Withdrawal Syndrome Prozac 20/12/1999 New York Columnist Reports on Withdrawal Syndrome of Family Member
 
 Summary:<br><br><div>Paragraphs 10 through 13 read:&nbsp; <strong>&quot;I&#39;ve asked myself this many times since I recently discovered that bizarre symptoms experienced by a member of my family for the past two years are directly related to his Prozac use.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;This drug was prescribed for mild anxiety, but the drug&#39;s ill effects far outweighed the initial benefit.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;It was not until he tried to give up Prozac because of the serious side effects that we began to realize just how powerful a drug this is.&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Symptoms began to develop: severe headaches, panic attacks, odd sensations in his head and stomach distress. He was experiencing withdrawal symptoms from abruptly discontinuing Prozac. The doctors didn&#39;t warn us that the dosage needs to be tapered off gradually because the body develops a dependence on the drug.&quot;<br /><br />_________________________________________________________________________<br /></strong>Be on the alert for antidepressants with unhappy side effects <br />Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (NY)<br />December 20, 1999<br />Author: Patti Curtin; ReadersDC;Metro <br />Estimated printed pages: 3 <br /><img src="../images.newsbank.com/infoweb/agg/shim.gif" alt="[]" width="1" height="1" /> <br /><br />By Patti Curtin<br /><br />As a nation, we have been shocked and confused by the string of bizarre murders and <strong>suicides</strong> in recent years. Many of these crimes have been committed by people with no history of violence.<br /><br />Eric Harris (Littleton, Colo. killings), Kip Kinkel (Oregon school shootings), Brynn Hartman (murdered comedian Phil Hartman and committed <strong>suicide</strong>) and others all committed violent, shocking crimes. One link among them and perpetrators in similar cases is that they were all taking one of the popular antidepressants: <strong>Prozac</strong>, Zoloft or Luvox.<br /><br />These drugs are prescribed for children and adults for mild depression and anxiety. The drugs alter seratonin levels in the brain, which is thought to have a beneficial effect on mood disorders. Unfortunately, we have been fooled into a false sense of security about these antidepressants by drug companies that value profit over moral responsibility.<br /><br />In truth, <strong>Prozac</strong> and the other antidepressants are powerful psychiatric drugs that tamper with the brain&#39;s biochemical balance, and for many people, this can have devastating consequences.<br /><br />The Physicians&#39; Desk Reference includes among the many common side effects of <strong>Prozac</strong>: agitation, abnormal thinking, sleep disorder, anxiety, confusion, nervousness, and headaches. Less common side effects include: hostility, paranoid reactions and hallucinations. Rare side effects include antisocial behavior and suicidal thoughts.<br /><br />The medical community and the multibillion dollar drug companies know this. Yet, they continue to prescribe these medications for minor mood disorders, oftentimes to young children with developing brains.<br /><br />According to a 1998 Washington Times article, ``from 1996-1997, the number of children ages 5 and under taking the most commonly prescribed antidepressants climbed from 8,000 to 40,000.&#39;&#39;<br /><br />According to the same article, the FDA admits that ``only a handful of studies exist on these medications in children, despite stepped-up federal pressure on drug companies to test the products for youth.&#39;&#39;<br /><br />Clearly, no one knows the long-term ramifications of widespread use of these drugs, which is particularly concerning in regard to their use for children. So why are they still on the market?<br /><br />I&#39;ve asked myself this many times since I recently discovered that bizarre symptoms experienced by a member of my family for the past two years are directly related to his <strong>Prozac</strong> use.<br /><br />This drug was prescribed for mild anxiety, but the drug&#39;s ill effects far outweighed the initial benefit.<br /><br />It was not until he tried to give up <strong>Prozac</strong> because of the serious side effects that we began to realize just how powerful a drug this is.<br /><br />Symptoms began to develop: severe headaches, panic attacks, odd sensations in his head and stomach distress. He was experiencing withdrawal symptoms from abruptly discontinuing <strong>Prozac</strong>. The doctors didn&#39;t warn us that the dosage needs to be tapered off gradually because the body develops a dependence on the drug.<br /><br />Please, if you or a family member has had <strong>Prozac</strong>, Zoloft or Luvox prescribed for depression, anxiety, or other conditions, research these drugs thoroughly before taking them.<br /><br />Depression and anxiety are common emotions, and often we just need assurance that we are not alone, and some strategies for coping with a difficult time.<br /><br />Doctors, patients, and most importantly the FDA, need to stop the doping and duping of America.<br /><br />Curtin lives in Webster. <br />Section:&nbsp; Speaking Out<strong>; </strong>Reader Essays<br />Page:&nbsp; 7A<br />Index Terms: FDA<strong>; </strong>Food And Drug Administration; Medical Care<strong>; </strong>Mental Illness<strong>; </strong>Medical Care<strong>; </strong>Drug<strong>; </strong>Crime<strong>; </strong>Homicide<strong>; </strong>Murder<strong>; </strong>Death<strong>; Suicide</strong>; Eric Harris<strong>; </strong>Kip Kinkel<strong>; </strong>Brynn Hartman <br />Copyright (c) Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc. <br />Record Number:&nbsp; roc9942094359492 <br /><br />OpenURL Article Bookmark (right click, and copy the link location):<br /><a href="http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&amp;rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:RDCB&amp;rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&amp;rft_dat=0F67102B377B806A&amp;svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&amp;req_dat=0FC00B934DD580D0">Be on the alert for antidepressants with</a><br /></div> 
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