The Death of Elisa Lam

21-year-old Elisa Lam

This is a blog about the bizarre case of 21-year-old Elisa Lam, a Canadian student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, whose body was recovered from a water tank atop the Cecil Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles on February 19, 2013.

Many readers may have already seen the related YouTube video which was released by the LAPD. It has gone viral with over 24 million views.

In the footage, below, Lam is seen exiting and re-entering the elevator, talking and gesturing in the hallway outside, and sometimes seeming to hide within the elevator, which itself appears to be malfunctioning. Her actions caught on CCTV prompted many theories about her disappearance and death which include speculations that she was either murdered, died by suicide, or experienced some sort of paranormal activity.

The LAPD was contacted by Lam's parents from their Vancouver home. After an investigation into her whereabouts revealed nothing, the police issued a Missing Person's poster (Fig 1)

(Fig 1)

Here's the CCTV footage

Sometime after the LAPD publicly released the video, guests at the Cecil Hotel had complained about low water pressure and that the water was black. Upon investigation of the rooftop tanks, Lam's body was found naked with her clothes floating next to her.

Two days later the Los Angeles coroner's office issued a finding of accidental drowning, with bipolar disorder as a significant factor. In June of the same year, a full coroner's report was released. This is where we, for the first time, have access to Lam's toxicology report. The full report lists Lam's death as an "accident."

Before reading it, it's interesting to note that days prior to her death, Lam was room sharing at the hotel. The other two roommates complained to hotel management that Lam's behaviour was "odd". Lam was then moved to a room on her own.

Here's the toxicology report that piqued my interest. (Click on images to enlarge)

As you can see, Lam was medicated with Wellbutrin, Lamictal, Seroquel and Effexor, four potent psychiatric drugs. Four drugs, when taken together, throw up major interactions, as seen here.

Given Wellbutrin, Effexor and Lamictal were found in her system (Fig 2), a logical question is did Lam abruptly stop taking Seroquel?

Tiffany Hahn, a licensed Private Investigator in the State of California, raises a very important question about this. She writes, "Elisa Lam has a prescription for Quetiapine. The Quetiapine was prescribed by Dr. Sarah E. Scarfe and filled at London Drugs (Canadian Pharmacy), 604-570-0252, Prescription Number: 7153992; Prescribed 01/11/2013. She was issued 30 tablets. There were still 20 in the bottle. RX Directions: 2 Tabs QHS PRN (QHS = Abbreviation for L. quaque hora somni, every bedtime; PRN: Abbreviation meaning “when necessary”).

If there are 10 tablets missing from the bottle, Elisa Lam might have taken them in the 21 days between when they were prescribed (January 11, 2013) and her disappearance (February 1, 2013)."

Keywords here, "When necessary". So, one at bedtime and one whenever she felt like it. What Dr would advise a patient to take Seroquel "when necessary"? Doubling a dose and then halving a dose abruptly can have dire consequences for the patient. We can see that she didn't take one every night as only 10 were missing from her bottle. Missing doses like this can cause an array of problems. The patient information leaflet for Seroquel states: "If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time to take the next dose, wait until then. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten tablet."

Why then did her prescribing psychiatrist tell her to take one at bedtime and one  "when necessary" This would, in essence, be doubling her dose, would it not?

Fig 2

One has to ask why a 21-year-old woman had been prescribed these four drugs given their major interactions when combined. We can see from the report that her prescriber was Dr. Sarah Scarfe, a Psychiatrist who practices at Student Health Services Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, M334-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, Canada.

On top of this, it is alleged that Lam also made posts on her blog referring to her Hypomania and depression. She also made a post where she detailed making an appointment with a doctor to discuss Electroconvulsive Therapy.

According to some prescribers, "bipolar disorder" may include psychotic episodes. However if, indeed, Lam was suffering "bipolar disorder", why would her condition cause psychosis and suicidal thinking? Aren't the drugs she was given supposed to effectively treat such things?

Let's look at the four prescription drugs, three of which, were found in her system (Effexor, Lamictal and Wellbutrin)

Wellbutrin - norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI) (GlaxoSmithKline)

The website VerywellMind tells us, "Antidepressants, including Wellbutrin, are widely used in managing depression in bipolar disorder. There are concerns when it comes to antidepressants and bipolar disease. One of these concerns is called phase switching, which is a shift in mood from depression to mania. This can be a serious problem because mania can result in impulsive or dangerous behavior."

It is used “off-label” to treat bipolar.

Wellbutrin carries a suicide risk on the patient information leaflet. It also carries a warning of akathisia, a condition which is best described as an 'inner restlessness and turmoil' that can become so overwhelming that death is a welcome result.

Lamictal - Antiepileptic (GlaxoSmithKline)

Lamictal was originally developed as an anticonvulsant to treat seizures and is often used with other medications in the treatment of bipolar.

In 2009, the FDA forced manufacturers of all antiepileptic drugs to include new warnings of possible suicide ideation.

The current Lamictal patient information leaflet carries a suicide warning. Akathisia is also listed as a side-effect.

Seroquel - Antipsychotic - AstraZeneca

Seroquel was approved in 2006 for the treatment of depressive episodes in patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It carries a suicide risk warning on the patient information leaflet. People taking Seroquel have a 30% to 40% chance of akathisia.

Seroquel has been the subject of more than 25,000 product liability lawsuits, including one brought by federal prosecutors. The federal litigation and other lawsuits alleged that AstraZeneca (Seroquel's manufacturer) did not disclose certain side effects of the drug, and encouraged doctors to prescribe the drug for treatments not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Effexor - serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) - was introduced by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in 1993. Since 2009, it has been marketed by Pfizer

Not indicated for bipolar, however, according to Psycom.net, "If you have bipolar disorder and take an SNRI, you may be at risk for triggering a manic episode."

