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Psych Drugs Used To Manufacture Insanity

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Many experts say the wide-spread epidemic of mental health problems in the US is man-made. The case of Susan Florence is a testament to this theory of man-made insanity.

While mania, psychosis, anxiety, agitation, hostility, depression, and confusion may be signs of mental illness, these same "symptoms" are referred to as side effects on the labels of the most commonly prescribed psychiatric medications used to treat mental illness.

Once Susan Florence was placed on medication, whenever she experienced a side effect from one drug, her doctor simply prescribed another until she ended up in a drug-induced frenzy for which it would have been impossible to distinguish which drug, or combination thereof, was causing the adverse reactions.

The frenzy got worse and worse until she finally realized that she would have to get off all the prescription drugs if she wanted it to end.

Susan was first prescribed the SSRI antidepressant, Paxil for anxiety. She began experiencing side effects from Paxil immediately and two weeks after she began taking the drug her doctor put her on Klonopin.

Klonopin is used for treating seizure disorders and panic attacks. The package insert says "less serious side effects" that may be likely to occur include drowsiness or dizziness, poor coordination, nervousness, and depression.

It also says, Klonopin may increase the effects of other drugs that cause drowsiness or dizziness, including alcohol, sedatives, other seizure medicines, pain relievers, antidepressants, anxiety medicines, muscle relaxants, antihistamines, and others.

So now Susan has Paxil, an antidepressant, and Klonopin an anticonvulsant, all mixed together in her system even though she never had depression or a seizure disorder.

In 2001, Dr Stefan Kruszewski, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist working for the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, began documenting cases of what he refers to as "insane polypharmacy," the widespread off-label prescribing of drugs for uses not approved by the FDA.

He found Neurontin, a drug with FDA approval for controlling seizures, "was being massively prescribed for anxiety, social phobia, PTSD, social anxiety, mood instability, sleep, oppositional defiant behavior, and attention deficit disorder."

"There's almost no evidence to support these uses," Dr Kruszewski says.

There was no evidence to support placing Susan on an anti-seizure drug and doing so led to more side effects. "Between the Paxil and especially the Klonopin," she said, "I became more sedate than I wanted to be."

Mentioning this side effect, prompted the doctor to add another drug to Susan's regiment.

Next, he prescribed Provigil, "as an antidote to psychotropics that had me over-sedated," she explains.

"I think it's supposed to be for narcolepsy," Susan added.

But here again lies the problem. Susan says she never had narcolepsy. "I was just sluggish-feeling," she says, "I didn't feel sleepy at all."

Provigil was approved to treat narcolepsy. According to the August 4, 2005 Wall Street Journal, Provigil was approved by the FDA in 1998, to treat excessive sleepiness and in 2003, it was approved to for the treatment of "shift-work sleep disorder."

The drug was certainly never approved for use in treating adverse reactions caused by the combination of Paxil and Klonopin.

As it turns out, when it comes to off-label use, Provigil is a legend. SG Cowen & Co analyst Eric T Schmidt figures more than 50% of the drug's sales are for unapproved uses, according to Business Week Online on November 4, 2004. "Doctors now prescribe it to treat everything from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to fatigue associated with multiple sclerosis and depression."

The WSJ says doctors wrote 1.9 million prescriptions for Provigil in 2004, generating $414 million in sales for its maker Cephalon, almost half of the company's total revenues.

Susan's case is a perfect example of the vicious cycle that develops when doctors prescribe drugs for unapproved uses. She was given Provigil to counter the sedating effects of Klonopin, which was prescribed to counter the side effects of Paxil.

The adverse reaction that Susan experienced when Provigil was added to the mix was terrifying. "I took one pill and I thought I was coming out of my skin," she says. "It was one of the worst experiences of my life."

"I felt as if someone had climbed inside me," Susan recalls.

"I moved more agitatedly, more stuccato in rhythm; I had trouble concentrating; I couldn't find focus," she said, "and I kept forgetting what I was thinking a second earlier."

"It was nightmarish, because I didn't feel like me," Susan continued, "I didn't think like me, everything felt off."

Twenty minutes after she took the first pill, she called her doctor and told him that she had never felt so depersonalized in her life. "I remember saying that word," Susan recalls.

The doctor explained that the sense of "not being me" was called depersonalization.

Her experience after taking one pill was so horrible that Susan says, "you'd have had to tie me down, hold my nose and open my mouth with pliers to get another one in me."

