SSSHHH

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

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ARE YOU READY

£1,000,000,000 if anyone can spot me.



Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE


PAPERBACK COMING SOON

MAKING A KILLING

A Must watch. I've uploaded this brilliant documentary in 10 parts. Hat tip to Stephany who authors the Bipolar Soup Kitchen Blog

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

PART 6

PART 7

PART 8

PART 9

PART 10

Fid

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE


PAPERBACK COMING SOON

MHRA Meeting - An Update

Back in September I attended a meeting with the MHRA to discuss the issue of SSRi withdrawal. [Minutes]

I recently contacted the MHRA for an update and have now received the following from their Communications Officer, John Watkins.



----- Original Message -----
From: Watkins, John
To: fiddaman
Sent: Thursday, November 27, 2008 4:03 PM
Subject: RE: Update





Dear Bob

On 25 November you posted something from Truthman to remind readers of the meeting you had with Kent Woods in September and to put the note of the meeting on your blog. And you have asked me what progress is being made on the issues recorded there.

Since that meeting we have had some useful discussions with those who produce the British National Formulary (BNF), about the possibility of it giving more information to doctors, particularly about management of withdrawal. As the note of the meeting makes clear, though we can make suggestions to BNF, it is for them to decide what to publish. We must wait and see.

NICE are currently updating their guidance on the treatment and management of depression in adults. The entry on their website (http://www.nice.org.uk/Guidance/CG/WaveR/24) says that they expect to consult on a draft of the revised guidance between 24 February and 21 April. When that draft guidance is published, we will look carefully at what it does or does not say about the management of withdrawal. We will offer our views to NICE if the guidance seems inadequate but, as with the BNF, it is for NICE to decide what they publish.

We have also been in contact with David Healy and he has given us some useful thoughts about withdrawal.

Immediately under the 25 November posting of the notes of the meeting, Truthman wondered why we had agreed to meet with you. He suggested it could have been because we were aware, from a study we commissioned, that you were a prominent (and critical) voice on the web in relation to Seroxat and the MHRA. He ended by wondering whether we are more concerned about our reputation than about patients suffering on Seroxat.

We do recognise you as a prominent critic, but you have some points of view – from your own experience and those of people you are in contact with – that are worth listening to. When we recognised that, we invited you to meet with us. It was a useful meeting. You were a good advocate and put your points across well. We listened, and we said we would try to do something about them. We have been doing that and we will continue.

It’s not just you that we are listening to, and not just on the subject of SSRIs. We are genuinely and generally interested in the views of patients and the public. The MHRA’s Business Plan for 2008-09 has twelve key targets for the year. Key targets represent the highest level of public commitment from a Government Agency. One of those key targets is to “agree a two-year action plan to develop the involvement of patients and the public with a view to improving the quality of decision-making within the Agency and the level of understanding of its work, and with reference to both product-specific decisions and wider policies.” The wording is a bit bureaucratic, but you’ll get the message. And two months ago we recruited a new member of staff to concentrate entirely on patient and public engagement. This is not a PR exercise. It is because we believe that patients and the public have things to say that are worth listening to.

And the study? Your blog says that “the intention of the study was to understand the power of information online, how it is distributed and where it comes from.” Exactly. We commissioned it because we didn’t really understand what was happening in the blogosphere, what might be worth looking at and what was just noise. It concentrated on the two search terms of Seroxat and MHRA simply because it was already obvious that Seroxat was the most prominent issue in relation to MHRA and it seemed better to concentrate on a limited issue than to cast the net more widely. The picture of the web we got was complicated enough just in relation to Seroxat. We’d never have seen the wood for the trees if we hadn’t confined the search terms.

Regards,

John Watkins
MHRA

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE


PAPERBACK COMING SOON

A Plea to The Guardian - Re: GSK

----- Original Message -----
From: fiddaman
To: The Guardian
Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2008 3:52 PM
Subject: Ironic?


Dear Guardian Newspaper,

I found an article of yours so very ironic and at the same time showing contempt for a great deal of people here in the UK.

I refer to your online article: "A message from one of the Guardian International Development Journalism competition's sponsors" - HERE

Ironic because GSK have a tainted history with drugs in Africa, particularly drugs for Aids.

I find it difficult to comprehend how The Guardian can accept sponsorship from a company with such a history of deception, not to mention their involvement with babies and small children at the Incarnation Children’s Center in New York - HERE

Maybe The Guardian are unaware that GlaxoSmithKline opposed South Africa from importing cheaper anti-AIDS drugs and other medicines? HERE

For what it's worth, I oppose this sponsorship deal with GlaxoSmithKline. I oppose it because, as a UK Citizen, I feel that by allowing a sponsorship deal with a company that are the subject of a Class Action lawsuit here in the UK, The Guardian are showing contempt for members of the lawsuit and this whole sponsorship may cause a bias in future reports of GlaxoSmithKline's failings.

Would The Guardian allow any other company or individual, currently awaiting a trial through the High Court in London, the chance to sponsor them thus allowing free publicity? I'm sure any person/s awaiting trial would love the opportunity to sponsor fair journalism.

Sincerely

Robert Fiddaman

*Footnote - I urge all the people I have blind copied in on this email to blog about this sponsorship deal. A copy of this mail will be placed on my blog.

SEROXAT SUFFERERS BLOG

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE


PAPERBACK COMING SOON

GSK Involved in Journalism Competition.

Thanks to The Truthman for this.

A message from one of the Guardian International Development Journalism competition's sponsors
GlaxoSmithKline is one of sponsors of the Guardian International Development Journalism competition. Here, CEO Andrew Witty explains why GSK is involved


Journalism plays a crucial role in bringing news and issues to the attention of the world. It has the power to stir consciences and prompt action.

The articles contained in this supplement are fine examples of this craft, helping to broaden our understanding of the challenges faced in Africa and other parts of the developing world.

For GSK, our interest and activity in these countries is long-standing and it is why we are supporting the Guardian's efforts in International Development journalism.

Full article HERE

Maybe I should enter?

Now that's irony!

Fid

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE


PAPERBACK COMING SOON

The Doctors Lounge - Information about very long term use of paroxetine

Can anyone answer the age-old question about the very long term use of paroxetine?

Glaxo can't

The MHRA can't

Is there anyone that can or were we merely all lab rats whilst GSK earned millions?

This from the Doctors Lounge:

Currently there doesn't seem to be enough information on the effects of long term use of paroxetine (Seroxat).

There have been reports of some abnormal movements resulting from SSRIs; e. g., muscle twitches or stiffness. In theory, long-term use of these agents might--I emphasize might--predispose some individuals to such abnormal movements. But this theoretical risk, in my opinion, must be weighed against the debilitating effects of severe (major) Depression--which has a 15% mortality rate. Of course, there are other classes of Antidepressants that have been around much longer, and which do not seem to pose these theoretical risks--I. e., tricyclic Antidepressants. But these are also much more potentially toxic than the SSRIs, and have their own side effects.

Having said that, it must be conceded that we do not yet know the long-term effects of Paxil or related agents (called SSRIs, and include Prozac and Zoloft), if by long-term, you mean, "after 10 or more years of use." These agents are still too "new" to generate that kind of data. So far as I am aware, there are no convincing studies showing any serious long-term effects from the chronic use of Prozac, which is a closely related medication used since about 1988. So, all in all, I think the risks of taking Paxil indefinitely are probably quite small, but the jury is still out.

