Doctors Without Borders answer to Andrew Witty, CEO, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) at Harvard about neglected diseases

Neglected diseases are those that there are not researched because there is no profit. HIV is one of them. Tuberculosis was but when it started making rich countries people infected another approach has Read the answer from Doctors Without Borders to Mr. Andrew Witty, GlaxoSmithKline CEO:

16 February 2009

A welcome first step - but HIV is also a neglected disease

Statement by Michelle Childs,
Director of Policy and Advocacy, Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines, Médecins Sans Frontières
in response to the speech by Andrew Witty, CEO, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) at Harvard Medical School

"Geneva, 16 February 2009 Médecins Sans Frontières welcomes Mr. Witty’s recognition that patents act as a barrier to research and development and that patent pools offer new ways to stimulate research into neglected diseases. Promises now need to be turned into action. The terms of any licences attached to the patent pool will be critical and more detail is needed. Funding sources also need to be identified to develop any products that result from this research.

MSF calls on all other pharmaceutical companies to lift patent barriers and make their molecule compounds and processes available to help develop treatments for neglected diseases and open up their compound libraries to researchers.

But GSK must extend this thinking to include HIV: HIV is also a neglected disease
Mr. Witty claims that a patent pool is meant to focus on diseases with a severe lack of treatments and that there is sufficient innovation for HIV.

He is wrong. In the field of HIV/AIDS treatment, the gap between what is needed and what is available is large. A patent pool can help address that gap and encourage innovation in areas where it’s not happening today.

- We need new fixed-dose combinations: We desperately need new fixed-dose combination drugs that combine multiple compounds into one pill, especially those including newer drugs. But today, patents on individual compounds can stand in the way of the development of fixed-dose combinations.

- We need new paediatric formulations and accelerated paediatric studies. With 90% of HIV-positive children living in sub-Saharan Africa, paediatric studies and formulations are not a priority for pharmaceutical companies: of the 22 antiretrovirals approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, eight are not approved for use in children and nine do not come in any kind of paediatric formulations. And when versions for children do exist, they are often not adapted for use in resource-limited settings (e.g. they need refrigeration or access to safe drinking water or are difficult for caregivers to administer in correct doses). Generic companies have expressed the interest and will to develop AIDS medicines in tablet formulations more suitable for children. But again patent barriers can currently prevent them from doing so, particularly for newer drugs.

Innovation is meaningless if there is no access
Research alone will not ensure that people living in poor countries will receive new treatments. In order to ensure access to the fruits of innovation, the resulting products must be affordable. Yet MSF, along with others providing HIV/AIDS treatment in developing countries, continues to struggle with the affordability of antiretrovirals.

Mr. Witty’s prescription is to offer discounts of at least 75% on drug prices. While any lowering of prices is welcome, this is by no means a panacea. Experience has shown that competition among multiple generic producers is the tried and tested way to drive prices down - by between 95 and 98% since 2000 for the first generation of antiretrovirals.

The limitations of company discounts are particularly evident when they are restricted to least-developed countries only, and exclude middle-income countries – countries such as China, where in the absence of competition GSK charges over US$3,000 for the antiretroviral lamivudine; or Thailand, where Abbott refused to drop the price of heat-stable lopinavir/ritonavir, and it is only after the country issued a compulsory licence that the price fell from close to $3000 to around $500 today.

MSF is thus concerned to see that Mr. Witty appears to be separating out middle-income countries, offering little more than a promise of ill-defined pricing flexibility for these countries.

The price crisis in AIDS medicines is set to return.
Yet as more and more newer drugs are being patented in key generic producing countries, generic competition will no longer be able to act as the catalyst for price reductions as it did in the recent past.

HIV/AIDS is a disease that requires life-long treatment and people need access to newer more potent, and less toxic drugs when they experience side effects, or when they develop drug resistance.

The improved WHO-recommended regimen for first-line AIDS treatment costs, at best, between $613 and $1,033 using originator products. This is a seven to twelve-fold increase compared to older first-line treatments - which thanks to the effects of generic competition, are now available for $87 for one patient’s yearly treatment. For second-line treatments, the prices are, at best, up to 17 times more expensive, in countries that cannot access generic versions because of patent protection.

New ways to keep medicines affordable must thus be set in motion. Increased competition is the best way to do that. This can either happen through compulsory licences, by countries following Thailand’s lead. Or it can happen without the need for confrontation and litigation, through a patent pool, such as the recent proposal by the drug purchasing facility UNITAID to establish a voluntary patent pool for HIV medicines for use in lower and middle income countries.

MSF calls on GSK to collaborate with the UNITAID and make relevant intellectual property available through a voluntary patent pool for AIDS medicines."

(It's published at MSF site here)

They don't have any concern with health whatsoever.

Kim and Sara's e-mails to FDA

Philip Dawdy has published his written testimony to FDA at this post:
"Why The FDA Should NOT Approve Seroquel For Depression And Anxiety"
Sara and Kim left their message to FDA on the comment area of this post and I felt like posting it.
Here they are:

Kim:

Excellent! And I'm so happy you included the prison and street use/abuse of this drug.

My written testimony was much shorter but I do hope her email box was full. Yvette did respond by saying "I am confirming the receipt of your written submission for April 8, 2009 Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee."

My message read as follows:

I would like my voice to be heard in regards to the hearings being held for AstraZeneca's applications to have its antipsychotic Seroquel approved by the FDA for one of three depression indications and anxiety.