In addition to birth defect lawsuits, other claims have been made for suicidal thoughts, violent behaviours and discontinuation syndrome, or on behalf of deceased loved ones. 

Effexor carries a suicide warning on its patient information leaflet. Akathisia is also listed as a side-effect.

Four drugs that carry suicide warnings, four drugs prescribed to this 21-year old woman by a psychiatrist, Dr. Scarfe, who works at a university that caters to young people ages 25 and under. The FDA's black box suicide warning for people age 25 and under was supposedly created to help teens and young adults be better informed about critical adverse drug effects. It is not clear whether Dr. Scarfe ever provided informed consent to Elisa. Many psychiatrists fail to provide informed consent and leave it to chance that a young person such as Elisa, would, somehow, automatically know to carefully read the microscopic fine print in each of the four drug leaflets.

Maybe bipolar disorder was a significant factor in this young woman's suicide or maybe, just maybe, the four drugs found in her system, all of which carry suicide warnings, contributed to her obvious psychosis as depicted in the CCTV footage and previous bizarre behaviour with roommates at the Cecil Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.

In September 2013, Lam's parents, David and Yinna Lam, filed a wrongful death suit, claiming the hotel failed to "inspect and seek out hazards in the hotel that presented an unreasonable risk of danger to Lam. In 2015, the suit was dismissed.

Maybe they would have had better luck filing suit against Lam's psychiatrist given the four drugs Lam was prescribed, three of which were in her system at the time of her increasingly "odd" behaviours and sudden death.

Bob Fiddaman

Elisa's full autopsy report

Learn more about akathisia here

Update: Dr. Vernon L. Kliewer and the 3 year-old

3 year-old Destiny Hager was prescribed Seroquel and Geodon after being diagnosed with bi-polar by pediatric psychiatrist Dr. Vernon L. Kliewer of Kansas.

Following on from my previous post about 3 year-old Destiny Hager. [Pictured]

Destiny was prescribed Seroquel and Geodon after being diagnosed with bi-polar by pediatric psychiatrist Dr. Vernon L. Kliewer of Kansas.

Destiny died of fecal impaction and had “antipsychotic drugs present in concentrations considered therapeutic in adults.” The dosage of Seroquel was ramped up to 600 milligrams per day by Kliewer.

Kliewer subsequently entered into an agreement with the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts that would restrict his license to practice medicine and surgery by placing that licence on probation.

Kliewer voluntary excluded treating children under the age of six and was ordered to pay costs to the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts of $13,079, about £8,000. [Back Story]

Both Seroquel and Geodon were prescribed off-label in this particular case.

Seroquel is sold and marked in the United States by AstraZeneca.

Geodon is sold and marked in the United States by Pfizer.

Dine and Dash

The drug industry last updated its marketing code in 2002, when it banned “dine and dash” events in which drug makers provided free dinners to doctors who agreed to listen to brief sales pitches.

On the scale of things Kliewer hasn't really received much from the drug industry but he certainly has been entertained by both makers of Seroquel and Geodon.

Statistics, from 2010 to 2012 show that Kliewer was taken for three meals by Geodon reps [Pfizer] and was given a gift or item to the value of $99.

The same statistics show that Kliewer was taken for two meals by Seroquel reps [AstraZeneca].

Here's the list [taken from ProPublica Dollars For Docs Database]

Pfizer - 2010 - Meals - $6
Pfizer - 2010 - Items, Gifts - $99
Pfizer - 2011 - Meals - $85
Pfizer - 2012 - Meals - $99
AstraZeneca - 2011 - Meals - $36
AstraZeneca - 2012 - Meals - $276

Unfortunately the database only starts from 2010. 3 year-old Desting Hager died in 2006. Is it safe to assume that Kliewer had already been targeted by both Pfizer and AstraZeneca reps?

The money isn't really an issue here, it's more of the motive.

Why would Pfizer and AstraZeneca reps entertain a pediatric psychiatrist?


Answers on a postcard please to:

Off-Label Promotional Tactics
A.N.Y Pharmaceutical Company
PO Box 666


Bob Fiddaman

How Much For a 3 Year-old?

Destiny Hager, Aged 3

On April 3, 2006 three year-old Destiny Hager was carried through the doors of Morris County Hospital at 11:20 p.m, she had been complaining of a stomach ache.

An X-ray revealed her colon was blocked.

The following morning at 7:40 a.m., Destiny stopped breathing inside Room 11. A minister was called.

She was briefly resuscitated, just long enough for her to utter the words, "I love you", to her parents Greg and Angela Hager. Shortly after, Morris County called for a helicopter to transfer Destiny to Children’s Mercy.

Destiny was pronounced dead at 10:34 a.m. on April 4 following a 45-minute flight.

Could destiny's death have been prevented?

Let's look at some of the facts:

Destiny died of fecal impaction and had “antipsychotic drugs present in concentrations considered therapeutic in adults.”

Destiny had been diagnosed with diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she was prescribed Geodon and Seroquel. The dosage of Seroquel was ramped up to 600 milligrams per day by her treating pediatric psychiatrist Dr. Vernon L. Kliewer, MD.

Disciplinary action has since been imposed upon Kliewer.

So, what kind of action?

Well, he wasn't charged with anything, it was the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts who, along with Kliewer, entered into an agreement that would restrict his license to practice medicine and surgery by placing that licence on probation.

Kliewer voluntary excluded treating children under the age of six and was ordered to pay costs to the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts of $13,079, about £8,000. (final figure not seen in documents below)

This after it was found that Kliewer allegedly, with regard to the care and treatment of six patients, Destiny and five other children ranging in age from 2 to 5, deviated from the standard of care, inappropriately prescribed prescription medications, and failed to properly document the patients medical records. Kliewer did not admit to the allegations but for the purpose of the consent order did not contest the allegations.