Dr. Tamer Fouad.


How reassuring. I like his opinion on risks: "I think the risks of taking Paxil indefinitely are probably quite small" - quite an opinion considering Dr Tamer Fouad said earlier in the same paragraph, "...we do not yet know the long-term effects of Paxil or related agents."

So, who do we get the answer from, Benbow, Andrew Witty, Martin Keller?

Fid

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE


PAPERBACK COMING SOON

Update of Seroxat [For Facebook Members]

As word spreads around Facebook regarding Seroxat I'd like to offer a brief update. The following was written by the Truthman on his excellent blog GSK Licence to [K]ill. Personally, I think it's one of the more informative blogs out there regarding Seroxat and GlaxoSmithKline.

Here's the last entry of Truthman's blog, it's more or less an update.

Thanks for your continued support.

Fid.

September 12, 2008 — truthman30

In this post, I’m going to write about two very important developments in the ongoing Seroxat Scandal which happened during this month of September 2008.


Bob Fiddaman, managed to secure a meeting with the MHRA (UK medicine regulators), the minutes of the meeting can be found here :

http://fiddaman.blogspot.com/2008/09/meeting-with-mhra-minutes.html

Guidance on the Management of Withdrawal from

Seroxat (Paroxetine) and Other SSRIs



Notes of a meeting held at MHRA on 2 September 2008



Present:

Robert (Bob) Fiddaman (RF), Campaigner, Author of Seroxat Sufferers Blog

Prof. Kent Woods (KW), Chief Executive, MHRA

Sarah Morgan (SM), Head of Pharmacovigilance Risk Management, MHRA

John Watkins (JW), Communication Manager, MHRA, acting as secretary






1. RF said he would like to discuss problems of withdrawing from Seroxat. He said that though his concerns centred around Seroxat, he recognised that other SSRIs posed similar problems which ought also to be addressed.

2. He produced copies of the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) for Seroxat in which he had highlighted the 32 places where patients were told to talk with their doctor about various issues. He felt that too much of an onus was put on doctors, many of whom did not know enough about withdrawal problems and their management.

3. In answer to a question from KW, RF agreed that the focus of the meeting should be on the information going to doctors and perhaps also on their training.

4. KW noted that doctors do not generally refer to the PILs, nor indeed to the similar but more technical Summaries of Product Characteristics (SPCs). Instead, they use the British National Formulary (BNF), revised twice each year, and guidance produced by NICE. The NICE guidance on the management of depression was currently being revised; a draft is due to go out for public consultation in December 2008 with a view to publication in June 2009.

5. He emphasised that MHRA controls neither the BNF nor NICE in any of the matters they cover, but the Agency can and does make suggestions to both organisations about the information they provide.

6. RF illustrated the practical problems encountered by patients in withdrawing. He offered each of the others a jelly baby and asked them to bite off one-third. No problem. He then produced some Tic-Tacs (mints). It was immediately acknowledged that biting off a third was very difficult. Likewise with a Seroxat tablet, said RF. The liquid preparation was much better suited to dose tapering but doctors seemed largely unaware of it. He outlined his own experience of withdrawing over a period of 21 months. The liquid, administered through a syringe, helped that process, though – for him – not even tapering took him beyond the point where he felt he had to “go cold turkey”. He did that because he did not want the drug to continue to have a hold over him.

7. During withdrawal he experienced severe “zaps” in his brain. He described his dependence on the drug as an addiction, and exemplified that by relating his feelings of wanting to “rip the shop apart” if it turned out that they were out of stock.

8. KW noted that the term “addiction” ought to be reserved for circumstances which typically entailed cravings leading to increase in dosage, but suggested it was less important to argue about terminology than to acknowledge, as he did, that there are significant problems associated with withdrawal; the issue was how best to manage withdrawal. He noted that, as with benzodiazepines, those SSRIs which both act and disappear more quickly are more likely to pose problems with withdrawal. He did not know whether a switch to slower acting SSRIs had been researched as a potential solution, as it had proved to be for benzodiazepines.

9. KW said he was aware that RF had had some very good support from his doctor and wondered how widespread such support would be. RF believed that many doctors would not be able to provide that level of help, due to not knowing how to manage withdrawal. RF had sent the Agency a very large number of personal testimonies about difficulties that others had experienced during withdrawal.

10. RF pointed to guidance on withdrawal produced by Dr David Healy; KW said he had seen it but his concern about any guidance would be whether “one size fits all”, given the range and diversity of withdrawal experiences. That should not however prevent the development of authoritative guidance.

11. RF asked what authority MHRA had to issue warnings. Could it for example require warnings to be put on packaging like those on packets of cigarettes?

12. KW replied that the place for warnings to patients is within the PIL. If they were very prominent on the packaging then that might well deter patients who really needed the medicine from taking it. The Agency has control over PILs. KW outlined the improvements to PILs in recent years, largely due to testing them with users; a programme which will end very soon has been reviewing and revising the PILs for all medicines. RF acknowledged that there had been significant recent improvements in the Seroxat PIL. KW noted that there is still room for improvement in PILs but the Agency is now starting to explore other initiatives relating to PILs. It might for example become feasible to ensure that PILs are available to patients beforehand rather than at the time they start to take their medicines.

13. RF wondered whether MHRA had thought of including Yellow Cards with or in the PILs. SM replied that we had considered asking pharmacists to include them in the bag holding the package. KW noted that every edition of the BNF had a Yellow Card at the back but there was no obvious place for making it available to patients other than placing them in pharmacies and GP surgeries. Reports from patients were still relatively new. So far only about 10% of all reports come from them, but the quality of the information they contain is every bit as good as that from healthcare professionals.

14. KW asked RF what he thought of the Seroxat PIL’s Section 5, “Stopping Seroxat”. Early in the section it says “When stopping Seroxat your doctor will help you to reduce the does slowly …”. RF felt that this was over-optimistic. He also felt that the advice about dosage reductions of 10mg a week (which SM noted was based on clinical trials) was too large an increment in view of his own experience – he needed to reduce by 1mg a week, only practicable with the liquid – and the experiences of others. And he felt that the signposting to the liquid form, “It may be easier for you to take Seroxat liquid during the time that you are coming off the medicine” was inadequate. SM agreed that steering patients towards the liquid could be made more obvious; and it could be helpful if such a steer was also given to doctors, in some document such as the NICE guidance1.

15. Referring again to the management of withdrawal in relation to benzodiazepines, KW read out the advice on management of withdrawal for that class of drugs that is in the current edition of the BNF. RF said he would have found it very helpful if that kind of advice, but about Seroxat / SSRIs had been available to him at the time he started to withdraw. He wondered how many doctors used the BNF. KW reckoned that almost every doctor will use it, with many of them referring to it frequently. When he was a clinician, he always carried around a copy of the BNF in his coat pocket.

16. KW thought that the inclusion of similar advice in relation to SSRIs could be suggested to the BNF. It might also be suggested to NICE for their guidance. And a potentially useful way of 1 There was also some discussion about how to interpret the list under “Likely to affect up to 1 in 10 people”. JW wondered whether each effect in the list would affect up to 1 in 10 but SM said it meant that up to 1 in 10 could expect to experience one or more of the effects in the list. Drawing prescribers attention to any new advice that emerged would be MHRA’s monthly Drug Safety Update. KW again stressed that though we might make suggestions about this to the BNF and to NICE, it would be for them to decide. While MHRA’s primary role is to regulate industry – with no jurisdiction over doctors, it is within the remit of both the BNF and NICE to inform and indeed to influence doctors.