My experience on the medication is simple, frightening and not uncommon:
40 pounds weight gain in two months
I slept 12-18 hours a day
Slurred speech
Constant zombie state
Memory loss
and many more side effects that I cannot remember thanks to the memory loss.

I had a psychiatrist in Knoxville, TN prescribe this medication for depression and bipolar and she knowingly did so after I told her about my family history of diabetes. Numerous other doctors tried the same. It's frightening-this drug should only be prescribed in dire cases-those that are truly psychotic----hence the name, antipsychotic. If someone is suffering from depression-this medication will not lift that, it will most certainly make their life even more miserable, dare I say, they will not have a life at all. This is not what I consider to be proper treatment or care nor should the FDA or doctors. This medication is dangerous. Period.

By the way, I am not some crazy patient writing. I have a very successful career in the film industry, worked on numerous Oscar-winning films and consider myself to be completely sane. I have trauma in my past and I am currently dealing with that in a healthier manner.

Thank you very much for your time.

Posted by kim at March 27, 2009 02:27 PM

_____________________________________________________________________

Sara:

Here's what I submitted:

As a drug awareness and safety advocate who lost a daughter to toxic effects of an antidepressant and antipsychotic interaction, I urge the committee to turn down the new drug applications sought for Seroquel in the treatment of depression and generalized anxiety.

For one thing, the original approval of Seroquel for bipolar disorder should now be under investigation due to allegations appearing in the media in recent weeks about serious misconduct during the trial process leading up to the application for approval. It is probable that the approval of Seroquel was made under false pretenses and with evidence compiled by individuals with conflicts of interest behaving in unethical ways. The former U.S. Medical Director for Seroquel at Astra Zeneca is accused of exchanging sexual favors both with a clinical researcher and a ghostwriter involved in the approval trials. He used the sexual liaisons to obtain information about competitors and offered to prescribe prescription painkillers in exchange for information and to encourage presentation of data favorable to Seroquel. These were with women who were in charge of compiling evidence and writing it up. Certainly it would seem appropriate to revisit the data that was obtained in the trials to see if it was manipulated in favor of the drug company interests.

Astra Zeneca, after all, has a track record of not presenting data accurately. This too has been in the media in recent weeks. A study called Study 15, dating from 1996, which runs to a few thousand pages was never written up for publication in medical journals and, along with several other trials, demonstrated that Seroquel was not superior to the older, generic competitor Haldol, except perhaps at very high doses, or to other atypical antipsychotics. Furthermore the study shows a very high percentage of drop out among the patients randomized to Seroquel. In fact 85% dropped out at 75mg, 84% at 300 mg, and 76% at 600 mg. 66% of the Haldol patients dropped out but only a third of those were for psychotic relapse. In the case of Seroquel two thirds dropped out for psychotic relapse. This is a shocking demonstration of failure of the drug to work for its intended purpose – to relieve and stop psychosis.

Given this history of misrepresentation of evidence why is Seroquel being considered for further applications? The hearing should be revisiting earlier approvals, not extending new ones.

My concern with extending approval of Seroquel to new applications, however, goes well beyond the sorry history of prior approvals. I am sure the committee is going to be hearing plenty of testimony about weight gain, the onset of diabetes, and tardive dyskinesia, all well known effects of Seroquel. My area of concern is its interaction with other drugs and the onset of serotonin syndrome. The irony here is that Seroquel and other drugs in its class (atypical antipsychotics) are often prescribed unwittingly to patients having adverse reactions to antidepressants (especially SSRIs) that have mistakenly been interpreted as symptoms of worsening mood disorders rather than adverse drug effects or iatrogenesis. My own daughter died from a toxic interaction of an SSRI and an atypical antipsychotic that led to the onset of serotonin syndrome. These were the symptoms: confusion, disorientation, agitation, irritability, unresponsiveness and anxiety; pallor, and shivering; temperature dysregulation, rapid heart beat and dilated pupils. These sensations led her to take her own life in a sleep-disordered state of semi-consciousness. I am certain that this is far more widespread than is currently being recognized.

In particular, there have been a number of deaths of servicemen by those taking multiple psych drugs, including Seroquel. Seroquel is linked to fatal heart arrhythmias and irregularities (a symptom of serotonin syndrome). Doctors are simply not being taught to recognize the symptoms of serotonin syndrome (really drug toxicity) and, often far from removing the offending agents, they prescribe more of them. Suicides by soldiers are skyrocketing and there are many examples on the website www.ssristories.com that could well be the result of akathisia and/or the onset of serotonin syndrome in these victims.

The fact that this hearing is taking place at all is a symptom of the failure to educate our medical professionals about adverse psychiatric drug reactions. So called “treatment resistant depression” is often really treatment exacerbated depression since over the long term medications damage the brain with their toxicity and make mood disorders worse not better. Doctors mistakenly prescribe new medications to “treat” iatrogenic symptoms when less medication would be much more beneficial, not more. Please do not compound the problem by making the use of Seroquel more widespread than it already is. It is a debilitating and harmful drug whose consumers face the risk of serious disability.

(P.S. The original has several footnotes supporting the points in this testimony.)

Posted by Sara at March 27, 2009 03:29 PM

In August 26th, 2008 I wrote a post "Give Virtual activism a chance" with a link to a letter Stephany has send to FDA and an e-mail Philip Dawdy has written for two reporters of the Wall Street Journal.
Some people don't give up sending them e-mails and believe they are right and of course they don't expect for any reply. But it's worthy.

SSRIs Side effects, withdrawal and other problems - from SocialAudit Charles Medawar (repost)

First posted on Saturday, August 09, 2008.

