Apathy is the New Normal

 

As more people increasingly express their views about the safety and efficacy of the Covid vaccine, we also see more news articles stating the virus has mutated. 

Supposedly, it is more dangerous and infectious. Current speculation is that the UK will soon enter a stricter Tier 5 quarantine. There is also speculation that travel restrictions will be imposed if one refuses the vaccine. 

We are now being told that there are fewer cases of the "normal" flu this year because the public is wearing masks. However, it appears that mask-wearing does not stop the Covid virus spread.

How is this possible? 

Businesses have been closed on the back of experts saying a non-compliant public is breaking the law, a law prompted by the same "experts". at the same time experts are proclaiming "the majority of the public are sticking to the new rules." It's a pat on the back for those who comply.

Those who question the safety and efficacy of the Covid vaccine often do so on social media, which is now policed by "fact-checkers" who ultimately have the final say. 

Nobody can take to the streets anymore to protest. To do so, we are told, "puts lives at risk."

We are, for want of a better word, jailed, but let out occasionally for exercise. We are living isolated lives and only see people within our own bubble. There is little opportunity to hear different and challenging opinions. Tier 5 may even dismantle those bubbles and further restrict us from seeing loved ones.

We are told mental disorders are rising in part because people are worried about the future.

Online retail corporations are becoming richer by the day as small businesses are forced to close. Amazon, Netflix, and online supermarkets are having a bumper year!

Pubs, where political debates are typically hot topics, have also been forced to close their doors. 

Restaurants are currently open, but you must dine then dash. Expect Tier 5 to stop this small window of discussion amongst family, friends, and strangers. 

In the midst of this, we have an invisible virus that has become almost impossible to debate. It's bad. It's killing people. It's infecting people. But, hey, don't worry, we have drug companies working on a solution - the same drug companies who have been fined billions for violating health-related rules and regulations.

We can always shrug our shoulders and give them another chance, right? 

Apathy is here, and is forced upon many, some of whom are unaware that the government want an apathetic public and benefit from such. It is understandable that the public just want this Covid nightmare to end and will accept any solutions. They have largely been compliant and chastise those who have different opinions. It's fear at play, the same fear we saw 10 months ago when photos were released of dead bodies on the streets and on the hospital floors of Wuhan. The popular tabloid, The Sun, proclaimed Jan 2020 that, "Coronavirus leaves Wuhan a ‘zombieland’ with people collapsing in streets and medics patrolling in hazmat suits." 

It sowed the seed of what was to come, what has become. This transpired despite that some of these photos were not authentic.

We are humans and are all influenced. Yet, it seems today's influence is one-sided and led by the government-fed media.

This post may be flagged by a Google bot picking up certain words. Remember, it's only an opinion, an opinion that many may agree with but are not be allowed to share, at least not in bars, restaurants, or any other public place. It remains to be seen if this blog can be shared on social media platforms. 

I'm an observer and like to weigh up things before I write. I've been publishing about drug company and regulatory fraud for over 16 years. Many years have been frustrating as, in the main, I've been preaching to the same choir. People outside of this choir typically are members of the apathetic public.

I know how drug companies and regulators operate. I know they, their paid "experts", and celebrity endorsers, like to instil public fear. 

I know.

Bob Fiddaman

“Fear has two meanings: ‘Forget Everything And Run’ or ‘Face Everything And Rise.’ The choice is yours.”— Zig Ziglar

Power Up - AC/DC Save The World

 

You pretty much know what you're getting when you hear rock legends AC/DC have a new album coming out.

'Power Up', their 17th studio album, has long been in the making, and fans worldwide have eagerly awaited its arrival amidst teasers from the band's Twitter page.

The single, 'Shot in the Dark', lifted off the album, has been available for several weeks. It's a typical Acca Dacca, catchy riff (thank you, Malcolm). The high-pitch vocals, harmony, and solid thud-on-the skins with the familiar short bursts of Angus Young's bluesy influenced lead breaks.

'Realize', their second single, follows the same successful formula. AC/DC doesn't add synths or orchestral versions; it's just straight down the middle, in-your-face rock n' roll.

Forty-two years ago, I first heard 'Rosie' blasted out at my local youth centre disco. Standing on the side of the dance floor, listening to Olivia Newton John, the Bee Gees, and other poppy bands of that era didn't cut it for me. Given I have two left feet when it comes to dancing, no music could get me on the dance floor. That was, of course, until I heard AC/DC. First, it was the right foot tap. Next came the left leg acting as a piston, keeping in time with the drumbeat and rhythm guitar. I joined a posse of guys and gals in a circle shaking their heads and playing air guitars. They knew the licks, and I wanted to know them, too.

A year or so later, armed with a golden ticket (£4), I was at Stafford Bingley Hall for my first concert. What a baptism! Bon Scott belting out songs from Highway to Hell and the back catalogue (which I now had). I went to see them again a few months later at Birmingham Odeon. It was a unique concert, and to my knowledge, the only time AC/DC had strippers dancing on stage to 'The Jack'.

I've since seen AC/DC countless times and appeared in two of their videos, 'Are You Ready' and 'Rock or Bust'. Well, three if I include 'That's the Way I Wanna Rock N' Roll', where I was down the front at Birmingham NEC, armed with a cardboard cut-out of a cherry-red Gibson SG. I was also expelled from school, in part, because of them, but that's another story.

I love this band and their 17th offering. Some highlights include:

'Demon Fire', 'No Man's Land', 'Witch's Spell', 'Systems Down', and the unbelievable 'Through the Mists of Time'.

Brian Johnson and the rest of the band are in top form. Stevie Young is the only man that could ever fill the boots of Uncle Mal; nobody else should ever take that role, ditto Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams.