Kliewer was ordered to complete the CPEP Patient Care Documenation Seminar, an interactive, eight-hour small group course.

Geodon has not been shown to be safe or effective in the treatment of children and teenagers under the age of 18 years old. [1]

The effects of Seroquel have only been studied in children aged between 10 and 17 years with mania and in children aged between 13 and 17 years with schizophrenia. There is not enough information on its effects in children to recommend its use in other age groups or for other conditions. [2]

Yet they were both prescribed by Kliewer to a 3 year-old girl.

Here's a tribute video I found on YouTube.

Rest in Peace little one.

Bob Fiddaman

[1] GEODON® Patient Information Leaflet
[2] SEROQUEL® Patient Information Leaflet

ABC 20/20 Confront The Pill Pushers

Over the past week or so ABC News in America have been covering the plight of the thousands of children caught in the loop of the mental health system. These children have each had a poor start in life and have been placed into Foster care because, more often than not, they have been abused by their parents or, in some instances, have had to deal with the death of their parents.

Last night ABC's 20/20 rounded off their investigation with a 10 minute special entitled Confronting Doctors [As yet not available on YouTube]. It was, in essence, a pastiche of their two previous specials from Wednesday and Thursday but featured a more in-depth look at the case of 7 year-old Gabriel Myers.

Gabriel's father was in prison whilst his mother had become addicted to prescription drugs. One day she had drove to a shopping mall with Gabriel in the car and had fallen asleep. She was thrown into prison whilst Gabriel was placed into Foster care. [I use the word care loosely]

During the weeks that went by Gabriel was moved from home to home and saw a number of therapists. He became disruptive, trashing his room. From that point he was assigned to psychiatrist, Sohail Punjwani who, for reasons only known to himself, deemed Gabriel to be in need of psychotropic medication, this after a five-minute consultation  and a diagnosis based on nothing but personal opinion, an opinion that would ultimately result in 7 year-old Gabriel Myers taking his own life by wrapping a shower hose around his neck and hanging himself.

Gabriel's death was ruled as an accident but anyone who knows just how dangerous these drugs can be, not only for adults taking them but children too, will know that putting a child as young as 7 on a mixture of mind altering drugs was the probable causation into him taking his own life. There is overwhelming evidence that shows how these drugs can induce suicidal thoughts. Psychiatrists and the pharmaceutical industry alike will point to the trauma in young Gabriel's life as being the possible reason why he killed himself, kind of hypocritical when you consider for a moment that a child is thrown into a strange place with adults he has never met and children he has never met all the time missing his mom and wondering when he will see her again. Adding fuel to the fire [psychiatric drugs] was clearly not the answer, it was merely a way of suppressing or dumbing-down young Gabriel.

Sharyn Alfonsi of ABC News tracked down Gabriel's psychiatrist and asked him why he had prescribed these drugs to Gabriel.

Punjwani:  "Sad stories happen but that does not mean the doctor is responsible for it because we are in the business of taking care of these children."


Alfonsi then pressed Punjwani and asked him how much time he actually spent with Gabriel. She put it to him that he only spent 5 minutes in consultation with Gabriel.

Punjwani:  "That is untrue."


Later, and off camera, Punjwani conceded that it was possible that he only spent 5 minutes with Gabriel whilst adjusting his medication.

Alfonsi revealed that Punjwani has an arrest record for being in possession of cocaine and to avoid prosecution he agreed to go through a court mandated rehabilitation program.

Comment


The plight of Gabriel is truly tragic, it appears he was removed from one trauma to another, one burning building to another. His case is just a small part of a bigger picture, a picture that the world of the pharmaceutical industry, psychiatry and medicines regulators don't want the likes of you and I to see. It's a secret society where the 3 bodies that know the truth do everything in their power to suppress the truth. It's a wanton neglect of our little people whereby on the odd occasion we get the 'good' psychiatrists speaking out about this mindless form of abuse.

The prescribing physicians should hang their heads in shame, although I doubt very much if they have any conscience relating to the prescribing of these drugs to children who haven't even had a chance to develop a fully working brain. Doctor's, it could be argued, such as Punjwani are the ones with the mental disorders, it is an act of insanity to hand out brain altering medication to children on an assumption, particularly based on such little time spent with that child during consultation.

Insanity
1. The state of being seriously mentally ill; madness. 
2.Extreme foolishness or irrationality.


I think it safe to suggest that anyone who thinks prescribing mind-altering drugs to a child suffering the trauma of being separated from their parents could fall into category 2 [above]

To make matters worse neither the pharmaceutical industry, psychiatry or medicines regulators take accountability for this huge failure, instead, they buck-pass by blaming one another and/or the child's original "illness". Are we expected to believe that young Gabriel Myers actually had an illness, that the majority of children placed in Foster care have an illness?

For too long we, firstly as human-beings and secondly as parents, have ignored the abuse of the mind that these drugs cause our children, we cannot see this abuse because their are no bruises, no broken bones, no bandages. Imagine, if you will, the brain of a small child. Apart from taking a severe blow to the head I can't think of any other way other than prescribing these medications that would cause brain trauma. To numb one's thinking, to suppress emotions such as grief or loss is, in my books at least, abuse.

It has become acceptable to use these dangerous medications on children, mainly, in part, to the massive promotional campaigns by the pharmaceutical industry and key opinion leaders [leading 'relnowned' psychiatrists] who add their names to ghostwritten publications that deem these drugs effective to use in children. As parents we too have a responsibility. A naughty son or daughter does not necessarily mean we have a little Damien Thorn or Regan McNeil on our hands. They should not be labelled with a mental disorder for showing human emotion. Furthermore, they should not be given cocktails of pharmaceutical drugs because they show signs of grief or loss.