17. RF asked whether MHRA would talk with David Healy. KW said he would be happy to have that happen. But it would be useful if others with experience of managing withdrawal were also consulted. Those present at the meeting could not immediately identify anybody else in the UK but MHRA would try to do that, perhaps with the help of one of its Board members.

18. RF asked whether the management of withdrawal could be covered in the training of doctors. KW explained the difficulty any organisation would have in influencing medical schools when each school determines its own curriculum.

19. RF enquired how the Agency kept up to date on research and indeed legal issues surrounding Seroxat. Had the Agency for example been aware of the “Glenmullen report” before he drew attention to it at a time when the Agency was still investigating GSK? KW could not recall at exactly what stage he personally became aware of the document but assured RF that the Agency kept track of developments generally, not just in the context of a particular investigation. SM described how her group undertake a weekly review of the literature in respect of all drugs, covering all the major journals. And pharmacovigilance also takes account of clinical trials and trends in Yellow Card reports.

20. The meeting concluded by recognising that though the focus had been on Seroxat, there were other SSRIs that posed similar problems, and that changes in prescribing practices, such as a reduction in prescriptions for Seroxat in recent years and increases for other drugs, for example Venflaxine, mean that some of the issues deserve to be dealt with in terms of the class of drugs rather than in relation to individual members of that class.

______________________



One would have to wonder why the MHRA agreed to meet with Bob Fiddaman, considering his voice and his blog regularly draws attention to the failings of the MHRA and GSK in regards to the Seroxat Situation.

Some people might believe this to be a feeble attempt of good PR on the part of the MHRA, others might think that maybe the MHRA are finally beginning to listen to patients concerns about Seroxat, a drug which in my opinion is one of the most dangerous drugs ever licensed. Seroxat caused me and my life much harm, and it has caused immeasurable suffering to tens of thousands of people worldwide since it came on the market in 1991. A clue as to why the MHRA might have granted Bob Fiddaman some time to discuss the continuing problems of Seroxat might be found in the recent release of a PDF document from the MHRA. This document was released shortly after Bob’s meeting with the MHRA. The document is basically an online study commissioned by the MHRA and conducted by a marketing company. The intention of the study was to understand the power of information online , how it is distributed and where it comes from. From reading the conclusions of the study, it seems Bob Fiddamans blog has consistently appeared high on online searches and search engines when included in the context of the words “MHRA” and “Seroxat”. Many other Seroxat awareness blogs also share a massive proportion of the search indexes. Is the MHRA more concerned about its own reputation than patients suffering on Seroxat?

A link to the MHRA Online Seroxat research report can be found here :

http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/5/6/1899375/Market%20Sentinel%20Report.pdf

and Seroxat Campaigner Bob Fiddamans take on the report can be found here :

http://fiddaman.blogspot.com/2008/09/influence-of-bloggers.html


**Plans are currently underway to secure a meeting with David Healy and to discuss possible amendments with the BNF.

Fid

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE


PAPERBACK COMING SOON

How Does It Feel GSK?

JOFRE: And you still think that the drug could be safe for children?

Dr ALASTAIR BENBOW
Head of European Psychiatry , GlaxoSmithKline
Panorama interview April 2003
Absolutely. It could be. We haven't got a license in children yet. I feel sorry for anybody who has any side effects from treatment or indeed has experienced the terrible symptoms of depression. * Taken from transcript BBC Panorama TAKEN ON TRUST.

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE


PAPERBACK COMING SOON

One man and his obsession with Seroxat campaigners

When Jealousy Becomes an Obsession

Get your own at Scribd or explore others: Medical Mental Health and Ps aropax seroxat

Poetry Corner

Poetry

Get your own at Scribd or explore others: Hobby poetry seroxat

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE


PAPERBACK COMING SOON

Rat Poison Chemical Found in Ingredient List For HPV Vaccine!

What do rat poison and the HPV vaccine have in common? The answer is a hazardous chemical known as sodium borate. Savvy readers may wonder what a toxin that is commonly used to kill rats is doing in the ingredient list for the HPV vaccine that is currently being pushed on girls as young as nine and is even being considered for men and boys. Unfortunately, the answer isn't very comforting, especially for new U.S. residents for whom the HPV injection containing sodium borate is now mandated.

FULL SHOCKING STORY HERE

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE


PAPERBACK COMING SOON

Australia: Beyond Blue... Beyond Belief!

I've been corresponding with an Australian author of late [Rebekah Beddoe] and we started musing over the help needed when withdrawing from SSRi's. Rebekah wrote a heart wrenching account of her time on a whole host of anti psychotic and antidepressant drugs, her book aptly entitled 'Dying For A Cure', is a terrific read and highlights the dangers of these drugs but more importantly the lack of knowledge the medical profession have regarding the addictive qualities and consequent tapering programs [or lack of] for patients.

Rebekah pointed me to Beyond Blue, an Australian organisation that provides information about depression to consumers, carers and health professionals. To be fair, I had heard of these before and have, in the past, visited their page. I seem to remember a conflict of interest regarding Beyond Blue but can't for the life of me remember whether I wrote it or read it elsewhere [my memory isn't what it used to be, thanks GSK]

The Beyond Blue website is pretty impressive, looks like a lot of time and effort [and money] has gone into its construction. They provide a wealth of information through various links, I say wealth in the 'an awful lot' sense.

Beyond Blue, it seems, are well respected throughout Australia and their mission reads: "Our mission is to provide a national focus and community leadership to increase the capacity of the broader Australian community to prevent depression and respond effectively"

They have disabled any right clicking on their web page so one cannot copy and paste. Their full mission statement can be found HERE.

My interest in Beyond Blue became heightened when I read their 'Medications' page.

I'm angry.

Angry because all the hard work myself and others are doing to raise awareness about SSRi's is single handedly being destroyed by advice given by Beyond Blue. Some of you may be aware of my recent meeting with the MHRA where the withdrawal process of SSRi's was discussed, certain campaigners for mental health wrongly assumed I was there to discuss Seroxat... I have still not received an apology for their wrongful assumption [I can live with it]

I digress.

Now, there are those that gently beat the drum and there are those that bang it loudly. Gently beating the drum is fine if you are a mouse politely asking the owner of your abode to buy more cheese. Banging it is a different matter, more of a demand. I believe that it was my 'banging' that got me my meeting with the MHRA. I'm not blowing my own trumpet here, although it may appear so. All I am saying is, everyone needs to stop pissing around being a mouse and start pissing on the likes of regulators and organisations such as Beyond Blue... not to mention the pharmaceutical companies that manufacture, market and promote pills that can possibly cause more damage than actually rectify the illness.

Beyond Blue - Medications

Why do I need to take antidepressant drugs?

• Medical research indicates that depression is often associated with specific changes in the chemical message systems of the brain (serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine).

• Antidepressant medication can quickly relieve poor sleep, anxiety, tiredness, poor appetite, poor concentration and agitation.

• Antidepressant drugs do not change your personality.

• Antidepressants take several weeks to have their full effect.

• Antidepressants are usually prescribed for a period of time after your symptoms have stopped (six to 12 months) to prevent relapse of the depressive illness.

• For mild or moderate depression, psychological treatments alone may be sufficient.

• Antidepressant drugs do not make people more dangerous.