This is back on 2004 from SocialAudit the Charles Medawar site. The person who used "ANON" as a nick raises important issues. Notice that he claims that the starting dose of Prozac was designed to be 5 mg not 20 mg as it's prescribed.

Dear Arek,

The SSRIs are not selective for anything except that they act on all serotonin in the body.

Only 5% of this is in the brain. Five per cent. The other 95% is found throughout the body with large amounts being found in: the digestive system (stomach movement); the cardiovascular system (blood flow); blood cells (clotting); reproductive system (genitals); hormonal system (widespread effects on lots of physiological processes). All of which is acted upon by the drug. All of it.

Increasing the serotonin produces a secondary action - it reduces the dopamine (by approx 50%). Dopamine being a second neurotransmitter. The longer you are exposed to a drug which reduces dopamine, and boosts serotonin way beyond the normal biological norm... The phrase 'silent brain damage' is a term commonly associated with those discussing the likely future. The body is having to cope with levels of a neurotransmitter way, way above anything it is designed to cope with. Hyperstimulation. Drugs causing dopamine drops are well known to cause dangerous side-effects, just like those now seen with the SSRIs. This damage is generally related to cumulative exposure to the drug. i.e. the longer you are on it, the greater the propensity for damage. So, in 20 years time we may well be seeing the first mass discoveries of early dementia and alzheimers. In the meantime there are the many instances of individuals already having to live with the tics, short-term memory loss, widespread cognitive damage, confusion, apathy, aggressive impulses, suicidal impulses, zombie-dom, tiredness and the like... all of which ties in neatly (but nastily) with the permanant damage theory. Perhaps these are only the 'unfortunate few', perhaps not. Perhaps they are only the exceptionally physiologically sensitive few, who are experiencing the aftermath in advance of the majority.

The tics, unsteadiness of gait, yawns, jaw pain, extreme tiredness, and a whole host of other neurological adverse effects relate to a scrambling of the involuntary motor system, deep, deep within the brain. Earlier classes of drugs which caused these effects... well they are 'the dread side effect' in psychiatry. And, of course the serotonin nerves originate in the deepest, oldest part of the brain - the brain stem.

Serotonin (by itself) is implicated in sleep, aggression, sexual behaviour, appetite, learning, memory... dysfunction of all of which are commonly associated with uses of SSRIs or damage to the nerve fibres.

There is NO known depression centre in the brain, and the drugs which boost serotonin have vast effects throughout the body, affecting pretty much everything. Selective? This was a term adopted by the drug companies because it sounded good. There is absolutely no selectivity involved in the action of these drugs beyond the fact that they act on all serotonin regardless of location, within the body.

There is also absolutely no proof that the root cause of depression is a serotonin deficiency. None. It is simply a theory that the drug companies sold as fact, in order to market the product. To huge success.

The prescribing guidelines are for only those suffering from severe depression. Ideally for six-twelve months. Not years.

The prozac trials were based on a dose of 5mg. FIVE. Even at this level a hefty percentage of participants were secondarily drugged to suppress the anxiety/agitation. Yet the starting dose was 20mg. TWENTY. With many people routinely immediately shifted up to 40mg and 60mg. So 10mg could be considered a 200% dose... when dose increases are usually looked at in terms of small percentages. Once this is taken into account, then 10mg could be considered a double-dose and 5mg a standard dose. Not a low dose.

Most people do get through withdrawal. A minority do not, physiologically cannot. Some get through the process but do not emerge with a good life. After all, the commonest lasting effects on healthy volunteers were depression and anxiety. Hardly surprising considering that the drug has a stimulant rather than classic anti-depressant action.

So the worst case scenario could be painted rather differently than that of living life to the full. It could, alternatively, encompass dopamine receptor damage/destruction (often connected to the sexual side-effects, plus lots of other nasties), constricted blood vessels (increase in strokes), osteoporosis (SSRIs double the amount of cortisol - the 'stress' hormone), heart attacks (SSRIs can treble the triglycerides), diabetes (SSRIs can cause blood sugar irregularities), liver damage (they can saturate the liver), alzheimers and premature senility (cumulative neuronal damage) and so on and so forth...

I'm glad that, in your personal experience, you have nothing but positive words.

However, many of your views on the safety of long-term usage are not universally shared; although 10mg doesn't sound a lot, it could be considered so when compared to the original prozac trial dose; and the drugs much touted 'serotonin specificity' is a double-edged sword... by acting on pretty much everything, it affects pretty much everything.

Best Wishes.
By ANON on Wednesday, January 7, 2004 - 13:54 pm:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's quite clear to me that what Anon states is by far more acurate and PROVED than Arek argumentation.
If you assure that alcohol can damage the brain, for it has been on the market since the begginning of times, why is it so difficult to understand that SSRIs cannot affect our brains in a long period of time like 30-40 year of use?
Fotunatelly people suffer from so many side effects that they realize that they have to stop the drug in about one year or two. So the possibility of damage decreases. Few people stay on these drugs for more than 3, 4 or 8 years.
I believe that it's a very important that the long term use is more likely to promote the chemical lobotomy.
I believe you should not only rely on a single doctors point of view.
Your argumentation is very poor and does not reflect the testimonies of patients. One decade in medicine does not mean too much. But if you search on this site you can see that the harm SSRIs are provoking are quite hard to endure.
I'm sorry but you look like a KOL for me. You need serious argumentation.
You said "Of course I don't suffer from the same thing as other people here so perhaps my perspective is different but wondering how a drug that helps millions could damage you is hardly productive to the sufferer and probably not worth worrying about. The problem is that the drug is being used to treat depressed people and depending on how severe this is then it is not too surprising that aggression, anger and suicidal tendencies accompany it. Can this really be blamed on the drug? I don't think it is as clear cut as that. "
MY GOD... How many times will this argument be used?
You really should try to take a high dose off Seroxat or Efexor for six months and withdraw to understand what is the difference of a REAL suicide IDEATION and the CHEMICAL SUICIDE IDEATION.
THe review of the Paliament "The Influence of Pharmaceuthical Industry" have already made the distinction between the two.

