Goldilocks, the Untold Paxil Story

I wrote this back in 2011 and think it's worthy of a re-post.

It's a modern day version of a tale we are all familiar with - it's also something we should all pay heed to - when reading you can substitute 'Paxil' for any other antidepressant currently on the market.

**WARNING** Contains profanity.


Goldilocks and the Three Bears...A 21st Century Perspective


Once upon a time there was a little girl called Goldilocks.

Goldilocks was 10 years old and had been diagnosed with a mental disorder, her inability to stay awake in the classroom and consequent poor marks meant she had been deemed as having GAD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The school psychiatrist said that Goldilocks was "stressing" about things at night and not getting enough sleep, this would often result in her falling asleep during school lessons. He prescribed her Paxil, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor [SSRi] but it didn't agree with her, in fact she became suicidal whilst on it. Later, her psychiatrist switched medications, opting instead for Cymbalta. She was to take her dose just before she went to bed at night.

On the morning of May 20, 2011, Goldilocks had decided to "bunk off" school. Her morning had started badly, her parents had been arguing again about money, her father was pissed off at her mother because there was no food in the cupboards, this meant Goldilocks had to go without breakfast. She left her parents house hungry and sought solace in the forest adjacent to the family home.

It was around about midday that Goldilocks felt severe hunger pangs, these were increased by a sweet smell in the distance, she knew immediately that the aroma drifting through the forest was that of Porridge and she was certain she caught a whiff of maple syrup too. "Yummy", she thought as her little legs carried her toward the sugary delight.


The Bear family were rushing around that morning. Mummy Bear was panic-stricken as she had run out of her medication, ironically that medication was Paxil. Baby Bear looked on in horror as he saw his mummy anxious, agitated, shaking violently and yelling at the top of her voice, "WHERE'S MY PAXIL?"

**Actual document from SmithKline Beecham**

Daddy Bear was busying himself making Porridge. Baby Bear liked it when daddy made the Porridge as he always added maple syrup.

"Have you taken your Ritalin Baby Bear?" Daddy Bear asked.

"Yes daddy, with my milk as I always do each morning", replied the 9 year old Baby Bear.

"OH, IT'S ALRIGHT FOR YOU ISN'T IT. AS LONG AS YOU'VE TAKEN YOUR MEDS THEN EVERYTHING IS OKAY. WHAT ABOUT ME...WHERE'S MY PAXIL?", Mummy Bear howled.

"Calm down dear," Daddy Bear interjected.

"CALM DOWN...CALM FUCKING DOWN? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE WHEN I MISS MY DOSE OF PAXIL? HAVE YOU EVER FUCKING EXPERIENCED THE BRAIN ZAPS AND NAUSEA, YOU INCONSIDERATE PRICK"

Mummy Bear was having one of those bad days thought Baby Bear.

"Okay, let's head on down to the pharmacy, the Porridge can wait, it's too hot to eat at the moment anyhow. We can take a drive down to the village and let it cool down, it will be just perfect by the time we get back", announced Daddy Bear.

Daddy Bear wasn't looking forward to driving the car, he had a fear of driving, a deep rooted problem from his childhood, his psychiatrist had told him. Daddy Bear had been prescribed Xanax, a benzodiazepine.


Goldilocks had saw the Bear family climb into the family saloon, the mother seemed like a right bitch, swearing and shouting at her husband and child.

Once the saloon had turned the corner, Goldilocks made her way toward an open window she had spied upon her approach. The sweet smell of maple syrup was overpowering. She climbed through the aperture and made her way to the kitchen where she saw three bowls of Porridge on the table.

She tested each bowl before gulping down the contents of the small child bowl, the others were just too hot.

Goldilocks was feeling comfortable in her surroundings and she lost all sense of time and fear. She sat on a chair in the lounge and flicked on the radio that was close by.

"...and we are going over to to our reporter on the scene right now. Ed, what can you tell us about the shooting?"

