As this blog grows I get more and more requests from readers asking if they can write a guest post. This has proved very popular and gives a chance for people, patients to vent... none more so than the author of this post, Mark Carter.
As you will learn, Mark is yet another victim of the over prescribing of psychiatric medication, another victim of off-label prescribing.
Mark's story... and this is just part 1 of 3, is nothing new. Thousands, if not millions, of unsuspecting patients are, within minutes, walking out of consultation rooms with pills that are nothing more than loaded bullets. They are being diagnosed with ailments, in Mark's case sore wrists and arms, and then prescribed drugs that have no indication to treat the diagnosis.
This is, sadly, on-going globally.
Mark is from Auckland, New Zealand.
Here's part I of his story.
Like A Lamb To The Slaughter - Part I
I have decided to do a posting for Bobs blog for the following reasons:
1. It’s not acceptable to me, for SSRi’s especially paroxetine [Seroxat, Paxil, Aropax] and including venlafaxine [Effexor] to continue to be on the market.
2. It is my wish that these drugs be exposed for what they truly are; toxins that disrupt and chemically damage the brain and body.
3. I feel morally obligated to communicate to the general public the dangers of these poisons , as I have been grievously injured by taking and subsequently discontinuing them,
4. A dangerous, negligent and appalling level of ignorance from doctors who have thoroughly hoodwinked patients into believing black is white, and from whom no one has a chance of being informed of the truth.
5. I have nothing to hide only devastation to human life to expose
6. If I can stop one person from taking an SSRI or its evil cousins then its been worth it.
It all began in the summer of 2000. In December I presented to an Occupational Specialist Doctor D. with sore wrists and arms from keyboard overuse at my work site.
I was a 37 year old single, cheerful, happy, sports loving, opera chorus singing male. I had never smoked, drunk alcohol, or taken any drugs prior. I also had never had any psychological issues.
I was diagnosed with chronic pain syndrome and given what I now know to be a smorgasbord of poisons.
At the time I was like a lamb to the slaughter, naive, trusting and oblivious to oncoming danger.
I asked the right questions as anyone would, are these addictive, are there any side-effects?
I left assured they were not addictive but may find they give me a dry mouth.
I was also assured they would heal my arm.
Arrived home that day with canisters of amitriptyline, nortriptyline, venlafaxine, and paroxetine . I was told nothing regarding tapering down or not stopping abruptly.
I never felt comfortable with the diagnosis of chronic pain syndrome. The term at the time was repetitive strain injury or occupational overuse syndrome.
I also was filled with dread at being sent back to a job that I clearly could not do any longer. I clearly had an injury in my hand in which pain and an inability to type was amplified when using a keyboard and receded when not using the keyboard.
I was told to take a course of each drug and if no benefit move onto the next one.
I was totally unaware that I was about to expose myself to some of the most dangerous addictive mind-numbing soul destroying potent body damaging chemicals ever manufactured for human consumption.
I was totally unaware of the nature or the toxic effects of venlafaxine and paroxetine.
In hindsight I felt pressured to take these drugs, I mean not taking anything was never a tabled option.
I worked my way through the drugs, on starting the venlafaxine I immediately started getting floaters in my eyes. I was clueless. I also recall being incredibly fatigued, my walking became labored. I rang Dr D at the time from my former work site regarding the struggle to cope and was told to double the dose. Not long after this, my employer, as I could no longer use a keyboard, fired me.
As I no longer had to bare a workload and didn't really want to take drugs I quit cold turkey the venlafaxine, as one would with a so-called non-addictive drug that was doing nothing except fatigue me.
What I didn't know at the time, but I do now, is Dr D had persuaded me to take a sequence of drugs not authorized for use for my injury. He had in fact persuaded me to participate in the off-label use of the drugs and did it by obtaining my uninformed consent.
Shortly after this I started to manifest an uncontrollable anxiety, a kind of psychological panic, a distressed tearful state. There was something clearly wrong with me and something I had never experienced before.
I was clueless as to the cause of this, and thought it may be due to some external stresses at that time.
Concerned I now presented tearful agitated and confused to my family Doctor W of 20 years,… like a lamb to the slaughter. I can still remember my exact words at the time.
“There is something wrong with me, I don’t know what it is, you know me I’m so against the taking of drugs, but do you think I need something for this.”
Without any hesitation, enquiry or diagnostic checklist I was presented with a prescription for paroxetine 20 mg per day and sent on my way assured it was not addictive, safe and may cause a little weight gain.
And that was to be the start of a 10 year drug addiction with a sore arm somehow morphing into a drug induced 'mental illness'.
Stuck on paroxetine-Island only to be met by psychological and emotional shark infested waters every time I tried to leave.
And in addition totally unaware that I was now exposing myself to a slow chemical castration.
Mark Carter - New Zealand
Part II Coming Soon
If you would like to write a guest post then I can be contacted via the 'Contact' tab at the top of this blog.
Bob Fiddaman
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