"“5. Problems with Seroxat and other SSRIs Prozac and Seroxat are the best-known examples of SSRI and related antidepressants, but others are widely used. The introduction of SSRIs led to a threefold increase in antidepressant prescriptions between 1990 and 2000. Prescriptions for antidepressants now match those of the benzodiazepine tranquillisers at their peak, 25 years ago. Almost from the outset, there was concern about two main problems with SSRIs. First, there was suspicion (initially centred on Prozac) that these drugs could induce suicidal and violent behaviour – infrequently, but independently of the suicidal thoughts that are linked to depression itself. There was also concern (centred on Seroxat) about a risk of dependence; some users found it impossible to stop taking SSRIs because of severe withdrawal symptoms. The MCA/CSM formally reviewed these problems on several occasions. The suicidality problem was first investigated in 1990/1; withdrawal reactions were investigated in 1993, 1996 and 1998. In 2002, the MCA organised a further intensive review of both problems. This review was abandoned in April 2003, following criticism about conflicts of interest involving key figures on the review team.”"
There are many issues in this review. The above, and remember that the conflict of interest was due to half off the members were shareholders of the very Laboratories companies that they were researching, alert about the CHEMICAL SUICIDAL IDEATION.
I have suffered it. It does not come from your heart. Your life is great but something that we do not understand tell us to take our lifes is the only meaninfull thing to do.
Trust me. It is not me REAL SELF that I have to face when this feeling strikes me. I'm gladly cleaning the dishes and all off a sudden I start thinking about killing myself.
If you search, here, only here you will find many testimonies about "being a kind person and now I'm aggressive towards my loved ones"...
I'm tired of explaning this.
It seems to me that people...
Please Arek, refer yourself to the literature ANon gave you and search this site.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Anonymous on Thursday, January 8, 2004 - 09:30 pm:

Arek, We really have different points of view.
"Additionally it would seem women who take the pill for decades again do more harm than an ssri according to the evidence we have. " I did not understand this argument It seems to me that you are comparing tomatos with avocatos here. You claim it is an evidence? Evidence of what?
"The problem is that the drug is being used to treat depressed people and depending on how severe this is then it is not too surprising that aggression, anger "
Again, the CHEMICAL agression is totally different from the natural aggression. We loose our senses in such a way that you can do things totally against your predisposition. I almost was beaten by a giant man for when the aggression side appears under these drugs you become totally possessed. I forgot I was 1,60, 50 kg and the man was a giant for me. Can you imagine if the other person is also under CHEMICAL AGRESSION?
"and so are used in fibromyalgia ". Strange. In the directions of some antidepressants it is reported that it can CAUSE fibromyalgia.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Anonymous on Thursday, January 8, 2004 - 10:54 pm:

Dangerous connections - who has D Bunker been visiting lately?

D Bunker just left me this photo on a comment. I'm starting to get worried about who are his connections. He has clearly taken this photo from one of his friend's house. Strange.

Colored Sunday!

Left: Weather Forecast
Current Surface Conditions, March, 29. Any Precip on the way?

Right: Recognize the latest evidence of neurodegeneration associated with cognitive decline in schizophrenia
Release date: October 1, 2007
Termination date: October 31, 2009
Sponsored by AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Lundbeck, Organon, Acadia, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen, Merck, Pfizer...

R.D. Laing A Life

Adrian Laing, the youngest son of R. D. Laing, wrote a book about his father:
"R. D. Laing: A Life" that was launched in 1994. I haven't read it yet.

This is some of Adrian comments on The Guardian when he was interviewed because of his brother's death, possible by suicide:

"It was ironic that my father became well-known as a family psychiatrist,' he says, 'when, in the meantime, he had nothing to do with his own family."

" 'Anyone who has become deliberately well-known, inevitably they've done that at the expense of their family. They've gone their own way. They can't do both.' "

I guess you all know that R. D. Laing son, Adam Laing, was found dead in May, 2008. It's been a long time I wanted to remind it but I confess I got a little confused with all of this. Usually it becomes a kind of passionated debate between those who like and those who dislike with little understanding on it all. I don't know. Perhaps there are some aspects of humanity that are not meant to be understood and the complexity of every human being is beyond comprehension. There is a difference between being controversial, and we have many examples in history, and being mean equally represented by many in history.

Mr. George Rutledge from Wellsphere still disrespect bloggers

There are still bloggers having a hard time to get out of Wellsphere.
They still have some of my contents and put it on search engineers as if I'm part of that.
Others are still fighting to get their content out; The parody "GoodCube is at Hellen's blog. The left image was a desperate attempt from Lee Ann to get her content out of Wellsphere.
Something is not quite well in all this scandal. I didn't want to write about this any longer but it's amazing how disrespectful Dr. Rutledge can be. "I asked to be removed which they, of course, ignored. Dr. Geoff played little mind games via email." was written by a blogger in March, 14th. It describes perfectly the tactics they are using: "e-mail mind games".
Shameful.