I once shared a pint with Stevie in a Birmingham bar when he played rhythm guitar for a local band called 'Starfighters' and had previously filled in for Malcolm during the American leg of a world tour.

'Power Up' is available on most media platforms, including Spotify and iTunes and online outlets. Do record stores exist anymore?

It's a welcome break and defiant middle-finger message to the invisible monster that has plagued us all in 2020. 'Power Up' proves that regardless of our age, we are never too old to rock, be it accomplished guitarists or, like me, air guitarists.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

Bob Fiddaman

Top Psychiatrist Told: "Don't tell patients about side-effects"

An astonishing admission from Wendy Burn (above), the former president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, has emerged on Twitter this past week.

Equally Well UK, an initiative which seeks to promote and support collaborative action to improve physical health among people with a mental illness, recently posted via their Twitter account that Burn, who is now a Clinical Chair of Equally Well UK, has openly admitted that during her training as a psychiatrist she was told not to tell patients about side-effects as it might dissuade them from taking their medication.

I put the following three questions to Equally Well UK:

1. Who trained Burn?

2. At what point in her career did she start to tell patients about side-effects?

3. Why did she decide to tell patients about side-effects?

All three questions went unanswered.

To my utter disbelief some people are praising her for her openness (see thread), in the main, it's other healthcare professionals who have probably never personally experienced horrific withdrawals from the drugs that Burn and other psychiatrists have prescribed over the years. Lest we forget those who have had to prematurely bury loved ones because they wasn't told these drugs could induce suicide. This, I feel, is being, somewhat, glossed over by those who are, seemingly, covering Burn in garlands.

I'll throw in another three questions for those.

4. How many people have died as a result of not being informed about a brain pellet's propensity to induce suicide?

5. How many of those were on Burn's watch?

6. What were the side-effects she was trained to keep away from her patients?

Not giving informed consent because you feel it will deter people from taking medication is no excuse for hurting those you are served to look after.

If Burn was trained to not give informed consent then others would have, no doubt, been trained the same way.

It's unknown whether Burn adhered to what she was taught, if she didn't then one has to ask why she is only raising this issue now given that she has been a psychiatrist for many years.

What's striking, to me at least, is Burn has failed to issue an apology, just as she failed to do so when, in 2018, she, along with colleague, David Baldwin, wrote an opinion piece for The Times, making the outlandish claim that "We know that in the vast majority of patients, any unpleasant symptoms experienced on discontinuing antidepressants have resolved within two weeks of stopping treatment."

She, after a public outcry, has since admitted she was wrong but it came with the caveat that she hadn't personally witnessed severe withdrawal in her own clinical practice. Makes you wonder if she was 'trained' to ignore severe withdrawal given her recent admission to Equally Well UK.

If getting brownie points includes an admission that you've kept hidden dangers, such as withdrawal problems and induced-suicide, away from patients then, surely, farmer Jones deserves points too for adding a 'HIGH VOLTAGE' sign to his electrical fence many years after people touched it and died. 

I despair. 

Bob Fiddaman

Discussion: Medicating Normal - Flowers of Scotland

Whenever I see the words 'Perth' and 'Angus' mentioned in the same sentence I'm reminded of my favourite rock band. Perth (Australia) being the final resting place of former AC/DC vocalist, Bon Scott, and Angus being the guitar rock God that he is. AC/DC's roots are, in the main, from Scotland. Bon, Angus, and his brother, Malcolm, being born there.

Anyway, I digress.

PLUS Perth, Angus Voices and the Dundee Healthy Minds Network have recently been involved in a discussion after each watching the critically acclaimed documentary/film, Medicating Normal (See review here)

The discussion panel consisted of representatives from the above mentioned, namely; Beverley Thomson, writer, speaker and researcher; Dr. Dan Fisher, psychiatrist and person with lived experience of recovery from schizophrenia; Dr. Dainius Pūras, Professor of Child Psychiatry and Public Mental Health at Vilnius University; Susan Scott, development manager at Plus Perth, Mick Rattray, musician, and Angela Peacock, who appears in Medicating Normal. The discussion was moderated by Nicole Lamberson.

It's not easy listening to how lives have been shattered but one does come accustomed to it. Being a blogger and researcher for over 16 years, I've heard/read many first hand accounts, many similar to my own experiences on, and withdrawing from, GSK's 'miracle pill', Seroxat (Paxil)

Groups such as those featured in the video (below) have so many commonalities. They were brought together because they encountered similar experiences. They, after years of being told they had something wrong with them, all reached a point of Eureka after researching the prescribed drugs they were given, some by choice, some by accident. They are part of a club that has grown considerably over the years as more and more laypeople question the efficacy and safety of psychiatric drugs (brain pellets).

It's a tragedy, that despite there being thousands upon thousands of similar stories, people who have never experienced brain pellet harm, be it personally or witnessing a loved one going through withdrawal hell, seem apathetic to the problem. Medicating Normal isn't a movie being directed toward those who sing from the same hymn book, it's directed at those who choose, for whatever reason, to shrug their shoulders and continue about their daily routines of posting photos of their dinner on Facebook and Twitter.

So, how can we tap into the psyche of the apathy crowd? - Making movies about personal experiences is one way, writing blogs is another, forming groups that put these horrendous accounts into the public domain and also discussions. Talk, talk, talk! Write, write, write! Eventually the apathy crowd, which includes prescribers, coroners and pharmacists, will have to sit up and pay attention.

There has been quite a campaign in recent years to stifle the voices of those harmed by brain pellets. Those who prescribe after assessing patients refuse to see the damage they are doing - prescribed harm is often dismissed as anecdotal or conspiracy - the latest trend, on Twitter at least, is that those who speak out about their experiences on brain pellets are part of an antipsychiatry cult.