The drugging of children in Foster care in America is appalling, it's by no means just an American problem, it's going on in other countries. We have a society that automatically labels unruly children as misfits, brats, we have an industry that labels them with psychiatric disorders. We have, in essence, the perfect set of lab rats to abuse and to make a whole heap of money whilst doing it.

The ABC trilogy of stories is very much the tip of the iceberg. Children in Foster care are 13 times more likely to be prescribed drugs that can cause a bio chemical imbalance than children not in care. It's a startling figure but those not in care who are prescribed these drugs are also in danger.

There are two kinds of bullies, there are those that abuse then there are those that stand back and watch the abuse without intervening. I'll leave the pharmaceutical industry, psychiatry and the medicines regulators to decide on which type of bully they are.

A lot of effort has come from advocates and organisations during the making of this series. It is because of people and organisations whose hearts are in the right places that ABC were able to broadcast across America, they were able to spread the awareness that has been created over the years by a long list of people who bang the drum constantly regarding the abuse of drugging children. The list is long but a special mention goes out to Sheila Matthews of Ablechild, Ken Kramer of Psych-Search and, of course, where would we all be without the Citizen's Commission on Human Rights.

If you are foolish enough to believe that this is the end of the matter, think again, there's a whole new breed of pill-pushing being promoted down under in Australia. If you think it's utterly ridiculous to give a child mind altering drugs because he is deemed to have a mental disorder then what would you think of someone who could predict if your child was going to get a mental disorder in future years and to nip it in the bud put your child on a heap of psychiatric drugs just like Gabriel Myers? Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you the time-travelling DeLorean driving psychiatrist, Patrick McGorry.

Part III can be found on the ABC 20/20 website HERE

Related articles:


12 Year-Old Kid Speaks before Senate and Congress about Psychiatric Drugs

U.S. Government Fails to Oversee Treatment of Foster Children With Mind-Altering Drugs ABC News Part I

Billion Dollar Drug Company Law Firm Restructures Connecticut Welfare System

In Memory of Gabriel Myers

Twitter - #FosterChange




Fid


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ABC News Foster Care Investigation

Following on from Part I, ABC News aired the second part of their investigation into the mass drugging of children in Foster care homes across America. Part II centered around the death of 6 year-old Gabriel Myers who, after being placed in a Foster care home, was prescribed a powerful mix of antipsychotic drugs after a 5 minute consultation with his psychiatrist, Dr. Sohail Punjwani.

ABC News catches up with Punjwani to ask him why.

Also featured in the ABC News investigation is FDA spokesperson, Robert Nelson. Nelson is asked, in essence, who is going to accept responsibility for the mass drugging of children. His response and demeanor during the short interview leaves a lot to be desired.



Later today ABC News will air the third part of their investigation.

The 'off-label' prescribing of powerful mind altering drugs to children is a huge problem of epic proportions not only in America but other countries too. Limp-wristed medicine regulators shirk any responsibility claiming that the warnings about prescribing these medications to children are clearly stated on the labelling and in warning letters to doctors. They then sit back and allow the very same doctors they have warned to prescribe the medication to children 'off-label'.

It's mindless and the only industry that I can think of where an unapproved product is...well, approved.

My disdain for medicine regulators is well known, only last week I covered the MHRA's proposed SSRI Learning Module for Clinical Practitioners in the UK and showed how utterly contradictory it is. [Parts 1, 2 and 3.]

What we have here is a failure by adults to hold up their hands and accept responsibility. It's buck-passing of the highest order and is basically putting children on a never ending Highway to Hell.

Senators and congressmen take note: The root of this problem is The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM]. Once you see how utterly ridiculous the "illnesses" are, you will be able to understand why tax payers are being ripped off at the expense of the welfare and safety of children. You want to eradicate the problem, then go to the root cause and ask the authors of the DSM for scientific proof. It's a manual that is basically a licence to print money for the pharmaceutical industry.

Related links:

12 Year-Old Kid Speaks before Senate and Congress about Psychiatric Drugs

U.S. Government Fails to Oversee Treatment of Foster Children With Mind-Altering Drugs ABC News Part I

Billion Dollar Drug Company Law Firm Restructures Connecticut Welfare System

In Memory of Gabriel Myers






Fid


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12 Year-Old Kid Speaks before Senate and Congress about Psychiatric Drugs

Sen Tom Carper: "We need to figure out what works." 

There's always a defining moment in history, I believe I just witnessed it, I never expected that defining moment to come from the voice of a 12 year old boy from the state of Texas.

Ke' Onte Cook gave evidence before the Senate and Congress today regarding his experience in Foster care. The Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security had gathered in the wake of a report by The US Government Accountability Office [GAO] that showed that the prescribing of drugs to children in state care is out of control.

Startling facts were revealed in the online stream:

• Children in Foster care were prescribed mind altering drugs up to 4.7 more times than children not in care.

• Thousands of children had received more than the recommended dose of mind altering drugs

• Over 600 children in state care were on 5 or more mind altering drugs at any given time

• 5,265 infants [under the age of 1] were prescribed mind altering drugs.

The bullet points above may shock you, what's even more shocking is that this data comes from just 5 States pooled in the GAO investigation. Can you begin to imagine the figure if all the US States were pooled?

Sen Brown [Massachusetts] told the congress that nearly 40% of Foster children in Massachusetts had been prescribed 1 or more psychiatric drug. On learning that over 5,000 infants across five States had been prescribed these drugs he said it was "shocking and disturbing".

Sen Carper, who chaired the meeting, added, "We can't stand idly by while children's lives are put in danger."


Sen Collins [Maine] added her disgust with, "I am troubled by the use of psychiatric drugs for use in children in Foster care." She also told congress that the GAO report had found that in Texas children in care were 53 more times likely to be prescribed 5 psychiatric drugs at once more than children not in care and added that there was thousands of infants on psychotropic drugs.

