RxISK.org
June 2018
 
 
 

Here's a recap of recent blog posts and other news.

The posts in the last month attracted a great deal of comment but also a first: The Spectre of Dissent post below was banned by Facebook. See if you can understand why. 

The theme of these latest posts centred on what anyone can do in the face of adverse events -- like suicide on an antidepressant or permanent sexual dysfunction after treatment -- to mobilize people to make a difference either in terms of raising the profile of the problem with a wider public or with the researchers who may be able to come up with an answer.

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David Healy, MD

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The recent RxISK post on PSSD and Thermal Thresholds led to a lot of comments about what should "we" - those with PSSD or related conditions - do. There was a looking out to FDA or other regulators, doctors or politicians to do something. Coincidentally on davidhealy at the same time a pair of posts [...]...»


The European Medicines' Agency are holding a public meeting today about Fluoroquinolone antibiotics and the problems they can cause.  They invited submissions.  RxISK submitted.  But was not selected for a presentation so we will not be there.  Miriam Knight who has been a vigorous campaigner on the need to warn about the [...] ...»

 

Last month, we announced details of two new publications about enduring sexual dysfunction after the use of medications. We hope you found them interesting. In both articles, we discussed a couple of studies from 1991 and 1999, in which neurophysiological testing showed that taking a serotonin reuptake inhibitor reduces genital sensation. We have previously mentioned [...]...»

 

This post is both an extraordinary account of PGAD (Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder) but also an extraordinary account of what many people have to put up with from psychiatry. For some of the history of PGAD see our Citizen's Petition to FDA. See also the video clip on PGAD. At the beginning of [...] ...»

 

This is M's story. She outlines a Prescribing Cascade.  In an email she also asks a question: does anyone have any evidence of SSRI withdrawal causing Vit D deficiency?   HRT HRT started it all.  Peri menopausal at 45, my GP did a FSH test and prescribed Climagest - oral oestrogen and progesterone.  [...] ...»

 

New publications After a great deal of work, we are pleased to announce details of two new publications in the International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine. The pre-print versions are currently available. [Now updated with printed versions - June 11, 2018.] The first is our new paper - Enduring sexual dysfunction after treatment [...]...»



Dr. David Healy
David Healy's Blog

These words are from David Foster Wallace. I don't know if he was speaking about the depression he had or the akathisia that antidepressants can cause.  Maybe he didn't know and this contributed to his suicide. This post needs to be read in conjunction with What to do about Sex on RxISK.  This post is [...]...»


This post from Leemon McHenry celebrates Marion Lilley and the International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine.  It has a direct link to the issues in the last two posts on suicide in children and how and why we hide problems - The Spectre of Dissent. Most people trust that medical and [...] ...»

 

The last post The Greatest Failure of What Used to be called Medicine provoked a lot of comment - or at least the photographic images in it did.  There was little discussion about the content of the post and what to do about the spectre of bureaucrats in the guideline and the regulatory apparatus hanging [...]...»

 

A little over a year ago, the British Minister for Health, Jeremy Hunt, said children's mental health was the greatest failing of the NHS. Teenagers, primarily girls, are being seen by family doctors and referred to the secondary mental health services.  The waits are so long, they attempt suicide by the time they get seen.  [...]...»

 

There were relatively few comments on The Thalidomide Catastrophe.  There were however more people getting in touch directly.  Some said they were going to buy the book.  Here are some more reasons to think about buying. The Once and Future Nightmare Many seem to think thalidomide is an old story they more or less know [...]...»

 

This is adapted from a piece by Martin Johnson who with colleagues has just published The Thalidomide Catastrophe.  This is available as of today on Amazon and at Onwards and Upwards.  This is one of the great books about what the twentieth century was all about.  A must buy, costing almost nothing.  Child [...] ...»