"Well, it appears that a woman walked into the Mahoney Drug Store about 15 minutes ago and calmly walked up to a shop assistant and shot her in the head. I've been privy to see the CCTV footage and it appears the woman had been somewhat agitated upon entering the store. It also appears that she was refused medication by one of the staff members, the video shows her trashing the store before leaving through the door. 5 minutes later she returned, walked calmly up to the shop assistant and pulled out a firearm and shot the assistant in the head. Police have secured the area and it seems another two people have been found shot in a family saloon, early indications report that it is a man and small child but we cannot confirm that just yet..."

Goldilocks knew Mahoney's Drug Store, it was just a five minute journey from her school. Oh well, she thought, probably someone with mental health problems.

She turned off the radio and headed up the stairs where she found a bed, the overpowering urge to sleep had come on like a speeding train. She lay on the bed and reached for the half empty glass of milk on the bedside cabinet, next to the glass was a box of Ritalin, she had heard of this drug before, sixteen of her classmates were taking it. She carefully opened the blister pack and, one by one, swallowed the 14 tablets.

It was to be the final sleep she would ever have.


Bob Fiddaman

GlaxoSmithKline: The Era of Transparency

Transparent

: able to be seen through

: easy to notice or understand

: honest and open : not secretive

: characterized by visibility or accessibility of information especially concerning business practices


So, yesterday I, along with others, was invited along to the House of Commons in Westminster to hear a talk given by David Healy. If you are reading this blog then chances are you already know who Healy is, if not, check out his website and list of published books he has written on the subject of antidepressant medication and/or the corruption that exists in the world of the pharmaceutical industry.

I've watched David Healy's presentations many times through the medium of Vimeo and YouTube. Yesterday's was pretty easy to follow for the attending crowd as analogies were often used to hammer home the point that we, as consumers, are being totally misled about the safety and efficacy of antidepressant type medication. Flawed clinical trial results, ghostwritten papers and promised transparency that is, in itself, so murky that it's less clear than the Cumbrian skies that GlaxoSmithKline polluted after being accused of  releasing 773 tonnes of waste chemicals back in 2001. [1]

GlaxoSmithKline were used by Healy as an example yesterday, hey, they are, after all, a British company.

You see, Glaxo have promised to be more transparent with their clinical trial results. Yay, big pat on the back for Sir Andrew. After listening to Healy one would suggest a cow pat on the back for GSK's knight.

It transpired that Glaxo's announcement that they are going to be more transparent is nothing more than a good will gesture in the shape of a chastity belt.

Glaxo are opening their doors to the world, they claim...but only if you have Willy Wonka's golden ticket, only if you are prepared to jump through the loopholes put in place for the sole reason of deterring you from getting to the truth.

What's worse is that the UK government have accepted a proposal put forward by GlaxoSmithKline, a proposal which includes the following:

“We are not in favour of placing anonymised individual patient-level data (IPD) in the public domain in an unrestricted manner…  specific individuals should be provided with controlled access to IPD through carefully managed and secure “safe havens”. Access should be facilitated by an independent gatekeeper responsible for ensuring that the data … makes a useful contribution to scientific understanding”. [2]

In other words, we [GSK] have the information you need but we [GSK] have found a way in which you can't have access to it unless you can prove that the data we provide you would make a useful contribution to scientific understanding... even then, we [GSK] would argue that the only people allowed access would be those who would show favoritism toward our company.

The UK government, which incidentally has a Business Council where GSK's Andrew Witty sits [3] will now have to decide whether Glaxo's proposal is the way forward.

Forgive my flippancy. We are talking about a government who fought tooth and nail not to have MP's expenses in the public domain.

GSK - Ball Squeezing the UK Government

Here's the real deal folks.

Glaxo have cupped the testicles of the British government. They are slowly twisting those testicles, with each twist they are threatening/bribing the UK government - let's face it, Glaxo are the past-masters at bribing, right?

The message is clear from Glaxo, either you do business our way or we will leave these shores and conduct our business elsewhere.

Case in point, the UK Seroxat litigation. Glaxo have settled over 3,000 addiction cases in the US. They won't settle similar claims in the UK because, it's my belief, they have the backing of the UK government, a new chief at the helm of all drug-making decisions, Ian Hudson [4] and a UK legal system that has failed on more than one occasion to bring pharmaceutical companies to justice, not because of incompetent lawyers but because the way the system is designed to offer legal aid, or not as the case may be, to victims harmed by pharmaceutical products.

