Panorama: Prescription For Stigma?

By Bob Fiddaman & Kristina Gehrki

This week I watched BBC's eagerly anticipated Panorama documentary, "A Prescription For Murder?" I say 'eagerly anticipated' because on the day it was scheduled to air, organizations that routinely run from public dialogue were tweeting away in the wee morning hours. This includes the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) and the Medicines Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). They took to Twitter long before viewers had an opportunity to view and judge Panorama's programme on its own merits.

MHRA, RCP and other so-called "mental health" organizations, claim the show stigmatized those who use antidepressants. RCP tweets included:

#BBCPanorama claims irresponsible and unfounded. Scaremongering title alone shows real stigma people taking #antidepressants face.

More #antidepressant prescriptions=more people getting help. Not more potential murderers. Don't stigmatize people needing help #BBCPanorama 

Professor Louis Appleby later chirped:

A media throwback: sensationalist, exploitative, not even new, with stigma & risk to patients collateral damage.http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08zjyp1 …

The MHRA's limp-wristed, London-based suits tweeted:

SSRIs have been used to effectively treat millions of people worldwide & like all medicines, the safety is continually monitored. (Notice that MHRA did not state "SSRI drugs do not cause an increase in suicide or homicide.")

I immediately tweeted back:

You forgot to add that your CEO is the former World Safety Officer for @GSK

Many other mental health charities and patients tweeted their disapproval. A majority of complainers seemed annoyed by the documentary's title. I pointed out the title had a question mark after it, ergo it was posing a question, not making a statement. But this obvious fact seemed to be lost on those who bombarded Panorama's Twitter page.

Out With the Old, In With the New

For decades, Big Pharma has made wildly inaccurate claims about everything from the chemical imbalance theory to the legitimacy of their own "science." Today the old chemical imbalance campaign seems to be replaced by the new stigma campaign. It is an emotional appeal to try and convince the public that people who speak on behalf of drug safety are shaming those who consume prescription drugs. The reality is that drug safety advocates only want consumers to know the real risks so they can make an informed personal choice.

Drug companies, regulators and "mental health" organizations aggressively brand drug safety advocates as "stigmatizers." They want the word "stigma" to carry similar emotionally-charged perceptions as the word "racism." This diversion is sickly twisted, but a clever communications tactic nonetheless.

The problem is stigma isn't relevant to drug safety discussions. As Thomas Insel, former director of the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH), discusses in the documentary "Letters from GenerationRX," stigma isn't even much of an issue in seeking mental health "treatment." Insel states "The fact is that actually more people are getting more treatment than ever before" and yet the suicide rate "has not come down." The reason, surmises Insel, is "We (the mental health profession) don't know enough."

To see Insel's interview and the tragic SSRI experiences of many families, "Letters from GenerationRX" is available here.

The stigma campaign is designed to create a false public rift to hinder open dialogue about medical freedom of choice and drug safety. Drug companies don't want people to recognize it is a fundamental human right to know the real risks vs. benefits of their product before consumption. Few consumers would consciously choose to forego this right and Pharma, the MHRA, and RCP know it.

Their propaganda is a recipe for disaster. To ignore serious side effects causes thousands of deaths. These organizations create an imaginary enemy and imaginary "war" of sorts. Pit two sides against each other and stir the pot. They then sit back, enjoy the heated conflict, and stealthily pad their pockets.

Brief Summary of "A Prescription For Murder?"

Panorama's hour-long documentary mainly focused on mass murderer James Holmes. It posed the question of whether the SSRI Holmes was prescribed before the Colorado shootings played a role in his actions. The drug Holmes was prescribed in increasing doses is called sertraline, better known by its brand names of Lustral and Zoloft. It is made and marketed by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. As Pfizer's own scientist, Dr. Roger Lane, has confirmed, Zoloft and other SSRIs can cause akathisia. Lane describes akathisia as "subjective distress" and "unbearable discomfort." He states akathisia sufferers "can feel death is a welcome result" to end their symptoms. (Source) - The source is hosted on Woody Matters, a website created by the wife of Woody Witczak, Kim. Woody died a violent death after taking sertraline for a total of 5 weeks with the dosage being doubled shortly before his death.

Panorama's investigative reporter, Shelley Jofre, interviewed many sources to include Holmes' parents, the prosecuting attorney, and several healthcare professionals. The show also briefly featured two other tragedies, that of Shane Clancy, who experienced adverse drug reactions (ADRs) from citalopram (1)  The programme's aim, as I see it, was to explore whether the connection between SSRIs and violence is legitimate.

The documentary, which hasn't yet aired outside the UK, was a year in the making and appeared well-researched. I won't give away too much program info because many people outside the UK haven't yet seen it. Suffice it to say; it was riveting.

(Note: In 2002 Jofre aired "The Secrets of Seroxat." It focused mainly on SSRI withdrawal problems but also shared the tragedy of 60-year-old Don Schell. After taking just two Seroxat tablets he killed his wife, daughter, and infant granddaughter before killing himself. ) Jurors ruled in favor of the man’s relatives and also ruled that taking Seroxat was the proximate cause of all these deaths.