It's quite laughable but a normal human reaction, I guess. I mean, who wants to go to bed at night knowing they may have caused suffering to another human being? A defence mechanism kicks in and those that do wrong convince themselves that they are doing right. With no logical explanation, they create a façade in the hope that others in their profession will promote. It buries the problem and clears the conscience of the problematic pill-pushers.

The discussion below hits home in so many ways for me. Patient has depression - Patient is given brain pellet - Patient still depressed - Patient given another brain pellet brand. Patient develops side effects - Patient told it's another disorder - Patient given another brand of brain pellet - and so the cycle continues.

Polydrugging is papering over the mistakes made by the prescriber, nothing more, nothing less.

The quote, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results", is often attributed to Einstein.

When we hear or read about experiences of those harmed by drugs on top of drugs, it's quite easy to see who the insane ones are. It certainly isn't the flowers of Scotland featured in this video.

I salute you all.

Here's the discussion: 

Bob Fiddaman

The Cinderella Mock Exam

 

Just when you thought you'd seen all the madness for the year 2020 comes a shocking document that was released on Twitter last week that defies belief!

The upload came from Marie Bismark, a Psychiatry registrar and Principal Research Fellow - Public Health Law at the Melbourne School Of Population And Global Health.

Bismark told almost 6,000 of her followers she was questioning her entire profession after she stumbled upon a mock exam guidance question (below)

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

The document received backlash from many on Twitter. Both medical professionals and patients alike found it stigmatizing. Remember, this is an example of the kind of question a trainee psychiatrist would expect when sitting an exam.

The tweet has been liked and shared many times, some have even chipped in with their own diagnosis for poor old Cinders, although in the main this is Twitter psychiatrists and psychologists.

One offered the following advice: "Adjustment Disorder with resulting depression and anxiety. Main defence fantasy.  Requires psychosis support and ego strengthening."

I had to pinch myself.

Former Royal College of Psychiatrists president, Wendy Burn even chimed in with:

Dr Kate Lovett, Dean of Royal College of Psychiatrists, however, did not see it as a 'misguided idea of a joke' when she tweeted directly to Bismark: "Hi Marie. Was extremely disturbed to see this. I know you are based in Australia but I am sure colleagues @RANZCP would be very concerned too. Would you DM me the context so we can make sure this is dealt with. There is no place for such stigmatising & harmful attitudes anywhere."

The document, as far as I can see, has caused a lot of red faces in the field of psychiatry. If this is how they guide trainees then it would appear that any future patient will be almost immediately stigmatized as soon as they visit a psychiatrist, some would argue that this goes on today. The Cinderella question isn't really that bad, I guess they had to pick a fictional character. It's the options for answers that I find troublesome and, it appears, Bismark did too.

I really like the following tweet of hers describing the morals of the story of Cinderella. Sadly, psychiatrist, David Foreman, who is well known to this blog, couldn't help but post something negative as a reply to Bismark's heartfelt message.

Schadenfreude, if you didn't know, is pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune.

The general consensus is Cinderella teaches the morals of kindness towards all, forgiving others for doing wrong, and never letting bad things ruin your heart. The themes of the story are good versus evil and luck changing your life.

Quite why Foreman chose to piss in Bismark's Cornflakes is anyone's guess but it does highlight his negative thinking and rationale.

Many patient safety advocates were astounded by the mock exam question and decided to throw out their own questions and possible answers. Here's just a small collection of them.

I, myself, somewhat flippantly, came up with...

Marie Bismark's original tweet can be found here.

Bob Fiddaman

Hat-tip to Ann Marcos for bringing this to my attention

Californian Law Firm Lead the Way in Gardasil Litigation

 

In 2009 an FDA advisory committee voted to recommend approval of the vaccine Gardasil for males ages 9 to 26 to prevent genital warts.

So, it must be safe then because the FDA granted it a licence, right?

Well, there's been much debate regarding the safety of HPV vaccines over the years. Those that have questioned the safety have often been labelled 'anti-vaxxers'. This is standard protocol for drug companies who often fund pro-vaccine movements who viciously target vaccine safety advocates.

Not many people know that Gardasil has been approved for boys, most think the vaccine was for girls. 

On recommending its approval in 2009, the FDA said, "No serious side effects were seen."

Gardasil allegedly protects boys against the HPV infections that can cause cancers of the anus, penis, and mouth/throat, at least that's the way it was driven to market in various television ads.

One such person who saw these marketing ads was Jennifer Otto whose son, Zach, was just 16 at the time.

She relied on the information in the ads and various online print. She was convinced by the vaccine-maker, Merck, that all was above board.

Zach received his first shot of Gardasil in 2012 and his second some two years later in 2014, shortly after which he started experiencing body pains, headaches, cold-like symptoms, unexplained rashes, joint pains, ear pain, and enhanced lymph nodes in his neck.

In 2015, he received his third Gardasil shot and things went rapidly downhill. Here's a snapshot of the conditions Zach, now a wheelchair bound 24-year-old, is having to deal with:

Fiber Neuropathy (SNF), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), mast cell activation syndrome, autoimmune disease, and fibromyalgia

Dysautonomia - a condition in which the autonomic nervous system (ANS) does not work properly. This may affect the functioning of the heart, bladder, intestines, sweat glands, pupils, and blood vessels.

