Alternatives to dangerous "off-label" [aka: unapproved] Antidepressant & Antipsychotic drugs carrying "black box warnings" indicating risk of death - for children, adolescents and young adults

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Most importantly, only Prozac [an antidepressant] and Risperdal [an antipsychotic] are approved for use in children, adolescents and young adults under the age of 25.  Risperdal was only recently approved for use in children a few weeks ago on August 22 of 2007.[1]  All of these drugs have “Black Box Warnings” of Death for children, adolescents and young adults to age 25. [2] 

Not only that, there is no scientific evidence to support that these drugs even work! [3-16]  In other words, these drugs carry little upside along with enormous risk to the life of a child. 

How can this be so? 

Let’s start at the beginning.  The methodology for diagnosing “mental illness”, along with the subsequent prescribing of antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs, is based on the bio-psychiatric model of “mental illness”.  

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, “Biological psychiatry, or biopsychiatry is an approach to psychiatry that aims to understand mental disorder in terms of the biological function of the nervous system. It is interdisciplinary in its approach and draws on sciences such as neuroscience, psycho-pharmacology, biochemistry, genetics and physiology to form theories about the biological bases of behaviour and psychopathology.” [17] 

What happens with these theories? 

The American Psychiatric Association, known as the “APA”, is the “main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential world-wide. Its some 36,000 members are mainly American but some are international. The association publishes various journals and pamphlets, as well as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM. The DSM codifies psychiatric conditions and is used world-wide as a key guide to diagnosing disorders.” [18] 

To reiterate, the APA takes these “theories”, “codifies” them as “psychiatric conditions” and then “publishes” and “distributes” them for use as a “world-wide key guide to diagnosing disorders” in a manual known as the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” or the “DSM”. 

Why then, are we endangering the lives of our children by giving them antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs with no proven efficacy in clinical trials that carry potential side-effects such as death? 

We do this because we don’t know that we have a choice.  But there is a choice. 

Alternative Medicine 

“Alternative medicine is defined as "any of various systems of healing or treating disease (as chiropractic, homeopathy, or faith healing) not included in the traditional medical curricula taught in the United States and Britain".[1] Complementary medicine is defined as "any of the practices (as acupuncture) of alternative medicine accepted and utilized by mainstream medical practitioners".[2] The term complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is an umbrella term for both branches. CAM includes practices that incorporate spiritual, metaphysical, or religious underpinnings; non-evidence based practices, non-European medical traditions, or newly developed approaches to healing.”

When we work with a Medical Doctor who specializes in Alternative Medicine, we open the door to healing with natural therapies.  Much to contrary belief, there are diagnostic blood tests available to identify and determine underlying medical issues that may be causing what we have termed as depression, mood disorders, ADD and ADHD. [20]   

There have even been many studies to indicate the efficacy of the use of Omega-3 fatty acids in the form of fish oils to relieve symptoms of depression with no risk to the life of a child! [21]  In fact, a high dosage of fish oil has been shown to relieve what we call “bi-polar” disorder. [22] 

Celiac disease can cause psychosis and/or schizophrenia! [23] 

This is just the tip of the iceberg.   Don’t we have a moral and ethical obligation to protect our children from risk such as death when we have viable and safe alternatives to psychotropic drugs with black-box warnings? 

Of course the answer is yes.  And, the good news is that there are Doctors of Alternative Medicine all across the country that are waiting to assist.   

All we have to do is ask them to help us. 

Quotes: 

"Another of the world's leading authorities on SSRI's, Dr David Healy, also says that the effectiveness of SSRI's has been exaggerated, and the actual data reveals that only one in 10 patients on SSRI's can be shown to respond specifically to the drug rather than a nonspecific factor or a placebo." [3] 

According to an Associated Press report, about 19.2 million prescriptions for Effexor were filled in the U.S. alone in 2005, statistically that means thousands of Americans could experience "homicidal ideation" - murderous thoughts - as a result of taking just this one brand of antidepressant drug." [4]

'The pooled results [of the studies in a recent FDA review] showed that an older class of antidepressants, known as tricyclics, was actually more effective, belying all the hype about the "revolutionary" new antidepressants [selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs].... The most disturbing finding was that more than twice as many depressed adults on new antidepressants kill themselves than those taking placeboes. The difference was 8.4 versus 3.6 suicides per 1,000 patients, a year respectively.' [5] 

Newly unearthed evidence about the potential side effects of Prozac should be of great concern. “There does seem to be hazards with these drugs. The research showing testicular shrinkage could be a real issue for teenage boys. There have been so few tests on these drugs that we simply don’t know if there is a risk there or not.” [6]

"Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have no clinically meaningful advantage over placebo"; "[c]laims that antidepressants are more effective in more severe conditions have little evidence to support them"; and "[m]ethodological artifacts may account for the small degree of superiority shown over placebo." [7] 

“There is now unanimous agreement among commentators that the mean difference between response to antidepressant drugs and response to inert placebo is very small. It is so small that, despite sample sizes involving hundreds of participants, 57% of the trials funded by the pharmaceutical industry failed to show a significant difference between drug and placebo. Most of these negative data were not published and were accessible only by gaining access to US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) documents. The small difference between the drug response and the placebo response has been a "dirty little secret," known to researchers who conduct clinical trials, FDA reviewers, and a small group of critics who analyzed the published data and reached conclusions similar to that of the authors. It was not known to the general public, depressed patients, or even their physicians. The authors are pleased that their effort facilitates dissemination of this information.”  [8] 

