's okay to insert this personal thing in a news thread. No one in my family can quite see any of this and I think you people might.

[Barbarannamated]

Enofodat,

 

Thanks for sharing that. That means so much. I was in pharma until about 11 years ago. Very very very close to the big fraud case that settled in May. It was the last job I'll ever have - disabled. I'm not dealing well with it at all.

 

B

[Altostrata]

May I just say that my father was fortuante enough to be fired as the vice president of marketing for Smith, Kline and French, before there was a Glaxo? ....I have since realized that he was simply too decent a man to thrive in such a place; failure is not necessarily failure. But he was too embedded in the world of business to be able to see this; I wish I had realized it and told him before he died....

 

That says a lot for your father. A radical psychiatrist once told me Smith, Kline etc. were a bunch of psychopaths, and Glaxo inherited all their bad decisions -- except that GSK has shown its perfectly capable of perfidy on its own.

[UnfoldingSky]

Angie, thanks for posting this. You wonder if they ran stories as honest as this one a decade or two ago how many people would have been spared. I love how they point out that they can't just magically become safe for adults. That always enraged me, as if we are all to believe there is a developmental milestone that happens to a person's body at age 26 that makes it suddenly safe to take SSRIs.