Invites to the meeting yesterday were sent out to both the MHRA and GSK. Neither of them showed.

Bob Fiddaman


[1] North's top polluters named
[2] “Antidepressants and the Politics of Health”
[3] Cameron’s Business Council: the official line-up
[4] Former Glaxo Safety Officer Becomes Head of MHRA

The Counterfeit Shyness Epidemic

A few UK newspapers ran with stories yesterday regarding future proposals in the DSM.

The updated DSM [The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders] is due in 2013 and those wacky white coated men have covered all bases when it comes to targeting children.

Not content with S.A.D. [Social Anxiety Disorder], the wannabe Gods have come up with O.D.D [Oppositional Defiant Disorder]

Let's just take a look at the acronyms used for each of these disorders. Sad and Odd.

According to the wisdom of these nutty professors, your child may have S.A.D. if he/she is quiet in the classroom, you know the kind of kid I'm talking about here, the one who chooses not to raise his/her hand and volunteer an answer. Yup, drug them.

On the other end of the scale we have O.D.D. These are the children, who unlike the S.A.D. individuals, choose to do the opposite. They talk back to 'adults' and may oppose what they are being asked/told to do.

For those in between these two labels, don't fear, you won't feel left out. Early intervention of "mental disorders" means you too can have a label just like your friends. Just tick a series of boxes and your destiny will be planned for you by the white coated soothsayers. Your parents will be informed, "Dear Mr and Mrs Jones, although the mental health screening of your child showed no apparent mental disorder, we feel, by the answers given in the screening survey, that your child has the early signs of psychosis. This may become full blown within the next five years or so. We highly recommend that they be monitored by our team.

Sounds absurd doesn't it? Did deep and you will find that this is already happening.

I foresee future disorders being invented, just so those DSM shills can report back to the pharmaceutical companies with cap in hand, "We did what you asked of us massa, all bases covered massa."

Gone are the days where children can have an imagination, if they are caught daydreaming in class, label them then drug them. If they answer a teacher back, label them and drug them. If they are seen to be mourning the loss of a parent, brother, sister, grandparent or friend, label them and drug them. Yup, another gem from the proposed DSM is "Depressive disorder". If a child mourns the loss of any of the above for longer than 6 months, label them and drug them.

Call me an old cynic if you want but isn't this push to drug children a reflection on decisions made by medicine regulators regarding SSRi's like Seroxat, Cipramil etc?

A while ago, the UK regulator, MHRA, made recommendations that antidepressants like Seroxat should not be given to children. That put a huge dent in the coffers for the pharmaceutical industry. Only way around this would seemingly be to invent a few more disorders. Hey Presto!... and the licence to print money starts all over again.

Don't expect the MHRA to intervene with the latest in the line of new mental disorders. They are spineless and, after all, wholly funded by the pharmaceutical industry. Give it about 10 years and they may send out warning letters to doctors regarding the medication used to treat children who are sad, mourning or just a little bit boisterous. They allow the pharmaceutical industry to make wads of cash before intervening, you see. Everyone, except your child, is a winner.

When the average person reads of the good deeds done by the pharmaceutical industry such as various donations to war-torn countries or vaccines to the poorer countries, it makes us sleep better at night, knowing that big pharma is really looking out for us. That is the image they like to portray, it's a confidence trick, one which they are past masters at.

Delve a little deeper and you may just find a more sinister reason behind the pharmaceutical industries apparent generosity.

As a child growing up I was always out playing games. I fear Hopscotch will now have rules attached. If your child lands on a crack in the pavement then they may just have a mental disorder... because those men in white coats want them to.

More coverage HERE and HERE




Fid 


ORDER THE PAPERBACK 'THE EVIDENCE, HOWEVER, IS CLEAR...THE SEROXAT SCANDAL' By Bob Fiddaman US and CANADA HERE OR UK FROM CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING 


AUSTRALIAN ORDERS HERE

Facebook 1 Pharma 0

Facebook, the popular social networking website have delivered a major blow to the pharmaceutical industry. Up until now pharmaceutical companies were allowed to create accounts where they could restrict comments from followers. Many companies, such as GlaxoSmithKline, signed up to Facebook and told everyone how good their drugs were...no criticism was allowed.