Real Data Linking SSRIs to Violence

The MHRA is, according to the programme, aware of at least 28 homicides associated with SSRIs. Further, 32 additional reports have been sent to them showing an association between homicidal thinking and the use of SSRIs (Fig 1).

Fig 1

Predictably, the MHRA has never followed up these reports as it is not in their financial interests to do so. Therefore, they can then continue to claim that, "although these drugs have been associated with homicide and homicidal acts, it doesn't mean that the drugs caused the acts." It's akin to an airline ignoring reports of loose rivets and refusing to conduct any investigations in response to the reports received. After the plane crashes and innocent people die, the airline officially declares "We can't be certain loose rivets caused the crash."

This week's Panorama documentary further confirmed for me that those who cavalierly promote and push these drugs at alarming rates, while loudly crying "stigma," are actually trying to stigmatize those who have been harmed by the real effects of these drugs. Further, they don't value all human lives equally: those who suffer fatal side effects seem inconsequential.

A publicly-funded PR campaign doesn't exist for those who have suffered and/or died from these drugs. We don't have well-oiled PR machines to spin false data nor journalists ready to write misleading stories in the mainstream press. We don't take drug money in exchange for dishonest research. When we speak truth to medical power, it is we who are negatively labeled by an uncaring profession and corrupt regulators who have personally profited from drug industry ties.

But there is one thing we do have--something priceless that no marketing budget can buy: our honest and real lived experiences. If you're still uncertain about the adverse drug reactions Zoloft and other SSRIs cause, read the diary entries of a barely nineteen-year old girl who unwittingly documented her adverse drug reactions and psychiatric abuse. Natalie Gehrki, barely 5 feet tall and 110 pounds, was prescribed Zoloft in increasing doses. Her final dose was prescribed over the phone without ever being seen by her doctor. The doctor did not inform Natalie's mom that an increase had been directed and since Natalie already had the Zoloft prescription in hand, she simply took the maximum dose as her trusted doctor instructed.

Like Holmes' doctor, Natalie's doctor failed to recognize signs of SSRI-induced akathisia, and she increased the offending drug (Zoloft). Holmes was prescribed 150 milligrams of Zoloft at the time of his psychotic murders spree; Natalie was prescribed 200 milligrams and violence ensued a few days after consumption. Blood tests later showed Natalie was not an efficient metabolizer of SSRI drugs. Oh, well; perhaps the FDA might look into metabolization issues one day so other children might live?

"Netherworld," Natalie's story produced by Miller, is available for free here.

Further SSRI/Homicide related cases

Investigative reporter, Andrew Thibault, has uncovered much more through a series of Freedom of Information requests from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Many of the documents were heavily redacted, but all have one thing in common: All patients carried out an act of homicide whilst under the influence of a SSRI. The documents have been made public, and I wrote a series of blog posts about this back in 2016.

Seroxat/Paxil (paroxetine) - GlaxoSmithKline
Cipramil/Celexa (citalopram) &  Lexapro/Cipralex (escitalopram) - Lundbeck/Forest
Prozac (fluoxetine) - Lilly
Lustral/Zoloft (sertraline) - Pfizer

To view A Prescription For Murder, go to the BBC IPlayer here. (UK ONLY)

Shout out to Katinka Blackford Newman, author of The Pill That Steals Lives, who was the development researcher for this programme.

Bob Fiddaman & Kristina Gehrki


1. When Leonie and Tony Met Lundbeck (citalopram manufacturers)

Paxil/Zoloft Homicide - "Unlabelled Potential Side Effects"

Last year I wrote about Andrew Thibault who, just like me, has been at loggerheads with the those who oversee the safety and efficacy of drugs on the market. Thibault has successfully obtained many documents off the FDA, which he has made public at murdermeds.com.

Earlier today a series of tweets peaked my interest. Pharmabuse is a Twitter account that has the tagline, 'Parents Against Pharmaceutical Abuse (PAPA)', and their website, pharmabuse.com is a minefield of information.

Rather brilliantly, Thibault has filed a lawsuit against the FDA because, well, because they don't seem to be playing ball with requests he made to them under the Freedom of Information Act. (Sound familiar?)

Thibault's series of FOIA's involved questions relating to documents that the FDA had in their possession regarding psychiatric medication and homicide, moreover whether or not there was a link to the two.

A 25 page document highlights the FDA's obvious stonewalling of Thibault, a game that drug regulators like to play with anyone who asks for records that may show them in a bad light. The document is a fascinating read and I urge you all to read and share it, if only to see the outcome :-)

So, what has the title of my blog post got to do with the MHRA?

Well, earlier today Thibault made another document publicly available, a document which he obtained under the FOIA from the FDA. It involves two antidepressants, namely setraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil/Seroxat). The document is AERS Case Number 6330848 and is just 4 pages in length. It's an adverse event report from an unknown person (it's been redacted) who experienced the following side effects whilst taking both paroxetine and sertraline...

