SEROXAT SUFFERERS - STAND UP AND BE COUNTED

GlaxoSmithKline agrees royalty-free licensing deal for HIV drug

2009-07-14T20:13:00.002+01:00

The Good News:

Tuesday 14 July 2009

Source - The Guardian

GlaxoSmithKline has granted South Africa's Aspen the right to make its HIV drug abacavir in a royalty-free licensing deal, on the day that a group of MPs called on manufacturers to put their HIV medicines in a "patent pool" to reduce prices.

Aspen will manufacture a cheaper, generic version of abacavir, also known as Ziagen. The deal was announced by GSK chief executive Andrew Witty on a visit to Kenya today and forms part of the company's efforts to cut the cost of anti-retroviral medicines for HIV in poorer countries.

The world's second-largest drugmaker also announced a new £50m fund to support non-governmental organisations working with pregnant women to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. A further £10m will go to support public-private partnership work in developing Aids medicines for children.

The Bad News:

Monday, 12 May 2008

Source - The Independent

The multinational drugs company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) downplayed an early warning about the rising number of people who have suffered potentially fatal heart attacks following the use of its £600m anti-Aids drug, which is taken daily by tens of thousands of people around the world.

GSK was officially told of the possible risk in May 2005, three years before it issued a statement to its investors saying that the findings of an even stronger potential link between heart attacks and its antiviral drug abacavir are both “unexpected” and “unconfirmed”.

Alastair Benbow, European medical director for GSK, said that the company takes any new information about the safety of its drugs seriously but it did not want to highlight what may be “spurious observations” relating to abacavir.

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Fid

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of Blogs using the same name and idiots pretending to be me.

Also writing for MyFace Networking.

Announcing the Release of the Recently Revised Confessions of an Rx Drug Pusher

2009-07-13T11:02:00.002+01:00

The Story of an Industry Insider

“Confessions of an Rx Drug Pusher is a powerful book. Olsen knows her drug facts, she knows the ins and outs of pharma selling, and she knows the tragedy and pain of personal trauma from the effects of psychiatric drugs. Confessions blends all three and I most highly recommend the book!” --John Breeding, PhD, Psychologist

A successful, fifteen-year-veteran pharmaceutical rep from 1985 – 2000, Gwen Olsen worked for McNeil Pharmaceutical, Syntex Laboratories, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Abbott Labs and Forest Laboratories. She was a hospital rep and specialist rep the majority of her career, educating residents in hospital teaching settings and selling drugs to doctors in obstetrics and gynecology, cardiology, neurology, endocrinology and psychiatry. Her award winning book, Confessions of an Rx Drug Pusher, is an expose and autobiographical journey into the tragic loss of her beloved niece to suicide, and the behind-the-scene tactics of “disease mongering” and deceptive marketing practices that are used to sell dangerous prescription drugs.

A Unique Perspective

“Gwen Olsen is ‘outing’ this massively corrupt industry from a tenured insider's perspective. She convincingly illustrates everything I've known and suspected about Big Pharma's money-making agendas--and more! This book is a must read!” --Abram Hoffer, M.D., Orthomolecular Psychiatrist

Gwen has a unique industry insider’s perspective of the current US healthcare dilemma, and utilizes both her experience and the insight she received in her extensive sales training with Pharma to illuminate current marketing trends and illustrate how greed and conflicts of interest make the system itself the biggest health risk to American consumers.

A Natural Health and Chiropractic Advocate

“I am excited to share that I personally know dozens of patients who have made informed decisions about their health through reading your book, bringing information to their physicians, and, in some cases, finding new physicians to work alongside their chiropractors and naturopaths to help them safely get off the deadly medications they were once prescribed. I can not thank you enough for the lives you save. You are an inspiring leader who will impact lives for generations to come.” --B.J. Hardick, D.C.

In 2000, Gwen left pharmaceuticals and entered the natural foods industry. For several years she worked as an area account manager for Nature’s Way and later as a regional sales manager for Gaia Herbs. Gwen is genuinely interested in alternative health therapies and has extensively studied nutrition, chiropractic, homeopathy, vitamins, herbs and aromatherapy. She has published articles in the Well Being Journal and online with Natural News and HealthNewsDigest.com.

A Captivating Speaker

“Judging by the long lines at your book-signing table, you really resonated with what people are experiencing and needing. My "Aha" moment occurred after I heard you and saw the results on the audience. People need to use their anger, frustration, and confusion and become more self-empowered and take more responsibility for what is happening to them. Thank you! --Ray Goddard, D.C.

Gwen is a passionate mental health activist, writer and dynamic speaker who devotes much of her time to mental health and child advocacy. Gwen volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for the Texas Travis County court system from 1995 to 2000, serving as an advocate for abused and neglected children in foster care. A 2007 Human Rights Award recipient, she is a highly sought after international speaker and media resource, and has testified numerous times before Congress and the FDA. Herself a victim and survivor of life-changing prescription drug adverse events, Gwen motivates audiences of all ages to become proactive about taking charge of their health and refusing to be just another statistic!