Blogs like yours?

This week I had to answer an e-mail and got a reply that had this phrase:

"...Given the amount of attention this matter received on blogs like yours and others,..."

I don't know exactly what "blogs like yours" mean. I'm posting again this image I used on this post in February, 26th. That's one of the main concerns I see on blogs like mine. I would like to remind that.

Furious Seasons: Biederman, Tim Wilens and Thomas Spencer Named in Subpoena

Breaking News: Philip Dawdy has just published that three Harvard psychiatrists were named in a Federal Subpoena read here:

"The subpoena, issued by the US Attorney for Eastern Massachusetts, was served on Fletch Trammel, an attorney representing various states attorneys general and other plaintiffs in cases against pharma companies over pushing antipsychotics for use in children and adults. Apparently, the feds want whatever documents and depositions Trammel has gathered on the three."

Cézanne - "I allow no one to touch me."

He didn't. He was very weird and liked to be left in peace with his paintings time he spent doing these little weirdo things for that time. lol





Cézanne, Paul. Still Life with Peppermint Bottle, 1890-94.

New eugenicists? - World Transhumanist Association: visit their site

Better than well
The Humanity+ (the World Transhumanist Association) is an international nonprofit membership organization which advocates the ethical use of technology to expand human capacities. We support the development of and access to new technologies that enable everyone to enjoy better minds, better bodies and better lives. In other words, we want people to be better than well. (visit the homepage here)

When it comes to intelligence, size matters
March 25th, 2009

Enlarge

Areas in the brain where there is an association between general cognitive ability and cortical thickness. Credit: Montreal Neurological Institute

"This study stems from the NIH MRI Study of Normal Brain Development, for which the MNI was the data coordinating centre. The database contains MRI scans and other data on the structure and function of the developing brains. More than 500 children and adolescents from newborns to 18-year-olds had brain scans multiple times over a period of years as well as intelligence, neuropsychological, verbal, non-verbal and behavioural tests. This information is now contained within the database allowing scientists to study how normal developmental changes in brain anatomy relate to motor and behavioural skills, such as motor coordination and language acquisition. Even higher-order skills like planning, IQ, and organizational skills can be assessed." (continue reading here).

I don't know why I feel like crying.

Shareholders and Stockholders

Sometimes I have the feeling that we are here to please these people.
Hope it's just a delusion.

Science? -2

A perfection of means, and confusion of aims, seems to be our main problem.
Albert Einstein

Depression genes tests and bipolar blood tests?

I've wrote two posts expressing my fears about pharmacogenetics last January. I didn't remember I this one in June, 2008 because of one comment I've found at Furious Seasons:

"Let me tell you, sitting in a clinical neuroscience lab at Vanderbilt and working with people who do some of this kind of research, the technology isn't there right now. Nor do I think it ever will be, not as a limitation of the technology, but as a limitation of the assumptions one must make.
Firstly, the strength of association between a single gene and any mental illness (barring Huntington's disease) is weak at best. Secondly, the presence of a "defective" gene linked to mental illness does NOT imply the gene is being expressed. Thirdly, even if it is being expressed, there is no way to know how that one protein is interacting with other proteins, organ systems, and/or hormones."

Posted by: NAP at June 24, 2008 08:33 AM

Here are some of Philip Dawdy's questionings on his article:

"I'm sorry but how would it transform treatment? By enabling doctors to force meds on people sooner so we can watch the rotten results of the PRIME study play out on a culture wide level? By giving doctors a form of "evidence" they can take to a judge to get a court order to force someone onto Zyprexa who isn't a danger to anyone? Will we force it upon small children who act out in class? You've got to wonder. Anyway, I doubt these sorts of gene tests being bandied about for various mental disorders will prove out in the real world, but I am a skeptic by nature.

According to the above article, Psynova plans to also roll out gene tests for bipolar disorder and depression. I've taken up the question of bipolar blood tests and depression gene tests previously."

This is scary.

Addendum:
These are the other posts on Pharmacogenetics
On January, 19 I mentioned this post that Philip has written;

Pharmacogenetics- personalized psych-drugs and this;
Pharmacogenetics - FDA is working to develop PGx tests to help drugs remain at the market.
It's not a question of the future. That's why I'm concerned.

Virtual Medicine- I've just got ads for Xanax, Abilify, Citalopram and Artane

I've made an account at VirtualMedicalCentre as some people wants it to be the medicine of the future. It would be great for global market.
Take a look at the only research I did implying that Xanax is good for anxiety; Abilify's side effects are easily manageable with Artane; Citalopram is good for depression. I stopped the research here. I can imagine if I stayed for half an hour at the site what kind of material I would have. (You have to be on the site for the buttons work. It's useless to click on them from here. It's just a copy.)
Get your own conclusions. Can you imagine check-list plus virtual medicine?

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Memory is poor, need enhancements please

Psychiatry is made up of two words: psyche (meaning mind or soul) and iatreia (meaning cure). Psychiatry is the field of medicine concerned with mental, emotional and behavioural illness. Any material concerning the prevention, treatment and cause of mental illness is welcome for discussion here.