Agitation
Depression
Homicide
Restlessness
Suicidal ideation
Suicide attempt
Tension

As you will note, there is one adverse event in the list that sticks out like a sore thumb: Homicide.

The causality assessment regarding homicide reads "possible."

When carrying out an assessment of the adverse reaction report the MHRA , according to the tweet I recieved earlier, had this to say about both drugs. Pay particular attention to the last paragraph.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

I'm not quite sure what "unlabelled potential side effects" means? According to Pfizer  an unlabelled side effect is an unexpected adverse event. Begs the question, how many more have they had?

It's interesting, to me at least, that the MHRA have thrown in the word 'potential' which, in essence, means possible, likely, or probable.

It's quite bizarre that, in its assessment, the MHRA can state quite clearly that agitation
depression, restlessness, suicidal ideation and a suicide attempt were assessed and rated as possibly related to paroxetine use yet, despite this, they claim there is insufficient evidence to assess the causality regarding the homicide, opting instead to label it as an "unlabelled potential side effect." They do pretty much the same in their assessment of sertraline.

When you read this four page adverse event in conjunction with the 25-page court document filed by Thibault all, it seems, becomes crystal clear. In filing his lawsuit Thibault claims that the FDA told him in a telephone conversation the subject matter he had requested "did not make for fun reading", adding that he (Thibault) "should take into account "psychiatric diagnoses of the patients."

It's almost as if they have resigned themselves to the fact that the information is explosive yet, on the same hand, they are guiding Thibault away from the medication causing the adverse events and leading him toward their blame the patient mantra which they have spewed for many years.

Both the FDA and the MHRA maintain that SSRIs do not cause a person to carry out a homicidal act. This despite a large number of high profile cases that implicate many SSRIs. I covered many of Thibault's FOIA documents last year that, to me at least, show a very worrying link. Back stories at the foot of this post.

For years they have covered up the withdrawal problems patients face when taking these drugs, they have covered up the suicide links regarding these drugs. Safe to assume then they are sitting on more information regarding the homicide link with these drugs. But hey ho, I'm just a smeary conspiracy theorist.

The full 4-page document is now available here.

Thibault's lawsuit against the FDA can be accessed here.

Well done Mr. Thibault. I salute you, sir.

On Wednesday July 26, 2017 Panorama will air in the UK in an hour long special and will reveal the devastating side effects that can lead to psychosis, violence, possibly even murder.

The BBC website reads...

With exclusive access to psychiatric reports, court footage and drug company data, reporter Shelley Jofre investigates the mass killings at the 2012 midnight premiere of a Batman movie in Aurora, Colorado. 24-year-old PhD student James Holmes, who had no record of violence or gun ownership, murdered 12 and injured 70. Did the SSRI anti-depressant he had been prescribed play a part in the killings?

Panorama has uncovered other cases of murder and extreme violence which could be linked to psychosis developed after the taking of SSRIs- including a father who strangled his 11-year-old son.

Panorama asks if enough is known about this rare side effect, and if doctors are unwittingly prescribing what could be a prescription for murder.

I, for one, will be watching it.

Bob Fiddaman

Previously in the Homicide Files series.

The Homicide Files: Paxil/Seroxat

The Homicide Files: Celexa & Lexapro

The Homicide Files: Cymbalta

The Homicide Files: Effexor

The Homicide Files: Prozac Prescripticide

The Homicide Files: Zoloft

Q&A with Olga Leclercq

Continuing with the Q&A's from people that have played a role in my life for the past ten years or so that I've been writing this blog...

I've covered many stories of antidepressant induced suicide on this blog, each of them as heartbreaking as the next, each of them ignored by the medicines regulators, healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical industry.

If a drug can induce thoughts of self harm and suicide then we can be safe to assume that this can also put others in danger.

In 2012 this assumption became a reality and, it appears, nobody wants to either talk about it or hold anyone accountable for it. It's one of them cases where authorities have just shrugged their shoulders, in effect, pissing on the graves of those who perished.

Olga Leclercq's daughter, Eline (Pictured), was one of the 22 children who died when, for reasons (apparently) unknown, Geert Michiels (34) drove a bus into a tunnel wall in Sierre, Switzerland. (Back stories at the foot of this Q&A)

Eline (11)

It's been established that Michiels was withdrawing from Seroxat (Paxil) at the time of the crash, he had missed his dose on the day of the crash. It's also been established that Michiels deliberately drove the bus into a wall - a prior investigtion found that there were no mechanical problems with the bus and, more importantly, showed that at no point did Michiels apply the brakes of the bus.

I met Olga in London last year - what does one say to a mother who has lost a child in such horrific circumstances? I've wrote about the Sierre bus crash on numerous occasions on this blog, I've even corresponded with both the MHRA and the EMA (Medicines regulators) who have basically told me they are not interested and will not be carrying out their own investigations into this Seroxat related homicide.