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome - a blood circulation disorder

Orthostatic Intolerance - a disorder of the autonomic nervous system occurring when an individual stands up

Small Fiber Neuropathy - a type of peripheral neuropathy that affects the small nerve fibers in the skin.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome -  a complicated disorder characterized by extreme fatigue that lasts for at least six months and that can't be fully explained by an underlying medical condition

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome - a condition in which the patient experiences repeated episodes of the symptoms of anaphylaxis – allergic symptoms such as hives, swelling, low blood pressure, difficulty breathing and severe diarrhea

Autoimmune Disease - a condition in which your immune system mistakenly attacks your body

Fibromyalgia - a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, memory and mood issues

Zach is now represented by Attorneys from the national law firm of Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman who, on his behalf, have filed a lawsuit against Gardasil manufacturers, Merck, claiming, amongst other things that:

 - Merck allegedly presented misleading data to the FDA suggesting that human papillomavirus (HPV) infections and some abnormal cervical tissue—cervical interepithelial neoplasia (CIN) lesions inexorably result in cancer

- Merck failed to disclose to regulators and consumers that Gardasil contained host of hazardous ingredients

- In the Gardasil clinical trials, Merck did not use a true placebo, the complaint alleges. Instead, the company “spiked” the placebo with AAHS and the vaccine’s other additives, which resulted in approximately equal numbers of subjects in the vaccine group and the placebo group suffering adverse reactions.

This should be concerning to us all given the current climate and the rush to find a vaccine for Covid-19. If a drug company can hide host of hazardous ingredients from those who approve vaccines then this seriously puts the general public in danger.

Moreover, vaccine-makers have been given indemnity regarding any Covid-19 vaccines that come to market.

Fortunately, for Zach Otto at least, Merck were not afforded that indemnity when they launched Gardasil on an unsuspecting public.

You can read more about Zach's plight on the Baum Hedlund website here.

Bob Fiddaman

Informed Consent ~ The Maths Don't Add Up

 

Earlier this week I posed the following question on Twitter:

Do time constraints persuade psychiatrists and GPs to prescribe brain pellets?

The question wasn't really posed for those that follow my Twitter account, it was, in the main, directed at the large number of brain pellet prescribers, one of which answered my question with:

"No, just necessity, when necessary."

This got me thinking.

70.3 million prescriptions for brain pellets were dispensed in 2019 (UK). If most of these were repeat prescriptions that's still a substantial amount, especially when the average appointment time with a GP is 9.2 mins.

How do we know the 9.2 minute statistic?

Well, in 2019, the Royal College of GPs announced that "the average length of GP consultations in the UK is 9.2 minutes, one of the lowest amongst economically advanced nations."

Further, they called for GP appointments to last "at least 15 minutes", at the same time condoning the current system as “unfit for purpose”.

Depression Assessment Instruments

*The following is from the American Psychological Association

Many of the instruments described below were used in the studies that served as the evidence base of the systematic reviews that under-gird the guideline recommendations. These instruments include both interview and self-report measures and may be used to screen, diagnose and/or track treatment outcomes. Each instrument has been demonstrated to be valid and reliable, and most are available at no cost.

In viewing the American Psychological Association I wanted to determine how long each assessment takes.

The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) 

The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is widely used to screen for depression and to measure behavioral manifestations and severity of depression. The BDI can be used for ages 13 to 80. The inventory contains 21 self-report items which individuals complete using multiple choice response formats. The BDI takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was designed for use in the general population and is now used as a screener for depression in primary care settings. The CES-D can be used for children as young as 6 and through older adulthood. It has been tested across gender and cultural populations and maintains consistent validity and reliability. The scale takes about 20 minutes to administer, including scoring.

EQ-5D

EQ-5D is a standardized, non-disease specific instrument for describing and evaluating health-related quality of life. The instrument measures quality of life in five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. Respondents can complete the questionnaire in under 5 minutes.

Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D)

The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) measures depression in individuals before, during and after treatment. It takes 15 to 20 minutes to complete and score.

One test not mentioned on the American Psychological Association webpage is the PHQ-9 test.

Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)

The PHQ-9 test is a 9-question instrument given to patients in a primary care setting to screen for the presence and severity of depression. It is the 9-question depression scale from the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). The results of the PHQ-9 may be used to make a depression diagnosis according to DSM-IV criteria and takes less than 3 minutes to complete. It's important to note that the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) was underwritten by an educational grant from brain pellet manufacturers, Pfizer US.

Given the average GP appointment is just 9.2 minutes, only two of these assessments (EQ-5D and PHQ-9) could be being used by GPs across the UK. If others were being used then the average appointment time with a UK GP would be much higher than 9.2 minutes.

Informed Consent

Informed Consent is defined as: permission granted in the knowledge of the possible consequences, typically that which is given by a patient to a doctor for treatment with full knowledge of the possible risks and benefits.

I'm going to be using Prozac as an example here. Let's just say a patient takes either the EQ-5D or PHQ-9 assessment.

For the EQ-5D a GP will have approximately 4.2 minutes to relay his/her full knowledge of the possible risks to the patient. With the PHQ-9 the GP will have approximately 6.2 minutes to relay his/her full knowledge of the possible risks to the patient.

Both these figures decrease when we take into account the scenario.

Patient walks into GPs office and is asked, 'How can I help you?' - The patient then explains to the GP how they are feeling and possible reasons, work-related problems, marital problems etc. These then prompt the GP to mentally use either the EQ-5D or PHQ-9 assessment. 

Let's just see the possible risks associated with Prozac use. Remember, a GP, when giving informed consent, must give full knowledge of the possible risks to the patient.

Here is a list of risks associated with Prozac use. One has to bear in mind here that not everyone of these risks are self-explanatory and a GP would need to, if asked, explain what some of them mean. This would further eat into the average of 9.2 minutes.