"Many patients are led to believe, by their physicians and by advertising, that antidepressant drugs will act on the biological cause of their depressed state by rectifying a “chemical imbalance”. On the contrary, our analysis indicates that there are no specific antidepressant drugs, that most of the short-term effects of antidepressants are shared by many other drugs, and that long-term drug treatment with antidepressants or any other drugs has not been shown to lead to long-term elevation of mood. We suggest that the term “antidepressant” should be abandoned." [9]

Although it is often stated with great confidence that depressed people have a serotonin or norepinephrine deficiency, the evidence actually contradicts these claims." [10]

“A serotonin deficiency for depression has not been found." [11]

"Indeed, no abnormality of serotonin in depression has ever been demonstrated." [12]

"We have hunted for big simple neurochemical explanations for psychiatric disorders and have not found them." [13]

"Some have argued that depression may be due to a deficiency of NE [norepinephrine] or 5-HT [serotonin] because the enhancement of noradrenergic or serotonergic neurotransmission improves the symptoms of depression.  However, this is akin to saying that because a rash on one's arm improves with the use of a steroid cream, the rash must be due to a steroid deficiency." [14]

"Given the ubiquity of a neurotransmitter such as serotonin and the multiplicity of its functions, it is almost as meaningless to implicate it in depression as it is to implicate blood." [15]

“Regarding SSRIs, there is a growing body of medical literature casting doubt on the serotonin hypothesis, and this body is not reflected in the consumer advertisements. In particular, many SSRI advertisements continue to claim that the mechanism of action of SSRIs is that of correcting a chemical imbalance, such as a paroxetine advertisement, which states, “With continued treatment, Paxil can help restore the balance of serotonin…”  Yet, as previously mentioned, there is no such thing as a scientifically established correct “balance” of serotonin. The take-home message for consumers viewing SSRI advertisements is probably that SSRIs work by normalizing neurotransmitters that have gone awry. This was a hopeful notion 30 years ago, but is not an accurate reflection of present-day scientific evidence.  The impact of the widespread promotion of the serotonin hypothesis should not be underestimated.  What remains unmeasured, though, is how many patients seek help from their doctor because antidepressant advertisements have convinced them that they are suffering from a serotonin deficiency. The incongruence between the scientific literature and the claims made in FDA-regulated SSRI advertisements is remarkable, and possibly unparalleled.” [16]

Taper Safely:  A Non-Profit Organization 

Taper Safely™, with access to databases of qualified professional practitioners across the United States, was created to provide referrals to those wanting to Taper Safely™ off an SSRI.  It is also a resource to educate the public and provide research on the dangers of antidepressants, having archived over 8000 articles, documents, medical abstracts and legal testimony on this subject. Antidepressants intended to save lives, regularly induce suicidal ideation [10]. 

Please do not attempt to taper an SSRI without the supervision and guidance of a qualified and experienced health care provider. 

Footnotes 

[1]    Diedtra Henderson, The Boston Globe, “Risperdal Use OK’d in treating Children”, August 23, 2007

[2]    FDA Proposes New Warnings About Suicidal Thinking, Behavior in Young Adults Who Take Antidepressant Medications”, May 2, 2007, http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01624.html

[3]    Evie Pringle, "SSRI Makers Use Media to Reel in Pregnant Women as Customers", OpEdNews, July 30, 2007, http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_evelyn_p_070730_ssri_makers_use_medi.htm

[4]    August 13, 2007, David Kupelian, WorldNetDaily, "Why so many Americans today are 'mentally ill'", http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57143

[5]  JOHN ABRAMSON (family doctor, Harvard Medical School, and author of Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine, 2004), "Information Is the Best Medicine" New York Times, 18 September 2004, http://www.thestreetspirit.org/August2005/leonards.htm

[6]    Sunday Herald quoting Dr. David Healy, "The Chill Pill Kids", November 21, 2004, http://www.prisonplanet.com/Pages/Nov_04/211104_pillkids.html 

[7]  Moncrieff, "Efficacy of antidepressants in adults", British Med. J., July 16, 2005 (7509):155-7, http://www.paxilbirthdefect.com/news.shtml

[8]    Authors:  Kirsch, Irving; Scoboria, Alan; Moore, Thomas J., Title: Antidepressants and placebos: Secrets, revelations, and unanswered questions Prevention & Treatment. 2002 Jul Vol 5(1)

[9]    Joanna Moncrieff and David Cohen, "Do Antidepressants Cure or Create Abnormal Brain States?", PLoS Medical Journal, June 6, 2006, http://tinyurl.com/mhsuw

[10] Professor Emeritus of Neuroscience, Elliot Valenstein, "Blaming the Brain", 1998

[11] Dr. Joseph Glenmullen MD, Psychiatrist, Clinical Instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, “Prozac Backlash”, 2000

[12] Dr. David Healy MD, Psychiatrist, former Secretary of the British Association for Psychopharmacology and Historian of the SSRIs, "Let Them Eat Prozac", 2004

[13] Kenneth Kendler MD, Psychiatrist, co-editor-in-chief of Psychological Medicine, 2005

[14] Pedro Delgado MD and Francisco Moreno MD, Psychiatrists, "Role of Norepinephrine in Depression", Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2000

[15] John Horgan, Science Writer, "The Undiscovered Mind"[16] Serotonin and Depression: A Disconnect between the Advertisements and the Scientific Literature, Jeffrey R. Lacasse, Jonathan Leo, PLoS Med 2(12): e392

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