Olga, along with other parents, are not letting go - why would they after the 'official investigation' was deemed to be "inconclusive"?

All of those involved in this investigation have, seemingly, ignored the most obvious cause, namely GlaxoSmithKline's Seroxat - we see coroners, globally, do the same at inquests, not only where Seroxat has been implicated, but other SSRIs too.

This needs to change and people like Olga are at the forefront of that change.

Here is my Q&A with Olga Leclercq.

--

Name: Olga Leclercq

Age: 44

Location: Lommel Belgium

Q: Olga, this may be a difficult question, so forgive me if it's painful for you. What is your fondest memory of Eline?

A: That is a difficult question because I have so many fondest memories of her. Eline was a very social girl, who loved to dance. She loved doing things together, it didn't really matter what, walking the dog, cooking, watching a movie. She often had play dates with the girls in her class, most of them died in the crash as well. She often made cute notes or drawings which she would hide everywhere in the house for us to find. I miss finding those notes and drawings, I am so glad we kept them all. 

Q: When did you first make the connection that the bus driver's use of Seroxat could have been linked to him deliberately crashing the bus?

A: Given the trajectory, we knew at a very early stage that this could not have been an accident, the trajectory is way to difficult for that. I didn't have any experience with antidepressants and when the Swiss authorities confirmed that the driver had Paroxetine in his blood, I started to look for more information. 

I never knew these drugs were linked to suicidal ideation and violence. Akathisia was something completely new to me.

We asked the Swiss authorities to investigate a possible link with the Seroxat. They refused to look into this because they claim that only the first weeks are potentially dangerous, the driver was on this medication for 2 years, he was withdrawing at the time of the crash, and in fact had not taken his dosage that day. For the Swiss authorities there is no reason to look into this any further.

Q: Have you at any point corresponded with Seroxat manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, with regard to the bus crash or have they ever apologised for the role Seroxat played in Eline's passing?

A: No, I never have. I know one of the attorneys that worked for them before looked at our website, but there has never been any correspondence between us and them. I doubt if they will ever take any responsibility, especially because the Swiss authorities never wanted to investigate and/or confirm a suicide. Officially it's just an accident. The case was simply closed  without a solid conclusion. Glaxo never made an attempt to look into this further. They never contacted us or the authorities to see if their drug might have been a cause, directly or indirectly. 

Q: If you could ask GSK's Andrew Witty three questions what would they be?

A: 1: Your drug Seroxat has been under discussion for more than two decades, many suicides, murders and family tragedies have been linked to your drug, how can you live with yourself? 

2: are you willing to take a therapeutic dosage of Seroxat for two years, and then stop as fast as the bus driver did, by just cutting the pills in half? Could you keep a blog, just to show everyone how safe your drug really is? 

3: What was one of your attorneys doing at our website? Did you connect the dots between the crash and your drug even before we did? I assume there must have been some curiosity about the cause of the crash, why didn't you ask the Swiss authorities to investigate further, as we have done?

Q: What do you say to people who believe that antidepressants are safe and effective?

A: Please do your homework before claiming these drugs are safe and effective. Even the drug companies themselves cannot prove their effectiveness, and/or safety.

Q: You have recently received correspondence from the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte. Can you tell me what that is about?

A: We asked for his help, we asked for the driver's blood sample a couple of times before but the Swiss authorities refused, so we were hoping for the Prime Minister's help in requesting this blood sample again. Maybe the request by the government will have more impact than the endless requests of a bunch of parents. 

Q: Why is it important to you that the Swiss uthorities release samples of the bus driver's blood?

A: We would like to have his DNA tested, through his DNA we can see if his body was able to break down his medication properly. Many people miss a certain enzyme (cytochrome P450) which means that they get toxic levels of the medication in their system. In other words: we could see if  the medication was very likely to cause this crash.

Q: Can you tell me more about the Independent Forensic Services in Hulshorst, Netherlands?

A: We turned to them for help. It was a bit more than a year after the crash and we knew that the Investigation by the Swiss authorities were not going to give us any answers about the cause of the crash, all our requests (like a reconstruction) were denied. We were very happy that IFS wanted to take a close look at our case, they did the reconstruction with the help of Eugene Liscio, a forensic 3D expert. It confirmed our fears, it was a deliberate act. The report of the reconstruction and also the other findings were sent to the Swiss procureur. But this also has been ignored. 

Q: Have you ever considered writing a book about your journey?

A: No, it would have been a good thing to do, because now I notice that I'm forgetting things. But I've never been keen on writing unlike my daughter Eline, who loved to write stories. My thoughts race from one subject to another, and I don't have the patience to sit down and write. I wish I had.

Q: Tell me about the Foundation Busramp Sierre website.

A: We started this foundation to give background information about the crash and hopefully get some support in what we do and why. Especially in Belgium there is a "let it rest" attitude, and that is something I simply cannot do. 

Q: Finally Olga, some personal questions...