The Senate sat in stunned silence as they listened to a statement from 12 year-old Ke' Onte Cook. Ke' Onte had been place in care from the age of 6 and a half. He told the panel that he was told that if he didn't take his drugs he would be punished by not being allowed to watch TV. He did not know why he was on drugs or how many he was taking, he could not remember. Ke' Onte also informed the panel that later on he had been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD] Insomnia, Depression and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD] during which he could not process thoughts, felt glazed and tired, had stomach aches and a "lights out" mood. He added that he was first prescribed the medications [3 different drugs a day] because he was throwing tantrums and was upset after being taken into State care.

Sen Carper asked Ke' Onte how he managed to get off the medication. Ke' Onte informed him that he sought the help of an Attachment Therapist who talked to him about his history and added that "It helped me to get over the anger." When asked by Sen Carper if he had a message he would like to add Ke' Onte replied, "Medication isn't going to help children with problems, it just sedates them."


Sen Carper concluded that "We need to figure out what works." and told Ke' Onte, "Some good is going to come out of what you experienced."


Ke' Onte received a round of applause from the Senate and Congress... I would have given him a 21 gun salute.

GAO's full report can be read HERE

Here's Sen Carper's Opening Statement.


Back in March 2011 myself and Ablechild's Sheila Matthews exposed a billion dollar drug company law firm and their involvement in the Connecticut Foster care system. Full article HERE

Rise In Antipsychotic Drugs Taken By Children

Last week Channel 4 News aired a special report regarding the prescribing of antipsychotics to children.

For those that didn't get a chance to see it, now's your chance.

 

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Patrick McGorry's Delorean Proposal...FAIL

A recent poll undertaken by Psychiatry Update, an e-newsletter and website with the latest psychiatry news from Australia and overseas, has shown that almost 60% of psychiatrists think the Federal Government’s focus on Patrick McGorry's Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre [EPPIC] (1) is inappropriate. Over 50% of psychiatrists who took the poll also believe that EPPIC puts young people at risk of being over medicated.


Out of the 222 who took the survey, 121 were psychiatrists, almost half of whom also left comments

Psychiatry Update writes:

Among the non-psychiatrists, the biggest group was GPs (23.8%), followed by psychologists (21.8%) and then mental health nurses (12.9%).When asked about the risk of over-medication in EPPIC, 52.1% of psychiatrists thought it would put young people at risk of being over-medicated, with 14.9% “strongly agreeing” it would.A similar proportion of nonpsychiatrists also agreed.

This latest opposition to McGorry's DeLorean machine comes hot on the heels of a proposed clinical trial by McGorry.

McGorry, with the financial assistance of Seroquel manufacturer Astra Zeneca, wanted to carry out a clinical trial [of sorts] with children, among others, who had not yet been diagnosed with a psychotic illness. In other words, he wanted, it appears, to trial out Seroquel, a powerful antipsychotic, on subjects who, for all intents and purposes, had nothing wrong with them.

Psychiatrists, psychologists and researchers from all over the world lodged a complaint when they heard of the planned trial.

McGorry pulled the trial and now denies that the complaint had anything to do with his decision.

The planned trial, which was apparently 'ethically approved' is shrouded in mystery.

On Aug 16 2011, the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry [ANZCTR] showed that the planned study had NOT received approval from at least one ethics committee. Yet 6 days later the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry had been mysteriously amended and showed that the planned trial HAD received approval from at least one ethics committee.

Here's the rub, the icing on the cake if you will. McGorry pulled the trial, so he claims, in June 2011, almost two months before the ANZCTR showed that the planned study had NOT received approval from at least one ethics committee. Maybe the flux capacitor in his time travelling DeLorean was playing up or maybe the ANZCTR had been altered? It's fair to assume something smells here, isn't it?

I'm surprised none of the major Australian newspapers picked up on this 'faux pas'

Melbourne Health said its mental health research ethics committee was "satisfied the process and the decision to give ethics committee approval of the study were appropriate".

The health organisation said the study had been abandoned by the research team for "logistical reasons".

I wonder if they asked why the ANZCTR had miraculously changed overnight to show McGorry's planned trial had received approval?

It will be interesting to see if McGorry and his soothsaying henchmen respond to the Psychiatry Update poll. They have, in the past, slammed their critics and labelled them as an odd mix of armchair critics, conspiracy theorists and Scientologists.

The response from McGorry and Co should prove interesting, I anticipate that it will be published... 6 days ago and appear 6 days later - such is the power of the DeLorean posse.

You can follow Psychiatry Update on Twitter

(1) The Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre (EPPIC) is an integrated and comprehensive psychiatric service aimed at addressing the needs of people aged 15-24 with emerging psychotic disorders in the western and north-western regions of Melbourne.

Related articles:


Patrick McGorry Responds to Criticism by Allen Frances

Psychiatrist Patrick McGorry Slams His Critics [Diddums]

The Defence of Prof. Ian Hickie




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Interview With the Seroquel Lawsuit Blogger

Last week [Sept 4, 2001] I highlighted the story of the Seroquel Lawsuit blogger who has took it upon himself to post the settlement package offered by Seroquel manufacturer's AstraZeneca.

A settlement package is often made in litigation cases whereby the defending party, make an offer of compensation to claimants that have made the allegations against one of its products. It is the norm for that settlement to include no admittance of liability and also a 'gagging order', which prevents those it has made the settlement with, not to speak out publicly.

AstraZeneca have offered a settlement to over 28,000 litigants that are currently part of a group action against the company. The package, which can only be described as derisory, has incensed a number of claimants and has now been posted online and made public. This has further angered AstraZeneca, lawyers representing them and lawyers representing the 28,000+ litigants.

It appears that two offers have been tabled, one by The Miller Firm LLC and one by Weitz & Luxenberg. The litigants have, it appears, also been contacted by Garretson, the court appointed claims administrator.