**Reported Prozac Risks taken from the MHRA website:

Risks

Blood disorders
Cardiac disorders
Congenital disorders
Ear disorders
Endocrine disorders
Eye disorders
Gastrointestinal disorders
Asthenic conditions
Death and sudden death
Febrile disorders
Feeling abnormal
Feeling jittery
Fibrosis
Gait disturbance
Peripheral swelling
Face oedema
Chest pain
Drug withdrawal syndrome
Hepatic disorders
Immune system disorders
Infections
Exposure during breast feeding
Foetal exposure during pregnancy
Fractures and dislocations
Electrocardiogram QT prolonged
Heart rate increased
Abnormal liver function
Blood sodium decreased
Weight decrease
Weight increase
Blood prolactin increase
Platelet count decrease
Haemoglobin decrease
Blood creatine phosphokinase increase
Blood pressure increase
Blood pressure decrease
Metabolic disorders
Muscle & tissue disorders
Neoplasms
Nervous system disorders
Seizures and seizure disorders
Tremors
Foetal growth complications
Ectopic pregnancy
Foetal death
Abnormal behaviour
Agitation
Anxiety
Nervousness
Aggression
Disinhibition
Homicidal ideation
Hostility
Paranoia
Personality change
Violence-related symptoms
Confusion and disorientation
Delusion
Depression
Depersonalisation/derealisation disorders
Insomnia
Eating disorders
Emotional and mood disturbances
Fluctuating mood symptoms
Impulsive behaviour
Restlessness
Mental disorders
Tearfulness
Apathy
Orgasmic disorders and disturbances
Panic attacks
Nightmares and abnormal dreams
Hallucinations
Personality disorders
Acute psychosis
Psychotic behaviour
Psychotic disorders
Schizophrenia
Libido decrease
Libido increase
Loss of libido
Sleep disorders
Dysphemia
Bruxism
Alcohol abuse
Akathisia
Completed suicide
Intentional self-injury
Suicidal ideation
Thinking abnormal
Tics
Renal & urinary disorders
Reproductive & breast disorders
Respiratory disorders
Skin disorders
Homicide completion
Vascular disorders

As you see there are some rather vaguely named risks that would need further explanation from a GP to their patient.

Two questions:

1. Of the 70.3 million brain pellet prescriptions (2019), how many were handed over with the patient being given full knowledge of the possible risks?

2. Can a mental health 'disorder' be diagnosed and full knowledge of the possible risks of treatment be given in 9.2 minutes and under?

One needs to take into account that the above reported risks were from patients and GPs who took advantage of the MHRA Yellow Card Reporting System. As yet, no drug company has ever released individual patient data from clinical trials.

Food for thought.

Bob Fiddaman

*Hat-Tip: @QuestioningJenn

**Prozac - Benefits Vs Risks - MHRA Correspondence

Medicating Normal ~ The Film

 

Last night I watched 'Medicating Normal', a film directed by Lynn Cunningham and Wendy Ractliffe.

It left me feeling angry - there was no sadness, I've almost become immune to feeling sadness upon hearing about the devastation and destruction these drugs can and do cause, that's not to say I'm totally devoid of empathy as I know that as the anger subsides the empathy will return and I'll calm down.

It's almost 18 hours since I finished watching and the anger is still with me. This has, somewhat, surprised me as the content of the film is, pretty much, something I've been researching for the past 16 years or so ~ one would have thought I had become accustomed to hearing about the horrific withdrawal of psychiatric brain pellets and the wanton contempt shown by those who manufacture, regulate and prescribe such dangerous 'pills'.

The film centres around a group of people from different walks of life, including military personnel, a waitress and a young girl, all of whom were initially given a diagnosis of a mental health disorder, prescribed brain pellets, returned to prescriber after the brain pellets either didn't work or were causing adverse reactions, only to be given another diagnosis and different brands of brain pellets. The demise of these individuals is plain to see, for me at least. It begs the question why a layperson, like me, can see the problem yet so-called professionals completely miss, or ignore what is right in front of them.

There are three types of people in this world. There are those who stand up for those harmed by brain pellets, there are those who shrug their shoulders whilst offering snippets of empathy like, "It's a shame" or "how awful" then there are those who talk about those who fight for the truth (usually behind their backs) claiming they are not experts, in fact they are just conspiracy theorists. I've encountered all three types - I still do.

There's a fourth type of person too, I say person but these types are often devoid of human emotion, yet on the surface they claim they are helping humanity. They often see themselves as gods or life-savers, in fact, over the years they have convinced themselves that whatever evidence shows that they are wrong is nothing more than a study that misinterprets data, either that or it's come from an advocacy group who have links to flat-earthers, ghost-hunters and celebrity-like religions. This puts them, they feel, in a position higher than anyone else - this gives them the false belief that they are omnipotent. It's a dangerous belief and one that is causing devastation to their flock.

I am, of course, talking about prescribers, be they your run-of-the-mill GP or psychiatrist. They've lost their way over the years, they've been convinced by a higher power (manufacturers and regulators) that they are on the correct highway and those who oppose them are beneath them so not worth listening to.

This is highlighted throughout 'Medicating Normal', albeit in a more subtle way than I have just described. The film does not intend to slam brain pellets, it is not calling for their removal, it's merely calling for informed consent to be given when these toxins are prescribed.

There are experts who claim that 'these drugs work short term', such statements are usually followed up by, "people shouldn't take them for long periods." With respect, the 'short-term' claim, I feel, is merely a defence mechanism designed to ignore the bigger picture that these 'drugs' are causing so much pain and misery around the world.

Sure, you'll have your patients stepping forward to defend the use of brain pellets, more often than not these are folk who are not able to function without them - this, they feel, is the reason why brain pellets such as antipsychotics, antidepressants and benzodiazepines have their place. They don't, for one minute, stop to think that their lack of function upon stopping the brain pellet may be a withdrawal effect. Their gods tell them it's a return of the illness ~ and so the cycle continues. Higher doses, different brands, various cocktails targeting invisible receptors with the claim that brain chemicals will be balanced out.