1. What book are you currently reading?

A: Dr Peter Breggin: Medication Madness. The next one waiting on the shelf is Robert Whitaker, the anatomy of an epidemic and your book of course! 

--

2. What was the last CD you listened to (in full)?

A: I mostly listen to the radio, but I have a toddler who loves "Jip en Janneke" that is the cd I even hear in my sleep 😉 I hear that one in full a couple of times a week. 

--

3. What is the best movie you have seen this year?

A: I don't know

--

4. What country would you most like to visit?

A: I would love to go to back to Indonesia. 

We went there with the kids, 7 years ago. We travelled around for a month, I would love to do that again. 

--

5. If you had the choice of being either a defence or prosecution lawyer, which would you choose and why?

A: Can I choose both? I would like to stand up for everyone who had to deal with a crappy investigation. Sometimes as a defence lawyer to help wrongfully convicted but also as a proscecution Lawyer to help families like us who are basically standing with their backs against the wall. 

Bob Fiddaman.

Foundation Website

Busramp Sierre

Book

De busramp in Sierre: 1 Pill, 28 Dead.

Back Stories.

Did Seroxat Trigger the Fatal Sierre 2012 Bus Crash?

Sierre Bus Crash Revisited

For the Sake of the Children ~ Act Now!

Did the Sierre Bus Driver Have a Pre-Disposition to Seroxat?

Prime Minister of the Netherlands Offers Hope To Sierre Parents

Previous Q&A's

Q&A With Ablechild's Sheila Matthews-Gallo

Q&A With Leonie Fennell

Q&A With the "Truthman"

10 Years of Blogging - Q&A With Neil Carlin

Q&A With My Dad

Q&A With Musician Kirk Brandon

Q&A With Kristina Kaiser Gehrki

Q&A With Matthew Holford

Q&A With Stephanie Gatchell

The Video That Drug Companies Don't Want You To See

I love people who stand up for others. They are the kind of people that I want to surround myself with. They do so because they feel it's the right thing to do, they expect nothing back in return, nothing that can benefit them, be it financially or forms of adulation that they crave.

These are my kind of people.

Last week, in Chicago, MISSD held its annual fundraiser. For those who don't know, MISSD stands for The Medication-Induced Suicide Prevention and Education Foundation in Memory of Stewart Dolin.

Almost 300 people turned up to the event, many of whom who had lost loved ones to akathisia induced suicide.  Others came along to offer support, reporters, activists, former akathisia victims and their friends and family. Lisa Parker from Chicago's NBC 5 was the keynote speaker, and gave a touching talk about her appreciation for MISSD and her connection to MISSD's founder, Wendy Dolin.

At this years annual fundraiser, its fourth, a special video was aired for the first time. It's an educational video, it's short and was made with the layperson in mind - it's a video that pharmaceutical companies and, indeed, medicine regulars do not want you to see because it poses an onslaught of awkward questions for them.

It's a video that deserves to be spread far and wide, and not only by people who are in the same circle as MISSD or I. This needs to go viral and the only way that can happen is by sharing it and leaving comments or 'likes' on it.

If you are reading this now then it will take less than a couple of seconds to share this blog post and/or the video contained within. Don't just share it with people that you know will like it, share it with people who have no idea what akathisia is, share it with family members, with school teachers you may know or any government officials you may know. If you have friends that work in the healthcare profession, share it with them too. If you have people on your Facebook friend list who do nothing but write about their wants and needs all day, then share this video with them. Show them there's more to life than posting photos of their dinner or statuses of the 'woe is me' kind. You, as a human, need to wake these people up. If you use Twitter then do the same. Post to the pharmaceutical companies and regulators - they don't like their ethics being questioned - well, boo-hoo, I don't like having to write about kids they've killed either!

Many people have died as a result of antidepressant induced akathisia, many people still suffer with akathisia - it's a condition that is far more than shaking limbs or an inner restlessness - it is potentially deathly and is caused by psychiatric medications, created by a money driven industry and endorsed by a limp-wristed medicines regulator.

There is a tagline at the very top of my blog, it reads...

"People are being killed because some pharmaceutical or drug regulator executive think life is just about passing 'GO' on a Monopoly board and collecting their salary. The consumers of unsafe drugs are just dealt the 'Chance' cards...face down."

Never has this one single quote of mine been more apt.

The video you are about to see comes as a result of being ignored by the dealers and adjudicators.

So, get sharing and tell others to share too. There are no excuses! Don't leave it to those who have already loved and lost - start contributing now by simply watching and sharing among all of your family and friends. I am.

You see, those involved with MISSD have already lost loved ones to antidepressant induced akathisia. They cannot bring their loved ones back and they all know how hard it is to go through life without husbands, wives and children by their side. The video was put together because these wonderful people don't want the same thing happening to your loved ones.

Video is here - if you want to share the link instead of this blog post then that's fine - share, share and keep on sharing because that's how pharmaceutical companies work - they send out false information and it snowballs into fact. This video is a result of their "fact."