"Medical research indicates that depression is often associated with specific changes in the chemical message systems of the brain (serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine)."

So where is this research? Was it conducted by Beyond Blue, if so was it funded by the likes of GlaxoSmithKline Australia who STILL tout the chemical imbalance nonsense on their Australian web page. The Therapeutic Goods Agency [TGA] don't seem that bothered by it, I've mailed them a few times about this fraudulent promoting of a dangerous class of drugs before [they have never got back to me on the issue] - maybe I am out of their 'jurisdiction' and they don't see my banging as a major concern? 'The Pom will stop mailing us if we ignore him'. Hmmm, Now where have I experienced that before? Here is what GSK Australia say about Aropax [Seroxat, Paxil, paroxetine]

Snip: "Aropax corrects the chemical imbalance and so helps relieve the symptoms of depression."

PROVE IT!

It's a great marketing strategy Glaxo, hats off to you for a great subliminal message to concerned patients who choose to browse your Aropax page looking to see if it is safe for them or their family, friends, neighbours to take.

Back to Beyond Blue

"Antidepressant medication can quickly relieve poor sleep, anxiety, tiredness, poor appetite, poor concentration and agitation."

It can also quickly bring on suicidal and homicidal thoughts or do Beyond Blue not know about the case of Donald Schnell? In 1998, GlaxoSmithKline, maker of Paxil, was ordered to pay $6.4 million to surviving family members after Donald Schnell, 60, just 48 hours after taking Paxil [Aropax], flew into a rage and killed his wife, daughter and granddaughter.

They were ordered to pay! That suggests to me that they played a part in that particular crime.

So apart from antidepressant medication quickly relieving poor sleep, anxiety, tiredness, poor appetite, poor concentration and agitation, it can also bring about rage, homicide and suicide. FACT! Unless Glaxo paid $6.4 million dollars to the Schnell family for another reason other than it was their drug that was partly responsible for the actions of Donald Schnell?

Maybe Glaxo's lawyers would care to comment?, they visit this blog on a regular basis.

"Antidepressant drugs do not change your personality."

No? Mild mannered Donald Schnell turned into a violent murderer. Some personality change doncha think? The current Paxil Petition will show you personality changes of people after taking the miracle pill that was supposed to help them! On a personal front, my personality changed when I was on it, reading Rebekah Beddoes book and one cannot fail to see the personality change in her. Quite where Beyond Blue get this information from is not known. I can tell them this - They are wrong and they are wrong big time. Check out Paxil forums, check out Efexor forums, Prozac forums... the list goes on and on.

"Antidepressants take several weeks to have their full effect."

But hit the bloodstream immediately. And what exactly is their 'full effect'?

Are we talking about numbing you into a zombie, stripping you of empathy, causing you sleep disturbances, causing you agitation, causing you audible problems. Forget the sickness, dizziness and diarrhea, they are an absolute breeze to deal with and one that Glaxo mouthpiece, Alistair Benbow, seems to think is the only problems with one particular SSRi.

"Antidepressants are usually prescribed for a period of time after your symptoms have stopped (six to 12 months) to prevent relapse of the depressive illness."

Subliminal message here folks. Can you read through the lines? I can.

It's genius Pharma marketing. Let's play it out. [Scenario]

PATIENT: I'm so low Doctor, I feel so blue and down.

DOCTOR: Here, take these twice daily [Hands patient prescription for SSRi's]

PATIENT: But these are addictive aren't they? I've heard so much bad press about them.

DOCTOR: Scaremongers, they are safe to take because the medicines regulators are on the ball, they wouldn't allow drugs like these onto the market if they didn't think they were safe.

PATIENT: Thanks for the reassurance Doc.

DOCTOR: No problem. Now, come back and see me in a month.

The patient goes back to see the doctor because their depression doesn't seem to be shifting. The Doctor increases the dose of the SSRi. Once again he puts the patient's mind at rest, telling them these drugs are not addictive.

So the patient remains on these SSRi's for a period of [let's say 8 months]

8 months later...

DOCTOR: It seems you are over your depression, I think it's time we tapered you from your medicine.

PATIENT: Tapered?

DOCTOR: Yes, these drugs are quite dangerous if you stop taking them abruptly.

PATIENT: You did not mention this when you first prescribed them to me?

DOCTOR: Come, come now, you will be fine. Snap the tablet in half and reduce your dosage by taking half a day instead of a full tablet.

The patient, on the advice of their Doctor, complies. One month or so later they are back in his surgery. Doctor 'Knowitall' writes them out another prescription for their SSRi and tells them that the depression hasn't quite lifted. He recommends they go back to the original dose.

Here we have what Pharma wanted. A brilliant marketing strategy that would dupe the public for years... still does unless one has successfully tapered off the shit.

"For mild or moderate depression, psychological treatments alone may be sufficient."

Also expensive and a drain on resources. Solution?

"Take these whilst we get you some counselling"

"Thanks Doc, but aren't they addictive..."

The cycle begins.

"Antidepressant drugs do not make people more dangerous."

Here's a question for Beyond Blue and I want them to take their time in answering it.

What do the following 'events' have in common:

Cho Seung-Hui's murderous rampage – during which he killed 32 students and faculty members at Virginia Tech

1988, 31-year-old Laurie Dann walked into a second-grade classroom in Winnetka, Ill., and began shooting. One child was killed and six wounded.

19-year-old James Wilson went on a shooting rampage at the Greenwood, S.C., Elementary School and killed two 8-year-old girls and wounded seven others.

Kip Kinkel, a 15-year-old of Springfield, Ore., in 1998 murdered his parents and proceeded to his high school where he went on a rampage killing two students and wounding 22 others

Patrick Purdy, 25, in 1989 opened fire on a school yard filled with children in Stockton, Calif. Five kids were killed and 30 wounded.

Steve Lieth of Chelsea, Mich., in 1993 walked into a school meeting and shot and killed the school superintendent, wounding two others.

10-year-old Tommy Becton in 1996 grabbed his 3-year-old niece as a shield and aimed a shotgun at a sheriff's deputy who accompanied a truant officer to his Florida home.

Michael Carneal, 14, opened fire on students at a high school prayer meeting in Heath High in West Paducah, Ky. Three died and one was paralyzed.

In 1998, 11-year-old Andrew Golden and 14-year-old Mitchell Johnson apparently faked a fire alarm at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Ark., and shot at students as they left the building. Four students and a teacher were killed.

In 1999, Shawn Cooper, 15, of Notus, Idaho, took a shotgun to school and injured one student.

April 20, 1999, Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, shot and killed 12 classmates and a teacher and wounded 24 others.

Todd Smith walked into as high school in Taber, Alberta, Canada in 1999 with a shotgun and killed one and injured a second student.

Steven Abrams drove his car into a preschool playground in 1999 in Costa Mesa., Calif., killing two.

In 2000, T.J. Solomon, 15, opened fire at Heritage High School in Conyers, Ga., six were wounded.

Seth Trickey of Gibson, Okla., 13, opened fire on his middle-school class, injuring five.

Elizabeth Bush, 14, shot and wounded another student at Bishop Neumann High in Williamsport, Pa.

Jason Hoffman, 18, wounded two teachers at California's Granite Hills High School.

Cory Baadsgaard, 16, took a rifle to his high schooland held 23 classmates hostage in 2001.

In Tokyo in 2001, Mamoru Takuma, 37, went into a second-grade classroom and started stabbing students. He killed eight.