Watching this 80 minute film highlights the devastating effects of these brain pellets and also the flawed diagnostic tools used as a means to determine the type of brain pellets one should be prescribed. 

The film, for me at least, raises the question: What is going on in the head of a prescriber when he/she writes on that pad, does no part of them say, "this is wrong, why am I medicating normal?"

The film is being shown on various dates via here.

I highly recommend people to pay the small fee to watch it. If it wasn't for Covid this would probably be on general release at Cinemas, so, bring it into the comfort of your home.

You probably won't feel the anger I felt, if you don't, you should ask yourself why.

Bob Fiddaman

Baum Hedlund Take a Stand Against Vaccine Maker

 

Los Angeles based law firm, Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman filed a Gardasil lawsuit against Merck yesterday on behalf of Julia Balasco, a 19-year-old, who suffered severe and permanent physical injuries after receiving multiple injections of the human papillomavirus (HPV) Gardasil vaccine.

Merck, the makers of the controversial vaccine, are accused of failing to properly test Gardasil before the HPV vaccine was fast-tracked and administered to millions of young girls and boys throughout the United States and the world. It is also alleged that "Merck knew or had reason to know that its vaccine was defective and ineffective, but instead of warning the medical community and the public, the company wrongfully concealed information and further made false statements concerning the safety and efficacy of Gardasil."

Furthermore, it is claimed that Merck manipulated the Gardasil clinical trials by spiking the placebo with AAHS and the vaccine’s other additives, which resulted in approximately equal numbers of subjects in the vaccine group and the placebo group suffering adverse reactions thus giving the impression that Gardasil was just as safe as taking a placebo.

Julia Balasco was just a 13-year-old when she was administered Gardasil. Her mother, Michaela, the lawsuit claims, was persuaded by the various Merck ads for Gardasil that claimed it was 'very safe' and 'prevented cancer'. Little did she know that her daughter would later develop serious and debilitating autoimmune disease, including POTS, a disorder that affects a branch of the nervous system that regulates functions we do not consciously control, including blood pressure, heart rate, perspiration, and body temperature.

Merck are no strangers to controversy. The New Jersey drug company have been fined over $3 billion dollars since 2000, some of which include health and safety-related offences (see below)

You can read more about the case of Julia Balasco here

Bob Fiddaman

Malcharist Review

 

In the words of the late Bon Scott (no relation to Paul John Scott) "The following is a true story, only the names have been changed to protect the guilty." (Ain't No Fun Waitin' Round to be a Millionaire)

Griffin Wagner is a frustrated freelance reporter working for a men's magazine in Minneapolis. Shivani Patel plys her trade over 1200 miles away in Manhattan. She's a medical ghostwriter working, in the main, for Krøhn-McGill, the world’s largest drug-maker.

Her job is to turn bad news (poor outcomes in clinical trials) into good news. This manipulation pays both her and Krøhn-McGill well.

The scene is set, as all good mysteries writers know. Male, female at different ends of the spectrum, a brief encounter, a loss of communication, then rekindling.

It's the classic format and has stood many writers since the dawning of time.

But wait, isn't Malcharist a mystery that delves into the murky practices of drug companies and ghostwriting PR companies?

Simply put, no.... it's so much more than that.

The author, Paul John Scott (PJ), has crafted something quite brilliant here. If you're familiar with Glaxo's 329 study, you're halfway on board with PJ. Those not familiar with such underhand edits will soon pick up the mantle and run with what PJ offers. He carefully lays out what ghostwriting is all about in a manner that is easy on the eye and not so taxing on the brain.

Malcharist is the reel of film, your eyes are the projector, PJ directs his characters into your mind, which is, in essence, your own personal silver screen.

There's twists and turns, as one would expect from the mystery genre. To an unskilled eye it may all sound far-fetched, the worrying thing in all of this is it has gone on, it goes on, and it will continue to go on. Don't believe me? Google 'Spravato'.

I read the book over three days, corresponded with PJ via email to offer my congratulations, at this point the book hadn't gone to print. He, as a debut fictional writer, was chomping at the bit and looking forward to seeing his work in print.

I'm now looking forward to seeing it on the silver screen...for real.

It deserves it.

PJ, as we say in England, 'knows his onions'. Stumbling on Study 329, as I did many years ago, took a lot of figuring out and years of research and many articles (via my blog). I'm familiar enough now with how the drug companies operate and employ the Patel's of this world. I also know that there are some great journalists out there. Griffin Wagner is one such journalist, albeit in fictional form.

For me, at least, Wagner is a male version of Shelley Jofre, Neither Wagner (Nice surname by the way) or Jofre were unable to let go of what they had found whilst reading through clinical trial data. Both untrained eyes, (medical knowledge), that smelled a rat.

Paul's new novel, Malcharist, is available via Amazon in the UK here and the US here

Bob Fiddaman

Akathisia - The Taboo Terminology

Earlier this week the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) published an updated report on suicide prevention. The report was put together by a so-called 'Patient Safety Group' (see image above) and other 'contributors', one of whom is the current President of RCPsych, Dr Adrian James.

The report focuses on adult suicides and, according to RCPsych, "provides new, practice-focused guidance for psychiatrists and other mental health professionals on suicide and self‑harm that examines what interaction is now needed between these topics."

Woe Is Me

I found the following finding quite striking. It's a contradictory statement that, on one hand, highlights the failings of the psychiatric profession's choice of treatment, whilst on the other hand calls for more help for those prescribers who experience patients dying by suicide whilst under their care:

"There is evidence that most psychiatrists have experienced the death of a patient by suicide during their career, a large number of them more than once. Half of them described increased stress in the weeks following the suicide, and a sizeable minority reported a change in their practice, including more referrals to colleagues and requests for admission. The evidence suggests that there is a lack of structured support for psychiatrists and psychiatric trainees following a death by suicide."