“I said "Somebody should do something about that." Then I realized I am somebody.” ~ Lily Tomlin

For more information on akathisia please visit - http://missd.co/


Bob Fiddaman.

Prime Minister of the Netherlands Offers Hope To Sierre Parents

Children from the Sierre coach crash before they left for Switzerland and the ski trip that would end in tragedy.

In a show of common sense and tremendous empathy, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, has given the parents of the Sierre bus crash victims a glimmer of hope in seeking answers as to the medication the bus driver may have been taking or withdrawing from at the time he deliberately crashed a Top Tours bus into a tunnel wall in Sierre back in 2012.

An independent investigation into the crash, carried out by Independent Forensic Services (IFS), showed that the driver, Geert Michiels, made two clear movements seconds before the crash, consciously and with the intention of running the bus into the wall of the tunnel. A previous  autopsy also revealed traces of paroxetine in the system, paroxetine is the generic name of Seroxat, also known as Paxil.

Two photos, taken from a CCTV camera situated in the tunnel show that Michiels mouted a small pavement and deliberately crashed the bus into a wall - at no time did he apply the brakes or make any attempt to steer the bus away from the oncoming wall. (Fig 1 and 2)

Fig 1

Fig 2

A letter sent to Rutte last week from one of the parents, Olga Leclercq, had urged the Dutch PM to intervene with regard to a request made for blood samples of Michiels to be released. The letter stated that the blood samples could be analysed to see if Michiels had a pre-disposition to Seroxat which may have led to the side effects of the drug causing akathisia, which is a known pre-cursor to suicide and acts of violence, including homicide. Basically his DNA will show whether he had a common genetic defect that made him more susceptible to the dangerous side effects of Seroxat.

It's a bold move from the Dutch Prime Minister and one that should be applauded.

Emails to both the British drug regulator, the MHRA, and the European drug regulator, the EMA, have fallen on deaf ears and both have, more or less, washed their hands of the Seroxat link in this crash - their excuse, as one would expect from these limp-wristed outfits, was that Glaxo have a monitring system in place to pick up on suspect adverse drug reactions when mentioned in the media. To date, GlaxoSmithKline, who market and manufacture Seroxat, have made no attempt to contact Douglas de Coninck, the author of the book, 'De busramp in Sierre: 1 Pill, 28 Dead'. The book highlights many facts regarding the state of mind of Michiels and the medication (Seroxat) that he was taking.

Eline - Age 11

One has to praise the tenacity of Olga Leclercq here. She lost her beautiful daughter, Eline (pictured above), in the crash and Olga has since been campaigning to get to the truth. The official investigation was inconclusive, leaving Olga and the parents of 21 other children in limbo.

Here's the letter from Mark Rutte to Olga - (Translated into English)

Dear Mrs, Leclercq, 

Thank you for your Letter dd  1st of Oktober, In which you ask attention for the investigation concerning the bus crash in Sierre. 

The horrible disaster of the 13th of March 2012 is for me, and also for many people in the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland, a very black memory.  

The suffering of the parents and other next of kin is of course on a completely different level.  

I understand very clearly, how important it is for them, that everything needs to be done to bring the cause of this crash to light. 

The Ministry of foreign affairs has, in response to your letter, declared to be happy to see how the Swiss authorities can be contacted in order to request them to release a blood sample, in order to make research possible. 

As I understand, you were in touch with Mrs REDACTED and Mrs REDACTED before.

They are also in this case the contacts.

They will contact you directly as soon as they have more information about the possible steps to take.

I realise that I cannot guarantee that these efforts will have the desired results. 

However, I find it of great importance to do everything within the possibilities to find the cause of the crash.

I would like to wish you, and through you all next of kin, a lot of strength. 

Best Regards, -

Mark Rutte

It's evident that Mr. Rutte has something that employees of the MHRA, the EMA and, indeed, GlaxoSmithKline, don't have.

Compassion.

Employees of all three, especially the executives, should today be hanging their heads in shame. Experience, however, tells me that they don't even know the meaning of the word.

It really is high time that this drug was pulled from the shelves given the amount of destruction it has caused since it was first licensed. Suicide, homicide, severe withdrawal, self-harm and birth defects - it's a no-brainer yet regulators much prefer to bury their heads in the sand regarding the safety of Seroxat. It's ignorant and, dare I say it, very cowardly.

It's also incumbent of us all to spread the truth about how antidepressants like Seroxat can cause this condition known as akathisia - it's been kept in the dark for far too long. Men, women and children are dying as a result of its suppression by pharmaceutical companies and global regulators. Plane crashes, bus crashes where the operator of the vehicle suffers akathisia as a result of the medication he/she has been taking ~ Do you, as a parent, really want to send your child off on a school trip not knowing if you'll ever see them again? Ask questions, demand answers - become a pain in the ass - you may just save some lives.

On behalf of truth seekers everywhere I thank Mark Rutte for offering the parents of the Sierre tragedy some hope.

Bob Fiddaman.



Back Stories.

Did Seroxat Trigger the Fatal Sierre 2012 Bus Crash?