An article in The Washington Post from August 12 reports on how most drug company pages will have to have open 'Walls' starting Monday [yesterday] So, I just 'Liked' GlaxoSmithKline's page and low and behold comments can now be left. Ho hum, where do I begin?

The Washington Post writes:

Companies are worried that open Walls mean risks, and many are reconsidering their engagement on Facebook. On Friday, AstraZeneca, which sells the antidepressant Seroquel, shut down a page devoted to depression. Johnson & Johnson said it will close four of its pages Monday. Other companies said they will monitor their pages more closely once the changes take effect. The industry is concerned that users might write about bad side effects, promote off-label use or make inappropriate statements about a product, and that the comments could raise concerns from government regulators.

Awwww diddums, "The industry is concerned that users might write about bad side effects." - Doesn't your heart just bleed for the poor widdle pharmaceutical industwee. Pfizer are on there too. [HERE]

So, if there is anything you want to ask the relevant pharmaceutical industry regarding any of their drugs you have issue with...now's your chance folks. Let's see how long the 'big boys' keep their pages open.

All's fair in love and war.

Fid 


ORDER THE PAPERBACK 'THE EVIDENCE, HOWEVER, IS CLEAR...THE SEROXAT SCANDAL' By Bob Fiddaman US and CANADA HERE OR UK FROM CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING 


AUSTRALIAN ORDERS HERE

THE INFLUENCE OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY IN IRELAND

Nuria O'Mahony lost her husband through suicide. He committed suicide just two weeks after starting Seroxat. Nuria has since been campaigning in Ireland and has recently drafted a report for the Oireachtas Subcommittee for Health. Her complaint had previously been turned down by the EU Ombudsman... but she continues to battle on in search of the truth.

In her own words, Nuria writes:

I believe that the Health Committee should make recommendations to the Government similar to the ones drawn up by the UK Parliamentary Health Committee in their report on the influence of the pharmaceutical industry last year to improve this awful situation TODAY. Auditing should take place regarding the prescription patterns of GPs today. Irresponsible, unnecessary, expensive (patent) prescription practices should be curtailed regardless of the reasons for them as it is causing more harm than good to the people of Ireland. I believe independent pharmacists can play a major role in doing so as part of a nationwide programme to improve the way we use prescription drugs today in Ireland, this is in the best interest of the patient and it would encourage best practice in prescribing medicines when necessary. Informed consent is vital and fundamental in any part of health care where the patient’s health is at stake & therefore the patient should be fully involved in any decision that affects their health. To do so we need to inform our doctors/health care professionals/patients and the pharmaceuticals need to release all information to enable INFORMED CONSENT to take place. The IMB should be demanding nothing less from the industry and if those companies do not comply they should be reprimanded heavily. If we do not make those responsibilities mandatory we have no way of checking that any drug is safe in a community setting or forewarn of any possible adverse reactions in the clinical setting until the HARM is overwhelming.

The full 16 page report is well worth a read and can be downloaded HERE



Fid


ORDER THE PAPERBACK'THE EVIDENCE, HOWEVER, IS CLEAR...THE SEROXAT SCANDAL' By Bob Fiddaman
US & CANADA HERE OR UK FROM CHIPMUNKA PUBLISHING

AUSTRALIAN ORDERS HERE

Goldilocks and the Three Bears...A 21st Century Perspective

Image: Google Images

Once upon a time there was a little girl called Goldilocks.

Goldilocks was 10 years old and had been diagnosed with a mental disorder, her inability to stay awake in the classroom and consequent poor marks meant she had been deemed as having GAD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The school psychiatrist said that Goldilocks was "stressing" about things at night and not getting enough sleep, this would often result in her falling asleep during school lessons. He prescribed her Paxil, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor [SSRi] but it didn't agree with her, in fact she became suicidal whilst on it. Later, her psychiatrist switched medications, opting instead for Cymbalta. She was to take her dose just before she went to bed at night.