It's remarkable isn't it. A report on the prevention of suicide highlighting the stress of prescribers who may have contributed to the suicide by prescribing antidepressants that increase the risk of suicide.

What RCPsych seem to be doing here is telling their members, "don't worry, we have your backs and we will help you through the tough times when one of your patients kill themselves whist on the 'life-saving' antidepressant you prescribed them."

Akathisia - The Taboo Terminology

Whilst the new report references the apparent safety and efficacy of antidepressants, it makes no mention of their role in inducing self-harm, suicidal thinking and suicide completion, all three of which that appear on current patient information leaflets as 'warnings'.

There is also no mention of the taboo word, 'akathisia', a condition caused by the very same drugs that RCPsych members prescribe to patients.

They Know About Akathisia 

Last July (2019) Wendy Dolin, founder of The Medication-Induced Suicide Prevention and Education Foundation in Memory of Stewart Dolin (MISSD), flew from Chicago to London to present suicide prevention information to the then President of RCPsych, Wendy Burn, and RCPsych audience members. The presentation highlighted akathisia and included a promotional video on how to spot signs of akathisia. Dolin wasn't the only safety advocate there that day who spoke about akathisia. Dr Lade Smith also spoke about this mind-crippling condition, she was even promoted by Burn who tweeted the following:

It seems a tad strange that the latest Suicide Prevention Report fails to mention akathisia, so I asked one of the 'Patient Safety Group members, Alys Cole-King, why. Cole-King had tweeted, back in March 2020, that "akathisia matters too."

Here's her reply to me (in two parts)

Appleby Ever After

The current UK Suicide Prevention expert is Prof Louis Appleby, he too is referenced throughout the new report although I am unsure of his input.

Appleby, to me at least, is a strange one. He has blocked many voices of the #PrescribedHarm community on Twitter (myself included) but back in October last year made a startling revelation regarding akathisia and the suicide prevention plan. According to Appleby he claimed, "When we came to update the strategy a few years ago, the Government wanted as few changes as possible. We were keen to add something about antidepressants after hearing from families who felt strongly about this."

What actually ended up the the suicide prevention strategy was "There are also risks in the early stages of drug treatment when some patients feel more agitated." (page 27).

Nothing about akathisia, surprising given Appleby's own personal thoughts that akathisia "can make people feel desperate and suicidal."

So, no suicide prevention warning about akathisia in a prevention strategy and no suicide prevention warning about akathisia in RCPsych's new Patient Safety Report.

Something is amiss here.

Why are Appleby and RCPsych, seemingly, afraid to address this elephant in the room?

Answers on a postcard please.

Bob Fiddaman

Seroxat in the News

For those of you who took an interest in the UK Seroxat litigation, a full judgement has been posted online here.

The judgement stipulates, "...the Claimants should pay the Defendant's costs of this litigation; those costs are paid on an indemnity basis from 21 June 2018 and there should be a payment on account of costs in the sum of £4.5 million."

With one case over, newer ones may be looming with regards to Seroxat causing birth defects, unless, of course, cases like these can't go to trial due to the Statute of Limitations coming into play.

"...the researchers noted that, compared to control groups, paroxetine-exposed mini-brains developed with up to 75% fewer oligodendrocytes, the support cells that are crucial for the proper "wiring" of the brain."

"The scientists, who published their findings in February in Frontiers of Cellular Neuroscience, used the mini-brains to determine that the antidepressant paroxetine, commonly called Paxil or Seroxat, suppresses the growth of synapses, which are the connection points between neurons, and leads to significant decreases in an important support-cell population. Paroxetine, which can cross the placenta in pregnant women, currently comes with a warning against use in early pregnancy, largely due to a known risk of heart and lung defects. Some epidemiological studies also have suggested that paroxetine raises the risk of autism."

Full story here.

Bob Fiddaman

#ShowUsYourMeds: I See Dead People

The response by some of the #ShowUsYourMeds project campaigners to my blog post (here) has left me baffled.

Apparently, if I dare to raise the issue on antidepressant-induced suicide I'm 'stigmatising' those who are currently taking and posting about their antidepressants.

Being part of an "Anti-med crew" has also been thrown around on Twitter. This, after I contributed to the project with some tweets of my own.

I'm still scratching my head and searching for reasons why those who promote these drugs without warnings are, seemingly, offended by me posting the following:

This is Adrian
Adrian died by Seroxat-Induced Suicide
He was just 19#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm#StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/BBdtRpNO3U

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is Candace
Candace died by Sertraline-Induced Suicide
She was just 12#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm#StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/X8vR5GKWbD

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is Jake
Jake died by Prozac-Induced Suicide
Jake was just 14#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm#StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/R11VdezZ96

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is Matthew
Matthew died by Cipralex-Induced Suicide
He was just 18#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm#StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/AKV6v38cyd

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is Natalie
Natalie died by Sertraline-Induced Suicide
She was just 19#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm#StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/BMDNVRxLjp

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is Sara
Sara died by Seroxat-Induced Suicide
She was just 18#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm#StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/aa8Zg5dlKg

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is Shane
Shane died by Citalopram-Induced Suicide
Shane was just 22#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm#StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/ZSHC93vosb

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is Sharise
Sharise died by Seroxat-Induced Suicide
She was just 18#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm#StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/egEqQkVycY

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is Sheryl
Sheryl died by Citalopram-Induced Suicide
She was just 24#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm#StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/cuF9Pvej9T

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

 

This is Stewart
Stewart died by Seroxat-Induced Suicide
He was just 57#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm#StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/37XTH6NNpz

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is Woody
Woody died by Sertraline-Induced Suicide
He was just 37#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm#StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/PUptdHsN2y