Sierre Bus Crash Revisited

For the Sake of the Children ~ Act Now!

Did the Sierre Bus Driver Have a Pre-Disposition to Seroxat?

Did the Sierre Bus Driver Have a Pre-Disposition to Seroxat?

The bus crash in Sierre is in the news again, at least it is in Holland.

The Telegraf's Jolande van der Graaf has recently highlighted that the parents of the Sierre bus crash victims (22 children) have wrote a letter to Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte,  Belgian Prime Minister, Charles Michel and other various members of parliament. The letter, penned by Olga Leclercq, whose daughter tragically lost her life, is calling for the release of the bus driver's blood samples to determine once and for all whether or not he (Geert Michels) had a poor tolerance to Seroxat. This can be achieved through DNA testing and Leclercq has already employed the services of Independent Forensic Services, Hulshorst, Netherlands to carry out these tests.

Sadly, for the parents of the 22 children who perished, they need to persuade the Swiss authorities to release sample of Michels blood, hence the letter requesting the support of the Dutch and Belgian Prime Ministers.

It's become widely known that Seroxat (paroxetine), marketed in the US as Paxil, can cause suicidal thinking in some people who take it, it has also been proven, in US Courts, that Seroxat was responsible for, not only suicide but homicide too. (Link)

Earlier this year, after briefly meeting Olga in London, I felt compelled to write to both the British and European drug regulators, namely; the MHRA and the EMA, about the involvement of Seroxat in this sad case.. In typical limp-wristed fashion both have passed the buck onto GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturers of Seroxat, and told me that "Companies marketing SSRIs and the national authorities that approved them will be aware of published reports suggesting that a product may have been linked to a tragic incident."

Journalist Douglas de Coninck, who wrote a book about the bus crash, (THE BUSRAMP IN SIERRE: 1 PILL, 28 DEAD) and who also exposed the fact that the bus driver, Geert Michels, was either on or withdrawing from Seroxat at the time of the crash, has never been approached by anyone from GlaxoSmithKline regarding his findings, which kind of makes a mockery of the statement issued to me from the EMA.

Seroxat, by the manufacturers own admission, can cause a symptom called akathisia, in a nutshell, akathisia is a disorder, induced by SSRI medications, which can cause a person to experience such intense inner restlessness that the sufferer is driven to violence and/or suicide.

Olga has kindly given me permission to publish the letter on my blog. It's been translated from Dutch to English.

Subject: Request for help in obtaining blood sample in connection with Buscrash Sierre 2012.

Lommel, Belgie,
Houten, Nederland,

1 oktober 2016

Dear Member of Parlaiment,

On the 13th of March 2012, a Belgian Touringcar drove head on against a wall in a tunnel in sierra, Switzerland. 28 people died of which 6 Dutch Children and 16 Belgian children. Many survivors are left with permanent injuries. The cause of this declared national disaster was never sufficiently investigated and therefore never found by the Swiss investigators, the case has been formally closed now.

During the investigation it became clear that the driver took Paroxetine, an SSRI-type antidepressant. A possible explanation of this crash could be that the driver was mentally seriously disrupted because of side-effects and that the crash was caused by this.

Paroxetine is known for these effects, Psychosis, Suicide, Akathisia, and violence. Some people have an above average sensitivity for these disastrous side-effects. Indications for this sensitivity can be found in a blood sample (by DNA testing).

During the forensic investigation, a blood sample was taken from the driver. This sample is still being kept by the Swiss authorities. This blood has never been tested for these effects.

For the relatives, who are united under Stichting Busramp Sierre, there is still a lot of uncertainty around the causes of this crash. To take this uncertainty away and to add information to the Paroxetine-file, it is vital to have the above mentioned blood-research take place. It is obvious that this research will have to be conducted in a professional way and in the presence of monitors who are accepted by all the parties concerned. 

For this research we have a strong preference for Independent Forensic Services, Hulshorst, Netherlands, who have a lot of experience in this field. To be able to do this The Swiss Authorities will need to be persuaded to release the driver’s blood.
  
Therefore we would like to request that you employ your influence to make a research, acceptable for all parties, of the driver’s blood possible. 

We thank you in advance for your cooperation, 

Mw. Olga Leclercq voor stichting Stichting Busramp Sierre.

Dhr. Ogé Kruijt voor Stchting Nederlands Comité voor de Rechten van de Mens.


Enkele referenties:

Stichting Busramp Sierre:
http://stichtingbusrampsierre.nl/ 

De bijsluiter van Paroxetine meldt als mogelijke bijwerking zelfmoordgedrag en agressie:
http://db.cbg-meb.nl/Bijsluiters/h28418.pdf

Studie Prescription Drugs Associated with Reports of Violence Towards Others rangschikt Paroxetine onder de medicijnen met het hoogste risico op agressie en geweld:
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0015337

--

At the very least, both the Dutch and Belgian Prime Ministers should grant the parents wishes for samples of Geert Michels blood. Twenty Two children died as a result of his actions, actions that have already shown, vi an independent inquiry, that he deliberately drove the bus into a tunnel wall.