On the morning of May 20, 2011, Goldilocks had decided to "bunk off" school. Her morning had started badly, her parents had been arguing again about money, her father was pissed off at her mother because there was no food in the cupboards, this meant Goldilocks had to go without breakfast. She left her parents house hungry and sought solace in the forest adjacent to the family home.

It was around about midday that Goldilocks felt severe hunger pangs, these were increased by a sweet smell in the distance, she knew immediately that the aroma drifting through the forest was that of Porridge and she was certain she caught a whiff of maple syrup too. "Yummy", she thought as her little legs carried her toward the sugary delight.


The Bear family were rushing around that morning. Mummy Bear was panic-stricken as she had run out of her medication, ironically that medication was Paxil. Baby Bear looked on in horror as he saw his mummy anxious, agitated, shaking violently and yelling at the top of her voice, "WHERE'S MY PAXIL?"

Daddy Bear was busying himself making Porridge. Baby Bear liked it when daddy made the Porridge as he always added maple syrup.

"Have you taken your Ritalin Baby Bear?" Daddy Bear asked.

"Yes daddy, with my milk as I always do each morning", replied the 9 year old Baby Bear.

"OH, IT'S ALRIGHT FOR YOU ISN'T IT. AS LONG AS YOU'VE TAKEN YOUR MEDS THEN EVERYTHING IS OKAY. WHAT ABOUT ME...WHERE'S MY PAXIL?", Mummy Bear howled.

"Calm down dear," Daddy Bear interjected.

"CALM DOWN...CALM FUCKING DOWN? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE WHEN I MISS MY DOSE OF PAXIL? HAVE YOU EVER FUCKING EXPERIENCED THE BRAIN ZAPS AND NAUSEA, YOU INCONSIDERATE PRICK"

Mummy Bear was having one of those bad days thought Baby Bear.

"Okay, let's head on down to the pharmacy, the Porridge can wait, it's too hot to eat at the moment anyhow. We can take a drive down to the village and let it cool down, it will be just perfect by the time we get back", announced Daddy Bear.

Daddy Bear wasn't looking forward to driving the car, he had a fear of driving, a deep rooted problem from his childhood, his psychiatrist had told him. Daddy Bear had been prescribed Xanax, a benzodiazepine.


Goldilocks had saw the Bear family climb into the family saloon, the mother seemed like a right bitch, swearing and shouting at her husband and child.

Once the saloon had turned the corner, Goldilocks made her way toward an open window she had spied upon her approach. The sweet smell of maple syrup was overpowering. She climbed through the aperture and made her way to the kitchen where she saw three bowls of Porridge on the table.

She tested each bowl before gulping down the contents of the small child bowl, the others were just too hot.

Goldilocks was feeling comfortable in her surroundings and she lost all sense of time and fear. She sat on a chair in the lounge and flicked on the radio that was close by.

"...and we are going over to to our reporter on the scene right now. Ed, what can you tell us about the shooting?"

"Well, it appears that a woman walked into the Mahoney Drug Store about 15 minutes ago and calmly walked up to a shop assistant and shot her in the head. I've been privy to see the CCTV footage and it appears the woman had been somewhat agitated upon entering the store. It also appears that she was refused medication by one of the staff members, the video shows her trashing the store before leaving through the door. 5 minutes later she returned, walked calmly up to the shop assistant and pulled out a firearm and shot the assistant in the head. Police have secured the area and it seems another two people have been found shot in a family saloon, early indications report that it is a man and small child but we cannot confirm that just yet..."

Goldilocks knew Mahoney's Drug Store, it was just a five minute journey from her school. Oh well, she thought, probably someone with mental health problems.

She turned off the radio and headed up the stairs where she found a bed, the overpowering urge to sleep had come on like a speeding train. She lay on the bed and reached for the half empty glass of milk on the bedside cabinet, next to the glass was a box of Ritalin, she had heard of this drug before, sixteen of her classmates were taking it. She carefully opened the blister pack and, one by one, swallowed the 14 tablets.

It was to be the final sleep she would ever have.