But was her reaction really due to the Provigil? Its hard to see how anyone could say yes with absolute certainty. Its important to remember that Susan was given Paxil for anxiety.

The latest FDA warnings say SSRI drugs like Paxil can cause anxiety, irritability, hostility, aggressiveness and impulsiveness. Certain behaviors are "known to be associated with these drugs," including "anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, impulsivity, akathisia (severe restlessness)," according to Proven Dangers of Antidepressants by psychiatrist Dr Peter Breggin.

"Akathisia makes people profoundly agitated, uncomfortable in their own skin, jittery, impulsive," says Dr Joseph Glenmullen, author of Prozac Blacklash.

Akathisia sounds pretty much like what Susan described to me. So was it a reaction to Paxil or Provigil or both?

And Susan's story did not end with Provigil. The mad chemist was not through with her yet.

After reporting the reaction she experienced after taking Provigil, the doctor told her to quit taking the drug. He then prescribed Tenuate, a diet pill that has since been pulled off the market. Tenuate comes with the warning that it may cause dizziness, blurred vision, or restlessness, and that it may hide the symptoms of extreme tiredness.

According to Susan, through it all, she stressed to her doctor that she did not want to take any drug that could be addictive.

Well, on Drugs.com, Tenuate is listed as habit forming. In fact, you can become physically and psychologically dependent on this medication, and withdrawal effects may occur if you stop taking it suddenly after several weeks of continuous use, according to the warnings accessed on March 2, 2006.

Drugs.com says Tenuate is similar to an amphetamine and stimulates the central nervous system. Instructions for use say before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you have an anxiety disorder.

Which means Susan went full circle and was back at square one being the whole nightmare began when she was prescribed Paxil for anxiety.

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READER COMMENTS

Posted by

on
When you don't take this drug. You are forced to take another drug to enhance promote dementia and or old timers. If not pharma finds a way to promote this!! Tired of being the guinea pig. Enough people are struggling and being pushed before there time. Do something before it is to late!! Another victim. Really

Posted by

on
After a stroke, I was prescribed Clonazepam (.25 mg) 2X daily. As a result, I have become addicted to this drug. I have been off the drug for about 4 or 5 weeks. I feel horrible. My flesh seems to be crawling. I am having trouble remembering and am easily agitated. I need help and do not know where to turn.

It is an absolute shame that I have become addicted to this drug through no fault of my own. Doctors are prescribing this medication to earn a fast buck and are creating LEGAL Junkies.

I want to be off this DRUG and free of its aftermath! Please help!

Posted by

on
I'm prescribed 15mg Paxil. Started with 10mg and it has changed my life, in a good way. The first 2 weeks were tough for my body to adjust though Never before have I been so free of anxiety. I also have done lots of therapy: social anxiety CBT (twice), interpersonal therapy, ACT therapy, DBT, MBSR (I'm in university so I get these programs free of charge). These drugs to work tremendously well for some people like myself. My only side effect is delayed orgasm which isn't so bad. I'm afraid of getting off the medication though because of withdrawal symptoms.

Posted by

on
My doctor Rx'd Paxil and Klonopin last year due to chronic anxiety disorder. I admit my life was a mess before I began taking these pills; it was difficult for me to hold down a job, I had moments of mania, emotional outbursts, difficulty concentrating (it was only recently that I found out these symptoms were due to hyperthyroidism). However, I now find that taking these drugs for over a year now, I'm unable to stop. I'm supposed to be on 40 mg's of Paxil / day and 4 mg's of Klonopin. I only take half of each, though. I'm trying to reduce the Paxil first (I've gone through Paxil withdrawal and it is absolute hell. I was Rx'd pain killers long term for endometriosis and the withdrawal from opiates paled in comparison for me). I'm also dreading my taper from Klonopin. I feel worse now than before I started taking the drugs, but my MD only increased the doses.

I am a very intelligent, logical person (prior to the start of my thyroid problems anyway) and now, I'm unable to retain information, have difficulty coming up with simple words despite having an English degree, I've gone from running 5 miles a day to not leaving the house unless I have to, I used to have no problem assimilating to weather changes; now I'm unable to tolerate heat at all. I've had suicidal ideations, though lack the constitution to go through with it. I'm anti-social (I've always been on the shy side but was able to make friends), burst out in tears for no reason. I wake up with brain zaps, if I sleep at all.