Duane Morrison, 53, shot and killed a girl at Platte Canyon High School in Colorado in 2006.

In 2005, 16-year-old Native American Jeff Weise on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota shot and killed nine people and wounding five before committing suicide.

In 1986, 14-year-old Rod Mathews of Canton, Mass., beat a classmate to death with a baseball bat.

William Cruse in 1987 was charged with killing six people in Palm Bay, Fla.

Bartley James Dobben killed his two young sons by throwing them into a 1,300-degree foundry ladle.

Joseph T. WesBecker, 47, shot 20 workers at Standard Gravure Corp. in Louisville, Ky., killing nine.

In 1991, 61-year-old Barbara Mortenson, "cannibalized her 87-year-old mother.

In 1992, Lynnwood Drake III, shot and killed six in San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay.

Sixteen-year-old Victor Brancaccio attacked and killed an 81-year-old woman, covered her corpse with red spray-paint.

Dr. Debora Green in 1995 set her Prairie Village, Mo., home on fire, killing her children, ages 6 and 13.

Kurt Danysh, 18, shot and killed his father in 1996.

Beyond Blue claim "Antidepressant drugs do not make people more dangerous." All of the above have one thing in common. ALL were on a variety of antidepressant medications! [Source]

Beyond Blue are 'bigging up' the use of antidepressants on their web page. To me they are putting lives at risk with false and misleading information, that's my opinion and if they or Pharma don't like it then tough titty. I'm not about to stand by and let Beyond Blue [respected or not] get away with the advice they give regarding antidepressant use.

Doctors all over the world need educating, as do the regulators. If organisations such as Beyond Blue continue to hand out advice straight from the book of Pharma then Doctors and patients will continue to go through the routine of the scenario I painted above. They will see the illness as the cause and not the antidepressant.

And that, ladies and gentlemen is what Pharma want you to believe.

Fid

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
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Pharmaceutical Industry Hustlers - Part II

Pushers of SSRI Antidepressants

To gain approval for treating children, all a drug company has to do is submit two positive studies to the FDA to prove a medication is safe and effective for kids. However, after 20 years of feeding the new generation of antidepressants to tens of thousands of kids in clinical trials, the only one ever approved is Prozac.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0811/S00264.htm

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

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8 Random Facts

The tag rules are as follows:


Each player starts with eight random fact/habits about themselves.

People who are tagged need to write in their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

At the end of your blog post tag eight people and list their names.

Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’ve been tagged and to read your blog.

1. I was born in Stoke Newington, London but have lived most of my life in Birmingham.

2. I once appeared as an extra in the AC/DC video 'Are You Ready'

3. A poem I wrote, 'Topsy Turvy Christmas' has been used in a magazine to help foreign students study English. The poem was also added to a CD which accompanied the magazine.

4. I have visited every state in Australia bar one... that being South Australia.

5. I have an Internet stalker who writes to Solicitors and Government officials demanding to know how someone disabled can travel to Australia, he also wishes to know how I can afford such trips. I could tell him but it's none of his business.

6. I have attempted to write two novels. On the first occasion I wrote over 30,000 words on an old typewriter before throwing the manuscript in the bin after hitting 'writers block'. I managed five chapters with my next effort, again I deleted it after writers block. Hopefully, I will beat writers block one day.

7. Apparently, this blog contains more words than Tolstoy's War & Peace.

8. I used to study Ufology. I have witnessed many Unidentified Flying Objects both at night and in the day. I have no rational explaination for the objects I have seen other than they were unidentifiable. The most spectacular sighting was actually in the morning, 7 white balls of light travelling across the sky 'big dipper' fashion before vanishing into thin air. On a personal front I think the Rosewell incident was secret military aircraft and the alien beings apparently captured were monkeys used in an experiment. The Rendlesham Forest Incident here in the UK is more fascinating and smacks of one huge government cover-up.

Tagged:

http://grandanglais.blogspot.com/

http://famouspeoplewithmentalillness.blogspot.com/

http://itsquiteanexperience.blogspot.com/

http://justana-justana.blogspot.com/

http://ifyouregoingthoughhellkeepgoing.blogspot.com/

http://bipolar-stanscroniclesandnarritive.blogspot.com/

http://bigpharmavictim.blogspot.com/

http://bipolartobipolar.blogspot.com/

Fid

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

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The hell of Aropax [Seroxat] withdrawal

Stumbled upon this blog from 2005. It's basically a diary of one persons withdrawal hell when coming off GlaxoSmithKline's Seroxat [known as Aropax in Australia & New Zealand.]

Here's the blurb:

This is the written journey of self discovery in numerous ways. Largely I will be using this site to contend with my sanity as I go through Aropax withdrawal. I hope that being successful and documenting this will be helpful for others. I will also have the evidence to sue the bejesus of GSK. Enter at your own risk.....

...and here's the blog

Fid

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

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Can you remember where you was?

Probably the greatest 20 minutes in the history of rock music.

Fid

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

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Canadian Paxil Class Action

Paxil Class Action
HOME COMMUNICATION CASE SUMMARY LAWYERS

1. A proposed class action has been commenced against GlaxoSmithKline Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Beecham Group plc, SmithKline Beecham plc and SmithKline Beecham Corporation on behalf of all persons in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada who purchased Paxil in Canada during the period from December 4, 1996 to October 9, 2003.


2. The class action concerns an alleged conspiracy which kept generic competition for Paxil from entering the Canadian market, and extended the defendants' market monopoly and exclusive marketing rights for Paxil, for nearly seven years. The action alleges that this allowed the defendants to demand a significantly higher price for Paxil than they could have with generic competition. The plaintiff seeks damages for conspiracy and the right to waive the tort of conspiracy and claim the difference between the price actually charged and received and the price the defendants would have been able to charge in a market with generic competition.


3. If you would like to speak to someone at Sutts, Strosberg LLP about this proposed class action, please call 800.229.5323, extension 8296.


4. To learn more about how a class action works, please click here.

Update: October 31, 2006

IMPORTANT NOTE

This website has been developed to provide general information to potential class members on a class action that has been commenced against GlaxoSmithKline Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Beecham Group plc, SmithKline Beecham plc and SmithKline Beecham Corporation.

The site is not designed to answer questions about your individual situation or entitlement. Do not rely upon the information provided on this website as legal advice in respect of your individual situation nor use it as a substitute for individual legal advice.

The information collected about potential class members will assist counsel in prosecuting the class action and assessing what damages were suffered by the class as a whole. Providing the information requested does not make you the client of Sutts, Strosberg LLP. The court will ultimately decide who will be included as a class member.

This website will be updated from time to time to provide potential class members with information as it becomes available.

*Hat Tip- - Princess

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
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A Change of Mood

Status Quo

Burning Bridges



Mystery Medley [Live]



Forty Five Hundred Times [17 Minutes Live Vesion]

Fid

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
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This one is for you, Baby Peter.

Now this scum sucking trio of bile have been named and shamed, watch how they will be protected by a perverse UK law. A safe place, around the clock protection, two things 17 month old baby Peter should have had.

No doubt when the Judge hands down their sentence they will be protected inside their prisons. They won't be eating dirt and the only chocolate they come in to contact with won't be smeared over their bodies to hide bruises. They will be given a choice of what they want to eat and good behaviour will bring them a reward, probably in the shape of an early release from prison.