Moving in the circles I do, I have managed to bag an interview with the anonymous blogger. Rather than chop and use selective quotes, I decided to post the interview 'as is' for your perusal.



What made you create the Seroquel Lawsuit Blog?
The blog was started because there was nothing out there questioning anything to do with this litigation or covering the patient/victim/injured parties perspective besides what the main stream media was being spoon fed by AstraZeneca and law firms.

Here we have a powerful & dangerous antipsychotic drug being mass marketed for everything under the sun by a criminal corporation at the tune of  $5.5 billion a year in profit Couple that fact (that along with similar others drugs), that Seroquel was (and still is) permanently injuring (if not killing) many tens of thousands of people and all we hear, in relationship to this tragedy, is endless drivel about meaningless small fines, and Wall Street dollars figures.

The evidence is overwhelming and well documented that AstraZeneca did and continues to mass market and sell a drug that is unsafe by a litany of nefarious means.Meantime, our government (including the Department of Justice) looks on idol and blinded while taking a small token hush bribe, which has just further emboldened and allowed AstraZeneca to continue their criminal business as usual model, without any admission of guilt or accepting responsibility for the many crimes they have perpetrated upon the citizens of America and people around the globe.

Someone had to speak out - why not the SeroquelLawSuitBlog?

We don't have an epidemic of Psychosis in America after all, what we do have is a population mired down in the mud bog of apathy which allows corporations like AstraZeneca to disease monger and continue their criminal assault upon some of the most vulnerable populations imaginable (our children, elderly, and returning veterans).

Can you list some of the side effects caused by Seroquel?
All anyone needs to do is pull out the latest Seroquel package insert, there are over seventy pages of serious side effects: weight gain, diabetes, sudden death from cardiac related issues, metabolic issues, and the list just goes on and on as more debilitating side effects are being added all the time.

AstraZeneca knew these problems existed, but instead of conducting further testing about the myriad of safety concerns AstraZeneca buried and hid the bad news, while turning this drug over to their marketing department. Still to this day, AstraZeneca is conducting trials that are pushing for, and focused on, broadening/expanding the use of this drug for general consumption by the public. "Shameful" would be a mammoth understatement

Have you been told of the implications in publishing a 'settlement package' online?
I would hope the implication of this blog is that people become informed and knowledgeable to what is actually going on here. This is a criminal corporation that for mere pocket change and an insulting token offer  is about to walk away emboldened, unscathed, and rewarded for their unscrupulous practices. I happen to see this ongoing corporate pharmaceutical industry assault on the public as one of the greatest and horrible crimes of modern times. When you look around at what has conspired in the corporate world, banking, Wall Street, and governments currently and over the past few decades, that's saying a lot.
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As far as these ambulance chasing law firms go, they have no doubt sold injured parties down the river for their own gain and profit. The numbers don't lie, the public needs to know about these sleazy goings on. Change won't happen until we, the public, demand and force it to happen. The days of America and populations around the world sitting back thinking someone else (the government, the courts, lawyers, FDA, Department of Justice) will take care of these problems for us has long past.

I have nothing to fear, it is quickly coming to the point in time where there will be nothing left for criminal elements to take from us. 'Too Big to Fail' really means too big and corrupted not to fail. Simply, we have a situation that is unsustainable.

If there was one message you could give to claimants in the Seroquel litigation, what would it be?
I would hope Seroquel Claimants would become informed and active participants in this process, look at the evidence, look at the numbers, start questioning, take the time to seriously consider what's really being placed on the table and think for themselves. I would hope each litigant would do a serious gut check, put this litigation and the lawyers to the smell test, follow what's in their hearts...and do the right thing.

In your mind, what would be a reasonable settlement?
That's a tough one, I believe each litigant needs to assess that question based on the level of damage done, losses incurred, suffering endured. Very difficult to place a price tag on permanent damage done to ones health or the death of a loved one.

AstraZeneca has ten billion dollars sitting in cash reserves, that is blood money made upon damaging the health of others. In a just and fair world AstraZeneca would have to place half of that money (5 billion) in a medical trust that would provide ongoing and future medical care to those they have injured ( The general public still don't seem to realize that they, the public tax payer, are being left with the financial burden of caring for those AstraZeneca has harmed). Beyond that, the other 5 billion could be a small start in compensating the victims of AstraZeneca's crimes.

But even more important than the money AstraZeneca needs to openly apologize to each injured victim and the general public while accepting full responsibility for what they have done..

Until that day comes...nothing will really change.


The Seroquel Lawsuit Blog continues to be updated on a regular basis and can be found HERE

"Five thousand dollars isn't going to change anyone's life," Seroquel Lawsuit Blogger

A few days ago I reported on the anonymous Seroquel Lawsuit blogger and his publishing of a settlement package on his blog that has got law firms and pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca running around in circles and wondering how to handle this spanner in their works.

The news is growing and spreading across the Internet pretty fast, Reuters have now posted twice about the anonymous blogger. Reuters latest, Alison Frankel, carries the headline, "Law firms blast disclosure of Seroquel settlement documents" where she interviews the anonymous blogger.

Frankel writes:

I asked the blogger if he was concerned that his posts could derail settlements that many Seroquel plaintiffs want to accept. He said he is not. "Five thousand dollars isn't going to change anyone's life," he told me. "I'm holding a pin, and I'm trying to fend off a herd of charging elephants."

Damn and blast, doncha just love a mental health advocate with balls, humongous balls at that!

The blogger, is pretty much on the ball, his latest offering sees him press the peddle to the floor with a repost of Frankel's article from Reuters, which also includes a cartoon image of an elephant in bed with a mouse!

It would appear that the highly paid law firm, the inbetweeners and AstraZeneca have met their match.

