“There is no rational science behind what they THINK is the cause of  these symptoms.  The medications that are being given to people are without exception introducing chemicals that are altering the brain in ways which can be very damaging….and I’ll  go a step further and say that in the absence of a proven chemical imbalance for which the medications are quote “rebalancing” or “fixing”, the medications are in fact toxic”.

This post is dedicated to all those parents who have lost a child to prescription drugs.  In particular to Mr. & Mrs. Neil Carlin of Oakville, Ontario who lost their daughter Sara to suicide induced by the prescription drug Paxil. They have since learned that Paxil should not be prescribed to young adults due to suicidal ideation.  Had they (or their doctor) known this, they would not have allowed their daughter to take it.  They have been trying to educate other parents regarding the dangers of Paxil ever since.

Sara Carlin

Below is an excerpt from a post written by Mr. Bob Finn, a medical journalist who has the knack of being able to ‘hit the nail right on the head’.

He states:  “If I were to rate the corruptive tactics performed by big pharmaceutical companies, the intentional corruption of implementing fabricated and unreliable results of clinical trials by pharmaceutical companies by hired third parties who manipulate these trials they sponsor because of their power to control others involved in such trials that is largely absent of regulation would be at the top of the list, and likely the most damaging to the requirement of authenticity and, more importantly, assuring the safety of the public health, as I understand that this does in fact occur” (full article here).

Unfortunately for the Carlins and many other parents, these tactics have made it common practice for doctors all over the globe to read these findings, believe what they’ve read and prescribe according to the literature.  This might be in the form of  a report from a recognized medical journal or in literature from a pamphlet given to them by a pharmaceutical representative emphasizing the safety and efficacy of the medication being proposed to them.  It seems that only when tragedy strikes, when parents realize the truth about the medication their child was taking, do we hear about it.  How many other kids are suffering on these drugs?  How many others have to die by their own hand before something concrete, something effective is done to stop the pretense that these drugs are safe and effective?  Black box warnings are not enough.  Subsequent “warning letters” to doctors are not enough.

Mr. Terrance Young, MP for Oakville Ontario, lost his  fifteen-year old daughter Vanessa  after taking the Johnson & Johnson prescription drug Cisapride (Prepulsid).

Young became a consumer advocate after this incident, and has been fighting for a more stringent and protective drug-monitoring system in Canada. He has since founded Drug Safety Canada to advocate for safe prescription drugs, and also initiated a hundred million dollar class action law suit against Johnson & Johnson and Health Canada in 2000.

Well,  someone’s obviously not monitoring the situation OR maybe it’s a case of  “the fox watching the henhouse” because if Health Canada were to get serious, THEY WOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!!   Then perhaps Brennan McCartney would still be alive today.

Brennan McCartney of Bolton, Ontario, was 18 years old when he went to the doctor complaining of a chest cold. He was also in the middle of breaking up with his girlfriend. He was given a prescription for his chest cold. He also came home with a sample pack of Lundbeck’s Cipralex, also known as Lexapro.

4 days after starting Cipralex he began to show signs of agitation. He drove down to the local store where he bought some rope. He hanged himself in a local park.

Health Canada’s drug safety procedures lacking, says study

OTTAWA—Health Canada’s drug safety procedures leave a lot to be desired, says a new study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Drug Safety and Health Canada: Going, Going… Gone? by Dr. Joel Lexchin says Health Canada’s priorities are skewed in favour of rapid approval of new drugs at the expense of the post-marketing pharmaco-surveillance system.

“In Canada 3-4% of drugs approved will eventually be withdrawn from the market because of safety issues and the number of people exposed to these drugs is increasing because of aggressive marketing tactics by the pharmaceutical industry,” says Dr. Lexchin.

According to the study, there are significant limitations to The Food and Drugs Act.information.”

“Health Canada cannot force a drug company to recall drugs deemed harmful from pharmacy shelves,” says Dr. Lexchin.   WHY NOT????!!!  When car manufacturers find something wrong with a car – those cars are recalled AT ONCE.  If a toy manufacturer makes a defective toy, or a child dies in a certain type of crib – these products are recalled – AT ONCE!  Usually with great fanfare and a ton of press.  What’s the difference?  Someone’s already been hurt, someone else is definitely going to BE hurt in the future – recall the damn drug!

He goes on to say “Nor can they directly compel a company to revise product labels to reflect new safety information”.   Does this make any sense at all?  Yes, yes it does my friends.  Lobbyists for the pharmaceutical industry spend ludicrous amounts of money and hours and hours of their time making sure that these ridiculously insane regulations stay put.

Psychiatry and Pharma – to use an old cliche – a match made in heaven….. and just in case you don’t understand the meaning of this analogy, it’s “that is likely to be happy and successful because the two  are very compatible with each other“.

Sad isn’t it?