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Memory is poor, need enhancements please

by cturner on Sun Nov 09, 2008 5:46 am

I am being treated for anxiety and depression, however my Phycriatist is reducing the medication now after about 3 years on the medication. What I am wanting to know are there any herbal supplements which I could take to enhance my memory? I know there are a few supplements which could interfere with my current medication. I just need to know because my memory is poor at the moment and my work relys on my memory. I am taking Abilify for anxiety, Citalopram for depression and Artane to stop the side effects of Abilify. So could someone please help me find some supplements to try?

cturner

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Re: Memory is poor, need enhancements please

by wright on Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:20 am

The best way to get over anxiety and depression is to take a break from your regular schedule, go out, and take good sleep. This helps in clearing the mind and try consulting a specialist who can suggest you as how you can get over your problem. There are various prescription drugs to get over anxiety and depression, but these should only be used in accordance with the instruction of a physician. There is a lot of fake selling of such medicines on internet, so before you can order it online just make sure it is a real pharmacy.

Xanax is one of those medicines which help in getting over anxiety and depression.

wright

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Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:18 am

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Panic attack being understood by others

I just wrote this in an e-mail:

"One day mental illness will have to be seen as it is not as it's being done with all this absurd.
I had panic attacks because of side effect of clonazepam. It's really terrible.
But I remember that that if I could say: "Hey! I'm having a panic attack." and the other person could understand it would be far more easier to bare. I had to hide it and it only got worse.
Just the other day I was walking at the streets and saw a woman putting a pill in her mouth. I stopped because I wanted to drink something.
I looked at her and I asked: "Are you having a panic attack?" She said "yes" and I stood by her side talking to her. I'm sure she felt good because other person could understand her and it must have taken some burden from her back."

Many people are having panic attack and many know about it. But even to a family member the way others behave is usually ignoring or saying those famous advices: "Be strong." "It's all in your head."
The majority of panic attacks don't last too long. One of the greatest problems is that we pass half the time fearing when or where will it going to happen again.
I believe that a good relationship with others could be of great help.

Problems with conection

I'm having problems and can only be online for a few minutes.
I'm not able to visit some friends. Perhaps one at a time.
Cable-man only on Tuesday.
Argh!

PS:
If you see that I've been at your blog but left no comment it's more probable that the connection has stopped than I didn't had something to say or got sad.
Till Tuesday it will be like this.
Argh!

NEXT THURSDAY!
Just next Thursday the cable gay will appear.
Mummyyyyyyyyyy!!!!

What can we tell tennagers?

I believe it's happening to all of us. The new generation, teenagers and those who are just going to their twenties, are bloging about their emotional problems and are joining our blogs. How can we help them after living and witnessing what we did?
I've just visited a blog of a 19 years old girl who was diagnosed "BPD?" (she has put the interrogation mark). At one moment she said that she had a chemical imbalance.
What now?
Are they going to go through what we have been? I believe it must be hard to be at their places because there is family, there are the physicians and many influences.
How can we tell them about us?

Nothing changes but here we are

In February 26, 2008 the article "Antidepressants no better than Placebo" was published at PLos Medicine and those who were always in search for news on SSRIs problems got a little happy. I was part of a social networking and somebody has put this article on one topic: "Bitter Pill A Portland doc flips on big pharma and reveals its “dirty little secret.”" We exchanged some ideas and in April 8, 2008 I noticed that the author Philip Dawdy's had a blog called Furious Seasons.
I've started participating, afraid not to be able to express my ideas in English, but I have flooded Furious Seasons with comments for three months.
It was good to find people who knew much more than I knew and was aware of the whole psych-drugs problems in all it's aspects.
I've been thought a roller-coaster of emotions. I got angry and sad many times. I even started this blog last june to have my own space to express my angry and sadness.
They went away. I'm no longer sad and only get angry from time to time.
My new feeling perhaps can be described as perplexity.
Things are so obvious still nothing is done not only in relation to psych-drugs but the whole mental health paradigma that is harming so many people.
Ray Sandford will receive another electroshock, according to the Law despite Mindfreedom's campaign and all the effort many people are doing. There are many other inhuman treatments being carried when we search at Mindfreedom.
This month another article about the risks of SSRIs has been published and Philip Dawdy wrote about it here. I always ask myself what makes people like Philip keep on his work.
I have no answer for that. I don't even know why I keep doing this blog.
I simply have to. I hope that at least in the future the work of many bloggers will be studied.
At least we are trying. Nothing changes but here we are and will continue to be.

PS: I still flood Philip's blog. I don't know what he does but many people are there for many months. I think I'll just take a glimpse on what is happening there. See you later.

For Stephany

This is an Émile Zola quotation. A great way to live! Enjoy.

This is from the other blog I'm doing. While I was posting I thought about Stephany and thought about dedicating it to her.
I don't know why but at the other blog it would looks as if I was trying to catch her attention to that specific blog. Yes, I'm still that neurotic that think about these tiny little details.
Now I just saw she did something for me perhaps at the same time I was doing this post.
What the hell! I thought about her, Period.
Of course this is for all of you whose voices are being raised. The choir! You all sing beautifully and in tune.
I love you all.

Ray Sandford - Stop forced electroshock

Original post that I lost. Stephany, from which blog I took the video, did an addendum since I've post it. Join us.

Ray Sandford: Watch the video, share it and advocate! to stop forced ECT

Advocates unite! This video of Ray Sandford, who has had 40 electroshocks to his brain involuntarily is poignant and an agency wants the video stopped from being viewed.

Ray Sandford's next involuntary(not his choice)ECT (electroshock to the brain)is scheduled Wednesday, March 25, 2009.



Information below is copied from this article:

"Ray, his mom, and Daryl speak in their own words, and for themselves,
uncensored.

But Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, which is funded by
taxpayers to protect Ray, has had their attorney George Borer issue a
letter dated 4 March as a "final notice" trying to seize the original
tape, and prevent "dissemination" without their approval!