Wherever baby Peter is I hope he can feel the outpouring of love from the network sites such as Facebook, from the Blogs such as this one, from the people who hold him in their thoughts when they pray to their God. I hope someone in the afterlife can explain to him that not all big people are bad. I hope in his afterlife someone can show him what life should have been like, a simple cuddle would feel alien to him.

I have no time for the pc brigade, they will be out in force condemning websites that carry the names of this trio of evil. Well, fuck the liberal lefties!

It's high time people of the United Kingdom stood up and vented their anger toward those responsible. Vent your anger, start blogging, create groups on the network sites, lobby your MP and demand changes, write to Haringey social services and demand an apology because they owe you and I one big apology for failure on a grand scale.

What next?

Do we really want the death penalty back? Have we not learned anything throughout history?

Public flogging? Not good enough.

I do believe that the UK is out of control with cheap alcohol and eyes closed to pot smoking wannabe gangsters who line our streets on the weekends, causing havoc because door security won't allow them into nightclubs. The Police are no longer a force. It seems more important for them to do paperwork back at the station [if it's open]. Make sure they get their details correct because if they don't some liberal leftie will be shouting from the rooftops that PC Plod never followed the correct procedure when carrying out an arrest of some youth high on white powder or some plant laced with chemicals.

Violence has been with us throughout history. Today it surrounds us with popular music that spew lyrics glorifying guns, with computer games glorifying war, with TV programmes being tuned in to because it's funny to see a chef get angry and swear or it's funny to see a small man with an idea stand in front of 5 millionaires, only to be ridiculed and spoken down to. Or a person with a dream to be ridiculed because they cannot sing [or cannot make the record exec lots of money]

We have pharmaceutical companies promoting shit drugs that cause addiction, yet the majority of the populous stand by and do nothing.

Educate yourselves, stand up for what you believe in. Let your benchmark be baby Peter. Don't let the poor blighter's death be in vain. Lobby your MP's, petition Downing Street, ring up your local radio station. Stand up and be counted.

Fid

This is for you baby Peter. RIP

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

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'BABY P' - SCUMBAGS NAMED!

http://breaking.tcm.ie/world/mhgbaucwmhoj/

The trial of a woman and two men accused of murdering a baby boy in England has been put back to September following a defence application at the Old Bailey, London.

The trial of Tracey Connelly (aged 25), who denies killing her 17-month-old baby Peter on August 3 last year, was switched from June 9 to September 8.

She also denies a charge of allowing or failing to prevent the death at her home in Penshurst Road, Tottenham, north London.

Her partner Steven Barker (aged 31) of the same address, and his brother Jason Owen (aged 35) of Wittersham Road, Bromley, Kent, deny the same charges and will be tried with her.

Peter was pronounced dead at North Middlesex Hospital, north London, where he was taken with injuries.

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE


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South African Medical Research Council - Bad Info!

Thanks to Steph Gatchell for bringing this to my attention.

It seems the South African Medical Research Council have, in their infinite wisdom, gave out some 'safe' advice regarding the use of antidepressants to treat depression.

Who actually writes this garbage?

The old tired and [not so] trusted chemical imbalance theory rears its head once again with:

"The symptoms of depression are mediated by levels of chemicals, such as serotonin and/or noradrenaline, changing in the brain."

Let's see what they say about treating this 'chemical imbalance' with antidepressants:

"Antidepressants are not addictive or habit-forming, and can be safely used over an extended period."

Once again, much of the onus is put on the patients doctor:

"There are different types of antidepressants which treat depression symptoms but have different side-effects, such as nausea, blurred vision, drowsiness, dry mouth, and sexual problems. Inform your doctor if these side-effects are excessively irritating or disturbing or do not go away after a while."

And what exactly will the doctor do?

Again they put the onus on the doctor with:

"The medication should not be stopped or substituted by another without prior consultation with your doctor."

Consult? What will this [untrained in SSRi withdrawwal] professional tell the patient?

Here is an email to their President, Prof A MBewu:

Dear Prof A MBewu,

I write to you with reference to the information given on your website regarding the use of antidepressants. [http://www.mrc.ac.za/public/depression.htm]

Firstly, do you have any scientific proof that depression can be brought on by a chemical imbalance? I would dearly love to know because for years GlaxoSmithKline, makers of the SSRi, Seroxat [paroxetine] touted this theory yet when asked have never been able to back it up with scientific proof. Please enlighten me and those who read my blog, Seroxat Sufferers.

Secondly, the advice given for antidepressants is shoddy to say the least. My personal experience on an antidepressant suggests that one particular SSRi, Seroxat [paroxetine] was addictive, in as much as it took me a total of 21 months to taper off. I can give you thousands of more reports of patients who have suffered addiction problems to this particular antidepressant if you so desire? I am sure, there are many other concerned people who can point to their particular problems when tapering from other SSRi's, it's up to them to contact you if they wish.

May I point out to you about the advice for antidepressants referring the patient to see their doctor should any problems arise. What training, if any, have doctors in South Africa received regarding the treatment of SSRi withdrawal. I assume that they are aware that there is an issue with withdrawal with these types of drugs and also assume that they know how to handle this problem because the advice on your webpage directs the patient to them. Please inform me of the training South African doctors have received regarding SSRi withdrawal and I will happily pass on that information to the Medicines Healthcare and products Regulatory Agency [MHRA] here in the UK because doctors in the United Kingdom have had no training regarding SSRi withdrawal.

I have taken the liberty of posting this email on my blog, Seroxat Sufferers and shall of course post any response you may wish to give.

Meantime, I look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely

Bob Fiddaman

Author of Seroxat Sufferers

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
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Tonight's Choices

Songs now removed to free up some space on external server.

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
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Why is Alistair Benbow GSK Spokesperson?

A thought came to me last night whilst laying in bed, I couldn't sleep, I have an irregular sleep pattern that I put down to long term use of Seroxat you see. All sorts of thoughts were running through my head, images of the poor Sara Carlin girl and her parents left behind to pick up the pieces, Baby P and the aftermath, the MHRA and my meeting with them... things are moving behind the scenes but will it be enough to help patients withdraw from SSRi's safely?

One image kept popping in and out of these thoughts, an image that would interrupt and bang at my head, an image that will live with me til my dying day, an image complete with audio that echoed through my head whilst being looped over an over again. Oh how I wished it could have been an image of someone hot looking with words of wisdom or an image of my mom whom I lost earlier this year. Alas, it was not, it was an image that plays on my mind every day and a sentence that loops. The image was GlaxoSmithKline's spokesperson [when it comes to Seroxat] Alistair Benbow, the audio 'Absolutely, it could be, we haven't got a licence in children yet'. This coming after BBC Investigative journalist, Shelly Jofre, had asked him if he thought that the drug [Seroxat] could be safe in children. This was in April 2003



Now why would he say that? At that point he must have been certain that Seroxat was safe in children. Does he now realise the implications of that statement? Here we have a spokesperson for GSK who has gone on national television and announced to an ever increasing concerned public that the drug, Seroxat, is safe for children to take. Parents and doctors watching could not have failed to be impressed by this statement from Benbow. Imagine the scene, if you will. A 16 year old girl tells her parents there is a documentary on TV tonight about the drug she is taking, a drug that has recently had bad publicity regarding the suicidal thoughts it can bring on with those that take it. Her parents decide to watch, they are astounded by the revelations of the investigative journalist, Shelly Jofre but comforted in the knowledge that the head of European clinical psychiatry at GSK has said it is safe for children to take. Benbow didn't stop there. He added, ' The evidence however is clear, these medicines are not linked with suicide, these medicines are not linked with an increased rate of self harm.' Whatever side effects the 16 year old may or may not have had were down to the depression, the self mutilation was not down to the drug. Thank goodness they had heard it from the horses mouth so to speak. No need to worry, they can keep their child on Seroxat because the head of European clinical psychiatry has said the drug is safe.