Whilst the MHRA and EMA sit shrugging their shoulders, seemingly unconcerned about 22 children dying as a result of a drug they continue to give a clean bill of health, it is, once again, left to bereaved parents to find answers.

As for GlaxoSmithKline, their history of being fruitful with the truth is a poor one - even when found guilty they appeal (as they did in the 2001 Paxil homicide/suicide case.)


I will, of course, keep readers in the loop as this story develops.

Bob Fiddaman.

Back Stories.

Did Seroxat Trigger the Fatal Sierre 2012 Bus Crash?

Sierre Bus Crash Revisited

For the Sake of the Children ~ Act Now!

What is akathisia?

Advocates Against Prescribed Akathisia

Guest Post: Let's Bring Akathisia Out of the Darkness

For the Sake of the Children ~ Act Now!

A post grabbed my attention earlier on Facebook.

The post was from Olga Leclercq, mother of 11 year-old, Eline (Pictured)

Here's Olga's post. My comments and research follow...



I lost my beautiful, sweet and lovely 11 year old daughter in March '12. 

The bus driver was withdrawing from Seroxat at that time, not gradually but just took half his original dosage in the few weeks before the crash. According to a statement in the media by his widow, he had not taken his medication that day. 

On the 13th of March '12 he drove his bus into a concrete wall in the tunnel in Sierre at 100 km/h, killing himself and 27 others. 

22 children, 4 teachers and his colleague died that evening, 24 children survived but are traumatized for life. 

She was on her way back from an 8 day school trip to Switzerland with her classmates and children from another school. 

We (a group of parents) kept asking the Swiss authorities to investigate a possible suïcide, they refused to do so repeatedly. 

The case is closed now and to the outside world it was just an accident, we hired independant forensic experts who confirmed our fears, it was a deliberate act. He had to make a few complicated steering manoeuvres to be able to end up against the wall the way he did. 

We need the truth to come out, there is no way we can raise awareness about the dangers of these drugs when horrible cases like this one are being swept under the carpet.

Journalist Douglas de Coninck wrote a book about the bus crash in (THE BUSRAMP IN SIERRE: 1 PILL, 28 DEAD) unfortunately it's in Dutch, but we will try to have it translated to English someday soon. 

Photo's: my daughter Eline, the bus drivers marriage photo (3 months before the crash, also before changing his dosage), the last 40 metres of the trajectory (done by Swiss investigators) and the cover of Douglas' book. 

The truth needs to be told, because our children still matter and we want to help save lives in the future.

...

I have wrote about the Sierre bus crash on this blog here, and here.

I've even wrote to both the British drug regulator and the European drug regulator, namely the MHRA and the EMA. Both have passed the buck. In the case of the EMA I posed the following question to them...

Now you are aware that Seroxat (paroxetine) is suspected to have played a part in the 2012 Sierre bus crash, can you tell me if information regarding the implication of Seroxat has been forwarded to GlaxoSmithKline via the EMA?

Their response was typical of a regulator devoid of any compassion and common sense...

Please also note there are robust systems in place to pick up and evaluate suspected side effects. Companies marketing SSRIs and the national authorities that approved them will be aware of published reports suggesting that a product may have been linked to a tragic incident.

In others words, we don't know if Glaxo are aware of it, but if they are they will carry out their own investigation. If Glaxo aren't aware then we, as a drug regulator, do not feel we need to bring it to their attention.

It's criminal that we have such limp-wristed regulators in place - remember, these are the people that regulate the drugs you and I take.

I've been in touch with journalist Douglas de Coninck whose own investigation implicated Seroxat - not once have GlaxoSmithKline made any attempt to learn of his findings - safe to assume then that Glaxo haven't bothered investigating the Sierre bus crash themselves.

Eline, along with 21 other children perished on that fateful day. Evidence has revealed that the bus driver, Geert Michels was either taking or withdrawing from Seroxat. Scientific evidence shows us much in this case - Michels drove deliberately into a wall. Scence also shows us that Seroxat can, for some people who take it, induce akathisia. Glaxo define akathisia (on the Seroxat patient information leaflet) as thus...

Some patients who take Seroxat develop something called akathisia, where they feel restless and feel like they can’t sit or stand still.

And that's basically it. What Glaxo fail to mention is this.

Akathisia is a disorder, induced by SSRI medications, which can cause a person to experience such intense inner restlessness that the sufferer is driven to violence and/or suicide.

Two recent posts on my blog have, collectively, amassed almost 4,000 hits in recent weeks, both cover the subject of akathisia. (1) (2)

The MHRA, EMA and GlaxoSmithKline want the investigation into the Sierre bus crash to go away - they don't want questions being asked. We owe it to the beautiful Eline to keep asking questions.


Bob Fiddaman.



(1) Advocates Against Prescribed Akathisia
(2) Guest Post: Let's Bring Akathisia Out of the Darkness