*** Take Action! *** Take Action! *** Take Action! ***
1. Please view Ray's video, and forward the links above to others!

2. If you can, download the video to prevent any censorship by LSSMN.

3. Contact President Obama about Ray, and find out about upcoming
peaceful protests in Minneapolis/St. Paul and elsewhere in May, click
here:


MindFreedom.

For more information about the Ray Campaign, including Ray Blog,
Frequently Asked Questions, and more, click here:

MindFreedom."

I found the video at Stan's blog,a mental health advocate and psychiatry survivor,Stan has diligently written continually about Ray Sandford. I believe Ray would be happy to know he has a friend fighting for him. Thanks Stan, for not forgetting Ray Sandford.
~~
Addendum:
Mental health blogs that are hosting the Ray Sandford video: join us! and be a voice for Ray Sandford. (List is in the order I've found the links)

Is Something not quite right with Stan.

JustAna.

Rayne's World.

Beyond Meds.

Naturalgal's Weblog.

Addendum 2: Kim at Invincible Summers has also published this post.

Ray Sandford forced electroshock - potitical issue

This is what is part of the discussion about Ray Sandford forced electroshock that is at this post where the video

Naturalgal said...

I also posted this after I saw the video on your blog.

In the past I have email Lutheran Social Services.

March 18, 2009 10:22 AM

Ana said...

I have also e-mailed. Even to the governor.
They don't want to open any dialog.
This is outrageous.
Ana

March 18, 2009 10:34 AM

Stephany said...

Thanks for adding the vid to your blog Ana, (and Natural Gal I'll be adding you to this list: (on my blog)

Mental health blogs that are hosting the Ray Sandford video: join us! and be a voice for Ray Sandford. (List is in the order I've found the links)

Is Something not quite right with Stan.

JustAna.

Rayne's World.

Beyond Meds.

The more blogs that host it the more it shows up in Google Searches too (if the title has his name in it)

March 18, 2009 11:13 AM

Ana said...

We are in this together, Stephany.
It's the least I can do.

March 18, 2009 12:10 PM

D Bunker said...

Opening a Dialogue, With Govt, on the barbarism perpetrated on Mr Sandford would reflect unfavorably On Govt. itself, ..... looking out, For itself.

Ray is Not the only person Providing $50 Thousand Dollars a month for an army of State Funded Employees, and putting Them under Public scrutiny would put the entire State Mental Health System under Public scrutiny.

And With that Scrutiny would come the Loss of $ Millions of Dollars in Federal and State Funding to keep those State employees on board, as part of Govt's own "You watch my back, I'll watch your's" life support mechanism.

March 18, 2009 12:16 PM

Ana said...

Exactly D Bunker.
It's amazing!
It's criminal way to state "we are not going to change and we are not willing to talk."
Detestable.

March 18, 2009 12:24 PM

I first saw this video at Stephany's Soulful Sepulcher and had to share it.

Ray Sandford: Watch the video, share it and advocate! to stop forced ECT

Advocates unite! This video of Ray Sandford, who has had 40 electroshocks to his brain involuntarily is poignant and an agency wants the video stopped from being viewed.

Ray Sandford's next involuntary(not his choice)ECT (electroshock to the brain)is scheduled Wednesday, March 25, 2009.



Information below is copied from this article:

"Ray, his mom, and Daryl speak in their own words, and for themselves,
uncensored.

But Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, which is funded by
taxpayers to protect Ray, has had their attorney George Borer issue a
letter dated 4 March as a "final notice" trying to seize the original
tape, and prevent "dissemination" without their approval!

*** Take Action! *** Take Action! *** Take Action! ***
1. Please view Ray's video, and forward the links above to others!

2. If you can, download the video to prevent any censorship by LSSMN.

3. Contact President Obama about Ray, and find out about upcoming
peaceful protests in Minneapolis/St. Paul and elsewhere in May, click
here:


MindFreedom.

For more information about the Ray Campaign, including Ray Blog,
Frequently Asked Questions, and more, click here:

MindFreedom."

Leave your comment

Addendum

This important correction was just made by Stan:

Stan said...

Dear Ana:

I believe the treatments run about US$2500 a pop, not $25,000. But with this correction noted; abuse for profit is still not only unethical, but should be criminal if anyone in power cared or gave a damn!

Thanks for your added and continued support Ana.

Stan

March 20, 2009 8:16 AM

Ray Sandford forced electroshock - Politicians are using this case

I've just lost the original comment.
I will repost it.

D Bunker said...

Opening a Dialogue, With Govt, on the barbarism perpetrated on Mr Sandford would reflect unfavorably On Govt. itself, ..... looking out, For itself.

Ray is Not the only person Providing $50 Thousand Dollars a month for an army of State Funded Employees, and putting Them under Public scrutiny would put the entire State Mental Health System under Public scrutiny.

And With that Scrutiny would come the Loss of $ Millions of Dollars in Federal and State Funding to keep those State employees on board, as part of Govt's own "You watch my back, I'll watch your's" life support mechanism.

March 18, 2009 12:16 PM

Seroquel testimony claims that emotion changes brain

On the last post I was thinking about causes and effects of the brain functions. I just came across with this testimony that Philip Dawdy has published today:

"I was prescribed 300 mg. seroquel in 2000 for sleep problems. I gained 75 pounds in 6 months. I developed diabetes. I went through profound withdrawals when I inadvertently missed a dose and had to be hospitalized. The withdrawal caused psychosis which was attributed to a new diagnosis rather than to the drug. I lost all my teeth due to dry mouth. I developed cataracts. I had constant intrusive suicidal ideation. I had akathisia, difficulty swallowing and severe muscle cramps. I lost my critical thinking ability, the ability to make decisions and generally access my 'executive functioning.' Because the medical establishment refused to accept that their "therapy" could be poisonous they continued me on this drug for 8 years and added new drugs to cover up the symptoms of massive endocrine dysregulation.