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is Caitlin
Caitlin died by Prozac-Induced Suicide
She was just 19#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm#StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/xXjSBC74iu

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is Christopher
Christopher died by Prozac-Induced Suicide
He was just 22#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm #StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/FZstW1YoV9

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is Taylor
Taylor died by Cipralex-Induced Suicide
She was just 14#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm #StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/3vCDnMUrwf

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is Shaina
Shaina died by Desipramine toxicity
She was just 10#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm #StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/9oBNDdYHGK

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is George
George died by Olanzapine & Prozac-Induced Suicide
He was just 15#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm #StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/fieyU1absD

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is Stephen
Stephen died by Seroxat-Induced Suicide
He was just 19#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm #StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/9OZbYLKozE

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn died by Sertraline-Induced Suicide
She was just 16#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm #StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/fiOjySYToc

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

 

This is Matthew
Matthew died by Ritalin-Induced Heart Attack
He was just 14#ShowUsYourMeds #PrescribedHarm#StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/IWyaxzU7V4

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is Julie
Julie died by Sertraline-Induced Suicide
She was just 17#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm#StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/Eq07uBbGbV

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

These are subjects who died by suicide in Seroxat clinical trials

This previously unknown information was aired during the Dolin v GSK trial in Chicago in 2017

GSK have refused to release the names of the dead#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm#StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/vFen2A8mIF

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 10, 2020

This is Rachel
Rachel died by Sertraline, Prozac, Melatonin & Mirtazapine -Induced Suicide
She was just 16#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm #StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/46XTZTieww

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 11, 2020

This is Heather
Heather died by Prozac-Induced Suicide
She was just 18#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm #StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/q8zcHKQwSa

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 11, 2020

On the 13 March 2012, Geert Michels deliberately drove a coach into a wall killing 22 children, one of whom was 11-year-old Eline
Michels was on or withdrawing from Seroxat at the time of the crash.#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm #StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/q9FDNKmSkP

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 11, 2020

Joanne had to abort her fetus after learning he had developed Truncus arteriosis
Joanne took Seroxat during her pregnancy.
GSK admitted in an internal email that Seroxat was the probable cause of the birth defect#ShowUsYourMeds#PrescribedHarm #StopShamingSafetyAdvocates pic.twitter.com/veaXfEMJu5

— BOB FIDDAMAN (@Fiddaman) July 11, 2020

GSK wins legal case over withdrawal effects of Seroxat after 13 years and £9.33m in costs

I have much to say about this. For now, I'll wait.

This from the BMJ

by Clare Dyer

A group action in the High Court in London by scores of claimants over withdrawal problems with the antidepressant paroxetine has ended in a victory for the manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), 13 years after the case was first launched.1

A High Court trial was to start in February 2011 but the action was put on hold after legal aid was withdrawn and 369 claimants dropped their cases. In 2015 the litigation was revived when the remaining 124 claimants instructed new solicitors and found commercial funding.

In 2016 GSK asked the court to bring the case to a permanent halt, but Mr Justice Foskett said he wanted to see how the case progressed in stages before deciding if it should be stopped or go to trial.2

From the beginning, the claimants’ case had been that paroxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) known in the UK as Seroxat, was a defective product because it caused worse problems than other SSRIs when patients tried to stop taking it. Later, their lawyers tried to expand the case to argue that paroxetine had no particular benefits compared with other SSRIs on a risk-benefit basis, but Foskett ruled that it was too late to change the basis of the case, and it could go ahead only on the narrow basis that paroxetine was the “worst in class” for adverse effects on discontinuance.

In 2018 a new judge, Mrs Justice Lambert, took over from Foskett. At a pre-trial hearing she ruled, “It is now far too late to expand the scope of the trial to include evidence of risks and benefits.”

When the trial opened in April 2019, Lambert ruled again that the claimants’ case could not extend to examining the relative risks and benefits and the claimants could not advance the case that paroxetine had no relative benefits compared with other drugs in the class.

The trial was adjourned so the claimants could take the matter to the Court of Appeal. The appeal court ruled in November 2019 that the claimants were not entitled to put their case on a risk-benefits basis because previous case management rulings had held that it was to be based on the “worst in class” scenario.

GSK had maintained from the outset that the claimants’ pleaded case, relating just to adverse effects on discontinuance, was the wrong approach and that a “holistic” view should be taken in determining the safety of a prescription drug.

After the appeal court ruling, GSK made an application asking the High Court to continue the trial with just one matter: whether it was appropriate in principle to assess whether paroxetine was a defective product by seeking to establish whether it caused adverse effects on discontinuance which were more frequent, more severe, and longer lasting than other SSRIs, and whether the effects made it more difficult to stop taking it.

Two working days before the hearing, the claimants’ lawyers told the court that they would not contest the company’s application and they agreed that judgment should be entered for GSK.

GSK told the court it had run up costs of nearly £9.33m since the case was revived in 2015. Lambert ruled that the claimants should pay the company’s costs. But GSK is expected to apply to the court for an order that the costs should be paid by the commercial litigation funder.

The losing party in the UK will not usually be ordered to pay the full costs incurred by the winning party, but only costs that are reasonable and proportionate to the matter. This is known as the standard basis.

Lambert ordered that part of the total costs to be paid to GSK, for the period from 21 June 2018, should be assessed on a higher than usual basis—the indemnity basis. This means that GSK is more likely to get back the actual costs the company incurred for that period.

The date chosen was 28 days after more than 300 people lost a High Court group action alleging that the DePuy metal-on-metal hip implant was defective.3 In that case the judge underscored the need for a holistic approach.

Following that decision, said Lambert, it was clear that the paroxetine claimants were “pursuing a case which was, quite simply, unarguable” and continuing the litigation was “unreasonable to a high degree.”

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