Whoever you are...I salute you.




Fid 


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Seroquel Blogger Told To "Cease and Desist"

Blogging can be a very useful tool to get under the skin of corporate companies that are used to getting their own way. In the past I, myself, have been sent a threatening letter by GlaxoSmithKline lawyers, Addleshaw Goddard, I apparently upset one of GlaxoSmithKline's employees, Head of Psychiatry, Alastair Benbow because of a video I created and posted to YouTube. According to GSK, Benbow no longer works for them.


More recently Leonie Fennell, who writes about Lundbeck, Cipramil [Celexa] and Irish psychiatrists amongst other things, was sent not one but two letters by Brophy Solicitors, an Irish law firm representing Irish psychiatrist Patricia Casey. Casey didn't like what Fennell had wrote about her. Boo hoo.


Now we have an anonymous blogger who writes the Seroquel Lawsuit Blog. Seroquel [Quetiapine], a powerful antipsychotic, is used to treat schizophrenia and/or bipolar disorder, it's also prescribed "off label" for an array of other "mental disorders." It has, in the past, also been used for "sleep disorders".

The blog, it appears, was created for victims of AstraZeneca's Seroquel to have a voice, a place to disseminate information, and to bring about awareness. More recently AstraZeneca have offered an out of court settlement to plaintiffs who claim that they have been left with diabetes and other serious injuries after ingesting Seroquel.

A number of posts appeared throughout the month of June that related to that settlement. At the end of June the anonymous blogger publicly posted the settlement package online. This, it would appear, has set the hounds out from lawyers who represent the plaintiffs.

The lawsuit, which involves over 28,000 claimants and, according to the Seroquel Lawsuit Blog, each claimant has been offered between $11,000 - $25,000. This seems a paltry amount considering the injuries sustained by the claimants.

At this point it may be beneficial to know that when a settlement is reached, the defendant normally admit no liability.

The trouble with litigation is that it is purely about money. The law firm representing the plaintiffs try and get the best deal possible without actually entering a Courtroom. In this instance the law firm have determined that a figure between $11,000 - $25,000 is suitable compensation for those harmed by Seroquel... or rather those who are part of the group action where no liability is being admitted. The anonymous blogger claims that 40% will be deducted from each amount, which makes the final settlement quite paltry.

The blog is certainly having an impact. On Aug 17 2011 Reuters, the news agency directed readers to the letter Weitz & Luxenberg sent to its Seroquel clients, announcing the group settlement and explaining the allocation process. The letter was uploaded by the anonymous Seroquel Lawsuit blogger.

The whole blog is a minefield of information, much of which has prompted attorney's to contact a litigant in the lawsuit whom they believe to be the source of information behind the blog.

It's interesting to see victims of pharmaceutical products taking a stance like this and shows just how powerful a tool the Internet can be for the small man. Future litigation cases may take into account recent events and pharmaceutical companies, like AstraZeneca, may have to just stop and think before they make such degrading offers to victims harmed by their products.

The Seroquel Lawsuit Blog can be read HERE

The author can be contacted at seroquellawsuitblog@gmail.com

Psychiatric Drugs - Even Psychiatry Isn't Sure.

A recent article on the CNN Health web page asked the question, Is it OK to be on antidepressants for years?

The answer, given by a psychiatrist, should embarrass those that manufacture these drugs, it should embarrass those that regulate these drugs. It should embarrass those that continue to prescribe these drugs.

Dr. Charles Raison, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University, and an expert in the mind-body connection for health.

Ten years ago my answer to this question would have been, "Certainly not."

A year ago my answer would have been, "Almost certainly not."

Now, unfortunately, the most honest answer I can give you is, "I'm not sure."

Coming from a guy who has treated thousands of people over the years with antidepressants, I have to admit that my uncertainty both shocks and distresses me.

I should probably get over my sense of shock. One of the glories of science is that it keeps moving forward, and as it does so, it usually sweeps old certainties into the dustbin.

Psychiatry's commitment to the unqualified goodness of antidepressants is one of those old certainties. That I'm distressed is understandable.

Dr Raison's full response HERE

If you put all the pieces of the jigsaw together, the picture becomes so much clearer folks.

Now watch the video:





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It's Official: Antipsychotic Drugs Labelling Update

Health Canada has released a warning to Healthcare professionals and consumers regardng Antipsychotic drugs and the risk of abnormal muscle movements and withdrawal symptoms in newborns exposed during pregnancy.

Now they tell us!

Antipsychotic drugs: Labelling update regarding the risk of abnormal muscle movements and withdrawal symptoms in newborns exposed during pregnancy.

Health Canada is informing healthcare professionals and consumers that the prescribing information for the entire class of antipsychotic drugs is being updated. The updated labelling will contain safety information on the potential risk of abnormal muscle movements and withdrawal symptoms in newborns whose mothers were treated with these drugs during the third trimester of their pregnancy.


So, if a child in its mother's womb can suffer withdrawal by proxy, just imagine what suffering the children throughout classrooms of the UK, Canada, America, Australia etc will have to endure.

Here's a list of some antipsychotic drugs that are causing severe withdrawal problems with children today. Will the regulators be doing anything to help the millions of children worldwide that are hooked on these?


aripiprazole - Abilify

clozapine - Clozaril

olanzapine - Zyprexa

quetiapine - Seroquel

risperidone - Risperdal

ziprasidone - Geodon

Do you wish to continue labelling children with psychiatric disorders just so drugs [such as the above] can be ingested by children?

Wake up world. It's fraud, pure and simple.



Fid





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Good Morning Australia - Here's a Glimpse of Your Future

With the Australian government plowing billions of Aussie dollars into the mental health system and with a large chunk of that money going toward Patrick McGorry's early intervention program, I thought I'd show the Australian population just how their hard earned money is being spent.