I am returning to the speaking circuit! To book a speaking event or an interview, please contact Gwen Olsen at 512-219-5030, www.gwenolsen.com or golsen@austin.rr.com.

For bulk and group discounts on book purchases please contact www.iuniverse.com or for

International Orders: Call 00-1-402-323-7800

Our children and I thank you for your continued support!

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Fid

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of Blogs using the same name and idiots pretending to be me.

Also writing for MyFace Networking.

Seroxat Patient Information Leaflet - Vague. FOI to MHRA

2009-07-11T09:33:00.002+01:00

----- Original Message -----
From: fiddaman
To: MHRA Information Centre
Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2009 9:31 AM
Subject: FOI

Dear MHRA Team,

Whilst reading through the Patient Information Leaflet for Seroxat liquid - attached - I came across a line that is quite vague in its description, i.e.; there is no explanation.

The line in question is thus: [see red]

"If you feel restless and feel like you can’t sit or stand still, tell your doctor. Increasing the dose of Seroxat may make these feelings worse."

I don't know if the MHRA have the answer but why would increasing the dose of Seroxat make 'these feelings' worse?

The line would suggest that GlaxoSmithKline have evidence that shows an increase in Seroxat would make 'these feelings' worse. Could you provide me with such evidence please?

So,

Request under the FOI:

1. Why would an increase in Seroxat make the feelings of restlessness and not being able to sit or stand still worse?

and

2, Could you please provide the data that suggests this?

Many thanks

Bob Fiddaman

Seroxat Sufferers
http://fiddaman.blogspot.com

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Fid

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of blogs using the same name.

Also writing for MyFace Networking

Paxil can lead to cognitive impairment in older people

2009-07-09T23:25:00.001+01:00

By Darla Carter
dcarter@courier-journal.com

They're used for some of the most common ailments around — allergies, nausea, depression, itching, urinary incontinence and lack of sleep, just to name a few.

But they also could affect your mental sharpness, especially if you're over the age of 65.

The culprit: drugs, such as Benadryl, Detrol and Paxil, that have so-called "anticholinergic effects," or put another way, can affect cognitive performance.

Dr. Malaz Boustani of Indiana University co-authored a paper about the drugs recently. He thinks more people need to be aware that medications with anticholinergic effects can lead to cognitive impairment in older people, though it's unclear whether there's a long-term impact on the brain.

FULL STORY - Courier Journal

Fid

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of blogs using the same name.

Also writing for MyFace Networking

Girls used as Guinea Pigs in HPV Trials Admits GSK

2009-07-09T00:55:00.002+01:00

Source: American Chronicle

July 05, 2009

Christina England

We have always suspected it and now they admit it,GSK are using young girls (as young as 9 in some areas) as human Guinea Pigs in HPV vaccine Cervarix trials. This was only discovered after reading a document that was meant for 'Scientific Background and Informational Purposes only'

Damning article for GSK

Read more about Cervarix:

GSK - A Catalogue of Disasters!

Glaxo: "Promote More, Feel Better and Live a Life of Luxury"

Glaxo Goes Head-to-Head on HPV

Teenage Girls Sue Over GSK's Cancer Jab, Cervarix!

GlaxoSmithKline submits final study data to FDA for cervical cancer vaccine

HPV Vaccine Video on Youtube

Concerns over GSK's Cervarix vaccine

UP YOURS GLAXO!

Mindy Merck & Gail Glaxo Dilemma

LOLA'S LAND PROMOTING HPV VACCINE

GlaxoSmithKline's Cervarix. Is Your Daughter Safe?

More debate on GSK's Cervarix

Cervical Cancer, Ofsted & GlaxoSmithKline

Is Cervarix and Gardasil Safe ? Humorous and very blunt answer.

Fid

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of blogs using the same name.

Also writing for MyFace Networking

Let Us Pray - Our Lord Angus of AC/DC

2009-07-08T20:55:00.002+01:00

Taken from Hampden Park, Glasgow

Is Cervarix and Gardasil Safe ? Humorous and very blunt answer.

2009-07-08T18:23:00.004+01:00

Found a great post on the blog section over at MyFace Networking, it comes from the Administrator of the site who shoots from the hip with the following:

Q-Now that you are a more aware consumer, pharmaceutical corruption, the conflicts of interest within Health Canada as well as the FDA and MHRA, political bribes etc what do you think of the HPV Vaccine Cervarix manufactured by GSK (GlaxoSmithKline) in the UK & Gardasil manufactured by Merk in the USA and Canada.

A- For the average consumer (parent) the answer to this question is very complicated but to those who have more knowledge of how things really work its very simple. I will answer so that any one can understand what I'm saying or trying to say.

Mr. Merck and Mr. GlaxoSmithKline show up at your door one bright sunny morning. Mr. Merck introduces himself and Mr. Glaxosmithkline. They proudly tell you that they are in the business of health care knowing that will gain them your trust almost immediately. They have impressive degrees and wear somewhat fashionable suits though they could use a new hair do and perhaps some dental work not to mention I might suggest Orthokeratology rather than those coke bottle eye glasses but thats besides the point. (just go with me here)

Mr. GlaxoSmithKline says to you "we have here a new drink that will prevent your daughter from getting HPV related cervical cancer. (of course its not a drink its a vaccine but just keep up with me) He then goes on to scare the shit out of you with statistics about cervical cancer and HPV. The word "cancer" used in any sentence with your daughter has got your attention.