Knowing now that a lot of my problems stemmed from my thyroid issue (which is now managed), I don't see why I should continue these medications that are only making things worse. I'm not sure that I blame my MD; initial blood work came back that my thyroid was functioning properly. It wasn't until I had a storm that I was diagnosed. But I was never warned about the side effects, how difficult it would be to come off of these medications, or what the long term effects will be. I am single and live alone, and a freelancer without insurance or sick leave to boot, so I cannot afford to take time from working; however, I can't go on like this either as it has taken a toll on my relationships, my sanity, and productivity.

My ex-father-in-law was a pharma lobbyist in DC. After his retirement and his own son's addiction to opiates, he began to open up about how corrupt the whole system is. Just because something is "FDA Approved" does not mean it's safe and a lot of doctors prescribe medications off label.

Psychiatrists are by far the worst offenders; they're glorified drug kingpins. They don't provide any type of therapy or behavior modification. You go, they ask how you feel, and within 5 minutes and $150 later, you have your script for whatever it is you tell them your problem is. At least with an internist, they'll try to investigate to see if there is a physiological issue causing the problems before doling out pills.

I haven't ever felt "high" from taking Klonopin, even when I doubled my dose. I've never felt the need to abuse it. But I know, from all I've read and the times that I didn't have the money to see my doctor and missed a week of taking it that the way I felt was horrific. I'm also afraid, due to reading so much on the topic of withdrawal, that it's become a paradigm; because I believe it, so it will be. I've become an accidental addict; I'm not mentally addicted but physically, and the crippling fear of withdrawal is what keeps me using them, though I am desperately trying to taper. There are moments when I'd rather die than feel the physical and psychological pain, and I'm not even close to being off of the Paxil. I just want my life back. It wasn't perfect and I did have issues, but at least I was able to leave my apartment; at least I could eat something other than plain toast and a banana. At least I didn't feel like I was sticking my wet head into and electrical socket. At least I didn't gain 20 lbs. At least I could work and support myself.

Had a full thyroid panel been done in the first place, I wouldn't be facing this imminent hell. I wouldn't have been placed on drugs that I not only didn't need, but made things so much worse.

Posted by

on
I was prescribed 11 Psych medications and also Ambien 10mg over the corse of a few years one of the Meds was Kolonopin it's maximum dosage is 2mg 3 times Daily for a total of 6mg daily I was given 8mg daily for at least one year and then cut back to the 6mg dose. As I complained about other symptoms I was having I would be placed on another prescription and so on I became a train wreck lost 5 years of my life that basically are a blur and I don't remember much of anything I just remember hitting a breaking point where I checked into a hospital and told the doctor psychiatrist to get me off these medications or I was going to die. The hospital wanted a list of all my medications so I provided this list to the Dr who was supposed to help me and I remember him focusing on a prescription of Vicodin that I will let you know was prescribed to me by a MD that knew about all my other meds it was prescribed for severe back pain and I was only given one prescription of this Vicodin for the entire year leading up to my hospitalization but this dr made me feel like a common drug addict telling me I was abusing opiates and addicted to opiates I remember vaguely telling him to F-off I was not addicted to or abusing opiates but he continued to be little me telling me their was nothing wrong with my back it was all in my head he even made the accusation that I had Gallbladder surgery just to get Vicodin he didn't seem to care about all the psych meds I was on and prescribed me the highest dose possible of a drug called Suboxone to treat my so called opiate addiction that after he realized I was so out of it and my pupils were the size of pin holes now knew in fact I was telling him the truth according to my wife. If all this wasn't cruel enough he abruptly took all my medications away that had been prescribed to me for the past 5 years and sent me home to my wife and family with the lowest dose possible of antidepressant after only 4 Days of inpatient treatment I can say I now know what Hell is because of these Drs that were supposed to help me in my time of need. I suffer now from short term memory loss, severe depression and a bad case of distrust in medical Dr's. I would like to know why I was treated like a test dummy for medications I feel that I have lost the respect of my peers I feel violated. Currently against the odds and thanks only to a strong Wife that stood by me through all of this from start to finish I currently am off all anti psych meds and Taking Zoloft for depression in fact time understanding compassion for what I was experiencing then and Zoloft would have been all I needed how I ended up on the cocktail of insanity is beyond me.

Posted by

on
totally agree I wa prescribedmany ssris and klonopin and they have all contributed to my demise

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