Although the following 18 minute video is based in and around the US, it pretty much sums up how dangerous antipsychotic and atypical antipsychotics are when used on children.

Patrick McGorry not only believes in these drugs, he claims he can predict if your child will need them at some stage in their life.

The Australian government have backed McGorry so, in essence, they too are quite comfortable with the use of these drugs in children.

It would be nice to see some vocal action from Australian citizens on this issue, if only to ask McGorry for scientific proof that his early intervention program [DeLorean] is based on scientific data or it's merely guesswork.

This video is a look into the future for Australian parents, come jump on board my DeLorean and let me show you a glimpse of Australia in 3 or 4 years time.

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

Thanks to Stephany for alerting me to this video.


Related Stories:

Patrick McGorry: "Hey... Paddy... Leave Those Kids Alone"

Patrick McGorry - Torn Asunder Down Under

Early Intervention, McGorry, Politics & TV Shows

Psychiatrist Patrick McGorry Slams His Critics [Diddums]

Is Australia's "Number One Man" Misleading The Public?

Pre-Mental Disorder Screening & Drugging - THE PHARMACEUTICAL DELOREAN

Patrick McGorry's Delorean Pulls Over For New Passenger

Patrick McGorry & Co Under Fire

Hickierie Dickory Doc - McGorry Turns Back the Clock

The Drugging of Children - Australian Style


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The British Journal of Psychiatry and It's pimping of Antidepressant Medication

It always amazes me when I stumble upon documents from years ago, this particular beauty was sent to me by Irish warrior Leonie Fennell. Leonie's son, Shane, killed himself whilst on the antidepressant medication Cipramil [known as Celexa in the US]

Leonie, who writes Leoniefennell's Blog, is in search of answers as to why her son was given a dangerous antidepressant. What she sent me is a PDF of The British Journal of Psychiatry, July 1998, Vol 173.

It's yet another fine example of the psychopharmaceutical monopoly, how everyone [except patients] are connected to the pimping of antidepressant/antipsychotic medication.

Vol 173 is littered with advertising for antidepressant/antipsychotic medication, the taglines are really quite sickening considering what we all know about these drugs. The 1998 'pharmaceutical catalogue' throws up the following full page ads: [CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE]

CIPRAMIL [CELEXA IN US]
DOWNLOAD Media reports regarding Cipramil/Celexa

DUTONIN
Antidepressant marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb. Its sale was discontinued in 2003 in some countries due to the rare incidence of hepatotoxicity (liver damage), which could lead to the need for a liver transplant, or even death. The incidence of severe liver damage is approximately 1 in every 250,000 to 300,000 patient-years. On May 20, 2004, Bristol-Myers Squibb discontinued the sale of Serzone in the United States and Canada. Several generic formulations of nefazodone are still available. [Source - Wikipedia]

EFEXOR [EFFEXOR IN US]
DOWNLOAD Media reports regarding Efexor/Effexor

EXELON
Rivastigmine (sold under the trade name Exelon) is a parasympathomimetic or cholinergic agent for the treatment of mild to moderate dementia of the Alzheimer’s type and dementia due to Parkinson's disease. The drug can be administered orally or via a transdermal patch; the latter form reduces the prevalence of side effects, which typically include nausea and vomiting.[2] The drug is eliminated through the urine, and appears to have relatively few drug-drug interactions. [Source - Wikipedia]

HUNTERCOMBE MANOR [PSYCHIATRIC UNIT FOR ADOLESCENTS]
Now called Huntercombe Hospital

PROZAC
DOWNLOAD Media reports regarding Prozac

RISPERDAL
Johnson & Johnson lost a $257.7 million jury verdict in Louisiana for making misleading claims about the safety of the company’s Risperdal antipsychotic drug. J&J officials defrauded the state’s Medicaid system by wrongfully touting Risperdal as superior to competing antipsychotic drugs and minimizing its links to diabetes, said jurors in state court in Opelousas, Louisiana. [LINK]

SERDOLECT
Serdolect has a fivefold increased risk for sudden cardiac death and no proven advantage in suicide risk compared with risperidone. [LINK]

SEROQUEL
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca will pay $520 million in fines to settle charges by the federal government that it illegally marketed the anti-psychotic drug Seroquel to children and elderly patients for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. [MORE]

SOLIAN
Side effects - Prolactin induction, thereby causing amenorrhoea and galactorrhoea in women, nausea, weight gain, insomnia, akathisia, sexual dysfunction, although much less than similar drugs in its class, and less commonly QT interval prolongation (which can lead to serious heart arrhythmias). Overdoses of amisulpride have been linked with torsades de pointes. [Wikipedia]

ZISPIN [AKA Remeron]
Clinical studies on Remeron and suicide showed that there is an increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviors in children and teenagers. [LINK]

ZYPREXA
Eli Lilly & Co. pleaded guilty to a charge that it illegally marketed the anti-psychotic drug Zyprexa for an unapproved use, and will pay $1.42 billion to settle civil suits and end the criminal investigation. [LINK]

TOPAMAX
On May 21, 2010, Ortho-McNeil plead guilty and was fined US$6.14 million by the FDA for promoting Topamax to treat psychiatric disorders, without applying for any approval and there was no data from any well-controlled clinical trial to demonstrate that Topamax was safe and effective to treat any psychiatric conditions. [Wikipedia]

SEROXAT/PAXIL/AROPAX
DOWNLOAD Media reports regarding Seroxat/Paxil/Aropax.
Also read the now infamous Paxil 329 documents that GlaxoSmithKline [then Smith Kline Beecham] tried to hide - HERE

The British Journal of Psychiatry - serving the pharmaceutical industry and putting lives at risk.

Read The British Journal of Psychiatry, July 1998, Vol 173 HERE

Fid

Special thanks to Leonie Fennell for passing the information over to me.


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