And what of the doctors around the UK watching Benbow's performance, would they have not been swayed by the head of European clinical psychiatry? Maybe the following day a parent would go to see her family doctor concerned at the Panorama programme aired the night before. The doctor, being a professional, would side with a fellow professional, in this case Alistair Benbow. "Don't worry Mrs Smith, your child will not suffer as a result of taking Seroxat." Who knows, some doctor may have even quoted Benbow, ' The evidence however is clear, these medicines are not linked with suicide, these medicines are not linked with an increased rate of self harm.'

I think Alistair Benbow has had plenty of time to come forward to retract that statement. Of course I am aware that GSK's legal team would claim that Benbow didn't know at the time of that statement that Seroxat was unsafe for children but let's look at the facts.

In 1998, some 5 years before Benbow made the above statements on national TV, an internal GSK document clearly acknowledged that GSK were aware that Paxil Study 329 was negative.

The document advised staff at GlaxoSmithKline to withhold clinical trial findings in 1998 that indicated the antidepressant paroxetine [Seroxat] had no beneficial effect in treating adolescents. Study 329, conducted in the US from 1993–1996, was the largest trial to date on using an SSRI in a pediatric population. According to the document, the results indicated paroxetine was no more effective than placebo. [Source]

So, why wasn't the head of European clinical psychiatry at GSK, Alistair Benbow, aware of this in April 2003?

Cynics would suggest that Benbow was aware, how could a spokesperson for a particular drug not know all the facts?

The MHRA failed to bring any prosecutions when they carried out a four year investigation into this matter, this still sticks in my throat. Surely, the promotion of a drug known to be ineffective is illegal? - because Alistair Benbow did actually promote the use of Seroxat when he claimed on national television that these medicines [Seroxat] were not linked with suicide or self harm. This, five years after his own company's internal document had indicated that paroxetine was no more effective than placebo.

Why would any human being promote a drug that was known to be ineffective?

Alistair Benbow may have been GSK's scapegoat here, he may have been unaware of his own company's findings from 1998. Question I have to ask is why was he unaware? [assuming that he was]

Until we get answers from Benbow himself I guess the images and audio of Benbow will continue to bug me at night. I'm lucky, I never lost a child to Seroxat.

Fid

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
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Tonight's choice of songs.

Songs now removed to free up some space on external server.

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

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Glaxo ex-employee sues over antidepressant use

From the archives: of antidepressantfacts.com

Ex-Employee Sues GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)Over Antidepressant Paxil/Seroxat(paroxetine)

For reasons of protection of the former Glaxo employee mentioned in this article, we will not display the person's true identity. We will name the character "John Sacre."

Statistics show that most men choose to not discuss their problems with depression and anxiety, but John Sacre took that chance with hopes that GSK would be sympathetic especially since they manufacture Paxil. Sacre, a 20-year GSK employee witnessed both himself and a coworker being victims of extreme hostility by their management and Human Resources. Both professional employees felt it necessary to resign. Sacre says that the company has a non-discrimination policy but failed to follow it.

A GlaxoSmithKline PLC ("GSK"), ex-employee has filed a lawsuit against the company in Pennsylvania court claiming that he was harassed, discriminated, and retaliated against. John Sacre, indicated that the company on several instances had harassed him and a coworker after learning of their use of Paxil and/or other antidepressant medications. Sacre said that GSK exhibited severe hostility by using the employee's vulnerabilities to attack them while experiencing horrific side-effects and maintaining an acceptable level of work performance.

Sacre who currently resides in New York and cares for a severely disabled son was taking antidepressant medication when he began to suffer from severe side effects and decided to confer with his management. Sacre claims that the company talked him out of taking a medical leave and then made several hostile moves against him which he says were acts of harassment to force his resignation. Sacre indicated that he resigned on the basis of constructive discharge.

Sacre claims that prior to his resignation he witnessed the company cruelly harassing his coworker who they knew was taking Paxil, a drug that Glaxo manufactures. Sacre said that his heart bled for the coworker and that the two had often discussed Glaxo's repulsive actions toward their own employees. When Sacre confronted Glaxo and spoke of discrimination, he says that the company retaliated in a strategic manner to protect themselves from being sued. Sacre said that he thought that the company would have been more sympathetic of the health condition and needs of their own employees, but discovered a different reaction.

Glaxo's website includes a "Career" section where the company boasts its "Lifestyle Benefits" in the following mission statement: "Our mission is to help people 'do more, feel better and live longer', and this approach is extended to our people. Lifestyle Benefits are designed to make it easier for you to balance your work and personal life, and to care for yourself and your family -- whatever your circumstances."

Sacre said, "Glaxo's mission statement is hypocritical and is nothing more than propaganda. Glaxo didn't help me nor my coworker and they certainly didn't help me to feel better!" Sacre, an information technology professional says, "I've seen this company fail at implementing million dollar IT projects and then candy-coat the severity of it. As a stockholder myself, it really concerns me as to what I've seen as an insider. While other companies were cutting budgets during a bad economic time, Glaxo would be discarding perfectly good monitors and replacing them with flat panel monitors. Look at the matter surrounding the extravagant CEO compensation package and Glaxo's refusal to sell to Canadian drug distributors. Is this how Glaxo benefits from the high cost of their drugs?"

Sacre had been with Glaxo for 20-years when he decided to resign and file a $800,000.00 lawsuit against the company on discrimination, harassment, and retaliation charges. Sacre said that his biggest challenge will be acquiring his coworker as an expert witness at his trial because Glaxo had his coworker sign a general release agreement to not participate in any court actions against the company in exchange for unemployment benefits.

The announcement of this lawsuit comes several weeks after New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer filed a lawsuit against Glaxo charging the company suppressed negative information from scientific studies that could potentially trigger suicidal thoughts in children taking Paxil.

Sacre says, "I'm not ashamed to admit usage of antidepressant medication during a bad time in my life, and I'm certainly not afraid to stand up for what is right. I have spent most my younger years fighting for the rights of a disabled child. In regard to my experience, I would have the utmost pleasure to appear on prime time television!"

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
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GlaxoSmithKline's Corporate Face

http://www.youtube.com/user/FuriousSeasons08

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

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The Cause By Grimes [Video]

grimescartel

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

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Canadian Activist Speaks Out

Her first post regarding Sara Carlin is here.

She writes:.. "To all the people that stumble across this blog and others like it. To all the people that have sympathy for the Carlin family but say nothing, do nothing. To all the people that want to believe the complaints about SSRI drugs are merely excuses or something to blame troubles on. And to Dr. David Evans and the Ontario Chief Corners Office. This is for you… All of you."

She draws your attention to a parable that is simplicity in itself:

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. What food might this contain? He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!’ The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, ‘Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.’ The mouse turned to the pig and told him, there is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!’ The pig sympathized, but said, ‘I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.’ The mouse turned to the cow and said, ‘There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!’ The cow said, ‘Wow, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose.’ So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap . . . alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house — like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient. But his wife’s sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer’s wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral; the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them. The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn’t concern you, remember — when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

It's a great post an I urge you all to read it.