"The use of these classes of drugs must be sharply curtailed. These drugs must not expand the wealth of shareholders as they destroy the bodies and brains of the most vulnerable classes of people in our society. Psychoactive chemicals 'work' by disabling nerves, not by restoring their normal function. Emotions cause chemical changes in the brain not the other way around. No-one knows how the staggeringly complex interactions of neurons actually work. The neurotransmitter theory is based on observing the brain damage caused by psychoactive chemicals, not on any understanding of how a normal brain operates. Time and human support are the safest and most effective means for getting through difficult emotional challenges."

I hope one day we finally come close to something more clear. But it's clear to me that what is known now is not enough to any conclusion. At least to real scientific conclusions.

Mapping brain activities - cause or effect?

Brain Map

Click on an area of the brain to learn more about its functions

This is from part of this site that approaches traumatic brain injury. You can click on each part of the brain to understand it's function.
Many studies and ways of searching the brain are being developed and it gives the idea that this knowledge is the answer for the causes of many diseases. I'm still concerned with effects.
When the amygdala is activated during one of this tests what does it really says? Is it cause or effect? What does such findings: "subjects with Borderline personality disorder showed significantly greater left amygdala activity than normal control subjects" really means?
I dunno. But it seems researches understand it all.
Still from the site of the picture:

"Obtaining a general understanding of the brain and its functions is important to understanding the rehabilitation process. It is very important, however, to understand that the rehabilitation professional is concerned with the whole person. The identification of individual problems gives the rehabilitation team areas in which to focus treatment plans. All of these plans are designed to work toward the rehabilitation of the whole person. Each problem area affects other areas and many times resolving one problem has a major impact on other problems. For example, reestablishing postural balance and eliminating dizziness greatly enhances concentration and attention which allows for improved cognition and problem solving."

I guess it makes a lot of sense.

New Blog

I deleted the previous post because I'm ashamed,,, dunno...
this is the link for the new blog:
Hella Heaven. I will not delete it this time.
Hope you don't find it boring. It will have funny stuff too.
I'm trying to show nice things. Some you have already seen here.
Good lucky!
Thank you.
I will not delete this time.
............................................... They should create a way to "impossible to delete".

That's why we are here - For Pharmas and the consortium that supports them

We are not able to make a revolution. We are here resisting peacefully.

Why do Pharmas visit blogs that criticizes their meds?

I would really like to understand why do AstraZeneca, Johnson&Johnson, GlaxoSmith, Eli-Lilly and others have any interest in what is written in blogs that are critical of the Pharma era.
They know very well that there is not a chance that potential consumers get information from blogs that are not found when you first make a search about a psych-med.
Whenever we search for a drug at Google, that is the most used search-engineer, we receive the material they want, reporting how mild side effects are, that these drugs are not addictive and have helped millions of people.
These drugs are sold for people who are in pain and in search for a quick-fix which helps a lot the sells.
People only start getting suspicious and try to search more carefully when they are already taking the drug and became addicted what makes it harder and harder to get off of them.
I believe they visit us to make us believe that we are doing a lot of difference and they are very scary or take our anecdotal experiences seriously.
But I doubt it. I guess they only do it as way to pass the time and to know what are the new answers they will have to invent in order to cope with new questions.
They research on our blogs to make new theories to keep on selling the old drugs. It just came to my mind.
Now I am the one who is scared. Are we helping the Pharmas?

Depression has nothing to do with sadness

It was first published on June, 18, 2008
don't feel sad. don't cry...
it's not normal feeling sad
you are in pain
or perhaps sad because you have cancer or diabetes...
don't cry!



Please, there's some help for you right here. I hope it helps.

The link is to Philip Dawdy's post: Depression Linked To Absolutely Everything and the list in long: "heart disease, cancer, obesity, chronic pain, racism, poverty, smoking and so on have all been tied in with depression,..."
Don't these people have any idea of the mess they are creating?
This banalization of depression will affect people who are really depressed.
Those people who suffers from Major Depression or Bipolar Depression.
It's hard hearing those famous advices:
"-You don't want face your problems and is using this disease as an excuse to be in bed all day." "-You're lazy." "-Take a walk and you'll feel fine."
When we are waiting for a "campaign" to explain people who are around a depressed person that it's not a question of wanting to feel this way they only gives more and more reasons for a total lack of comprehension about what depression really is.
Shame on you!
I wonder what Einstein would say.
We have to remember that despite being a pacifist he witnessed, and was even advised to write the letter that led to Manhattan Project, with great distress his theory being used in the wrong way.
If he saw all of what is being done under the name of science(?) he probably would stop his work and use his name fighting these people who are using his field in the most infamous way.
Science is wonderful! But what these people are doing has nothing to do with science.
Real science would never ever put on the market drugs based on hypotheses. Would never say "-It works this way" when they are far from understanding what the problem really is.
Stigma and more stigma. And there it goes more and more loneliness and depressed people will have to keep on hiding their feelings and cry themselves till sleep
alone.
Thank you JAMA, NIHM and all of you!

Update:
Depression is not only being sad as most people think. It has many other physical and mental feelings and sadness is just one of them.