Her second post has a pop at the regulators from all countries. She explains it in simple fact, so simple a child could understand it.

Shiny star to Princess, looking to put things right in Canada.

Fid

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE


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Dear God...

...why did you not intervene?

Fill in the complaint form to Haringey Social Services HERE

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE


PAPERBACK COMING SOON

The Tragic Death of 17 Month Old 'Baby P'

I tend to steer away from stories like this because they upset and anger me but one cannot ignore this particular story as it is all over the national newspapers, TV and radio here in the UK.

This case of child neglect is truly shocking so if easily upset do not read on.

Firstly, All three were cleared of murder. The woman, 27, and her boyfriend, 32, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and another man, Jason Owen, 36, were convicted of causing or allowing the death of Baby P, whose identity is also protected by a court order.

If them being cleared of murder does not anger you then perhaps the fact that 'Baby P' suffered more than 50 injuries during an eight-month period in which he was seen 60 times by social and health workers, but according to lawyers still did not pass the threshold to be taken into care will!

There is a chain of people to blame here. Of course, the three who tortured this poor child are, in the main, the guilty parties but what of the neglect by Haringey Social Services and the child's paediatrician, Dr Sabah al-Zayatt, Two days before 'Baby P' died, in August last year, he allegedly failed to spot that he had a broken back!

Are you angry yet?

Dr Sabah al-Zayatt's contract has not been renewed by Great Ormond Street hospital. Unbelieveably she is appealing against this decision!

Haringey social services have given two social workers and a lawyer written warnings, there has been no sackings or resignations over the case.

This from The Guardian:

The first clear signs of abuse began to appear on the child's body in December 2006, a month after the boyfriend moved in. The child was used "almost like a punchbag" by adults who were supposed to be looking after him, the prosecution told the Old Bailey, while his mother did nothing about it.

On December 11 2006, Baby P's mother took the child to her GP, who noticed that the baby had bruises on his face, chest and right shoulder. When the mother failed to provide a reasonable explanation, he sent them to hospital. Although Baby P's mother said he had fallen off the sofa, Dr Mackinnon wrote in her notes: "Not to be allowed home. Police protection order if necessary."

Four days later, Baby P was discharged and placed, informally, in the care of a family friend while police and social workers investigated.

The social workers who visited the council flat that housed the family and three dogs found it was dirty, untidy, and smelt of urine. The baby was often left playing with toys alone while his mother surfed the net or watched television, the court heard. Police described her as "a slob, completely divorced from reality". The court heard that she seemed more devoted to her dogs than her son.

Baby P was returned to his mother on January 26 2007. By then, she had been moved into a house in Tottenham. Social services did not know that her boyfriend had also moved with her.

The mother said she would get rid of the dogs and promised to cooperate with the allocated social worker, Maria Ward, and the health visitor, Paulette Thomas, to get Baby P's name off the register.

A friend who visited the mother at home in early April recalled seeing a withdrawn and bruised Baby P sitting in the garden eating dirt.

On April 9, Baby P was taken to hospital with swelling and bruising on the side of his head. His mother claimed he had been pushed over by an older child and hit his head on a marble fireplace.

The doctor who examined the child became concerned, and Baby P was admitted to hospital and social services informed. However, once Baby P had been given the all-clear for meningitis, he was allowed home.

By this time the relationship between Baby P's mother and her boyfriend had begun to deteriorate, and by June 2007 the atmosphere in the house grew more tense - especially after a man named Jason Owen moved in at the end of June.

It had already become obvious that substantial action would be needed to protect Baby P. Ward, the social worker, made an unannounced visit just before lunchtime on June 1 and found him lying on the sofa under a blanket. His face was red and she saw bruises under his chin. Four days later, the mother was arrested for a second time.

She denied harming him and told detectives that she was "a damn good mum". The decision was taken on a "multi-agency basis" to allow Baby P back into his mother's care - albeit under the supervision of the family friend who had looked after him before.

By the end of June, contact between the mother, the social worker and the health visitor had become erratic.

The last time Ward saw Baby P was on July 30. He was sitting in his buggy in the hall, his face, hands and clothes smeared with chocolate. Even though he was restless and fidgety, he smiled at her. Owen later told police that the mother and her boyfriend had rubbed chocolate over the baby to hide his injuries.

On August 1, the mother took Baby P to the child development centre at St Anne's hospital in Haringey. There he was examined by a consultant paediatrician, Dr Sabah al-Zayyat, who noted that the baby appeared "cranky" and "miserable", but did not find any indication that he had fractured ribs or a broken back.

"He didn't look any different from a child of his age with a common cold," she told the court. "He was sitting without support. There was no reason to suspect anything else."

However, two medical experts told the court that they believed that his injuries would have been evident. Dr al-Zayyat is now being investigated by the General Medical Council.

At 11.35am on August 3 2007, an ambulance was called to the house. Its crew found Baby P already stiff and blue in his blood-spattered cot. As they tried to rush him to hospital, the mother demanded they wait while she collected her cigarettes.

'Baby P' was pronounced dead in hospital at 12.20pm.

----

A catalogue of errors that has happened before at Haringey social services. You would have thought lessons would have been learned but they clearly were not.

In 2000, Victoria Climbié, was abused and murdered by her guardians in London. Victoria's social worker, Miss Arthurworrey, was said in Lord Laming's 2003 report into the killing to have failed to notice signs of abuse. In December 1999 and January 2000 she visited the flat, but no one came to the door. Miss Arthurworrey decided the family had left the area. In reality Victoria was dying in the flat. She was sacked by Haringey Council and lost a employment tribunal case to win her job back. Yes, she actually tried to win her job back!

'Baby P' had 17 months on this earth. It was not his choice to be borne to an evil mother. It was not his choice to have his ribs and back broken. It was not his choice to be battered and bruised and used as a punchbag by vile bastards who need stringing up. It was not his choice to be overlooked 60 times by Haringey social services.

The death of Victoria Climbié in 2000 means nothing, no lessons were learned and because of this another child has suffered.

Heads should roll for this calamity of errors, not only should the three bastards who abused this poor child be hung, drawn and quartered but those responsible for the safety of this poor soul should be prosecuted for gross negligence.

Haringey social services needs to be ripped apart and fumigated because the stench that eminates from there is gut wrenching. The passing of the buck, the denial, the closing of the eyes have all been part of this child's torturous time on earth.

What is it with the protection of children in this country? For years, the MHRA failed to protect children regarding Seroxat, even though the evidence was there. Another blind eye turned, another 'It's not our problem' scenario.

Baby P, this is for you. I am truly sorry to be part of the human race this morning. I am truly sorry to be an 'adult', a person who apparently has more insight than a 17month old child. What must you think of those big people who were supposed to raise and nurture you in a loving way. I am sorry you never learned what it felt like to be loved and I am sorry that those responsible for your death reamin here whilst you don't.

I am sickened by this whole story because one cannot even say that a valuable lesson has been learned. They said that in 2000.

As for Jason Owen, 'Baby P's' mother and boyfriend. You are fucking scum.

Rant over.

Fid

Read the new book, The Evidence, However, Is Clear...The Seroxat Scandal

By Bob Fiddaman

ISBN: 978-1-84991-120-7
CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE


PAPERBACK COMING SOON