Mr. Merck and Mr. GSK ask you if they can now give your daughter their new life saving drink.

You think for a minute and then say; (Pointing at Mr. GSK) "Aren't you the one that tried to get another drink on the market knowing it would not help children with depression and also knowing that it would cause a 7.5 -8 fold increase to induce suicidal and violent behavior in children? (Known as Seroxat in the UK and Paxil in the USA and Canada. Also known as Aropax) Legal papers here. http://securities.stanford.edu/1034/GSK05_01/200646_r01c_053751.pdf

"Did you not face criminal charges that were dropped because your fancy lawyers with equally as bad teeth and no conscience, found a loop hole in EU laws? Aren't you also the one that conducted illegal experiments on poor orphans and minority children in New Jersey and when the child would refuse you forced the child, without parental consent, by surgically inserting a stint peg into their bellies? Drugs with sever side effects? Are you not the one that I read about that was nailed with millions of dollars worth of Bribery in Italy? I know there is so much more but the list is so long I can't remember them off the top of my head" you admit.

Then you look over at Mr. Merck and ask him "Were you not the one that put Vioxx on the market, a drug that killed more people than lives lost in the Vietnam war and even when you realised how dangerous your drug was and how many people it was killing you tried to keep it on the market? Did the FDA not threaten Dr. David Graham in hopes he would keep his trap shut so that you could continue to sell Vioxx?

Testimony of Dr. David Graham http://finance.senate.gov/hearings/testimony/2004test/111804dgtest.pdf

And then you suddenly remember reading something reported by Dr. Diane Harper who worked on the HPV Vaccine. She is against vaccinating anyone under the age of 18yrs old because safety has no yet been demonstrated in younger girls. She also admitted that going public with this information could jeopardize her funding for research but said "I have to be able to sleep at night" She also said that if a child is tested for HPV before the vaccine is administered and comes back positive "Then we don't know squat, because medically we don't know how to respond to that," Harper said.

http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/503/27/

Mr. Merck looks at Mr. GlaxoSmithKline and then back at you. Shrugging his shoulders as though it were no big deal that they were willing to kill kids for money and says " Yes but that is yesterdays news. Today is a new day. We have a brand new miracle for you"

What did hundreds of thousand (or possibly more) parents say "Oh... OK"

After you dragged your daughter to the door and forced her to drink Mr. Merck and Mr. GSK's new miracle cure the two decided to tell you....

"By the way, we have no idea what the long term side effects will be as those studies are not available just yet because we have not done any. Oh.. and if your daughter drops dead from our drink don't bother trying to sue us. You can't. Our government and health regulators have our backs. (You can't sue over defective vaccines and history has already proven that we would be hard pressed to admit to it anyways not to mention the drug regulators are on our side NOT yours) Have a nice day and thank you so much for letting us use your child as a guinea pig for a type of cancer she probably would not have gotten in the first place." and they walk away and get in their fancy cars, wearing their fancy suits and we are left wondering if we did not just kill our kid or cause some future tragedy that no one will ever admit to but one we are responsible for because we did not do our homework (even though all the information is readily available) and we ignored all the red flags if we did.

To add insult to injury doctors such as Dr. Lisa Masterson went on live television and told viewers that Gardasil is a potential cure for cancer. I was shocked she would say that. NO IT IS NOT!!!!!!!! When I wrote to Merck asking them to respond to this they did not reply. No shock there!!

Have I answered your question?

----

Fid

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of blogs using the same name.

Also writing for MyFace Networking

Boring, Senseless and Paranoia

2009-07-08T10:00:00.003+01:00

Once again, it appears a couple of mental health campaigners/advocates, call them what you will, seem hellbent on trying to discredit my name.

Talk about unrelenting! The Bonnie & Clyde of the mental health advocacy world just cannot get to grips with what it is I am trying to achieve. They seem to think, it would appear, that my meetings with the MHRA are all to do with Seroxat - they are wrong. Despite the minutes of the first meeting I had with the MHRA back in September 2008 being published, they both still think my discussions are all to do with Seroxat. [1]

Mardi Bennett has recently made a statement on her blog regarding recent discussions she had with Simon Gregor of the MHRA. For those of you that are unaware... or even care, Mardi is the girlfriend of Jeremy Bryce - at least she was. Back in 2004 Jeremy Bryce was posting as 'Morse' on a couple of Internet forums. He came under fire from various members and Mardi, who was herself posting as 'Tuesday', jumped to his defence. She signed off, Tuesday, Morse's girlfriend.' [2]

Mardi has recently created her own blog, unlike her boyfriend, who seems to be infatuated with me, she focuses on issues pertaining to a whole range of SSRi's. Moreover, she has recently drafted an article pertaining to her discussions with the MHRA, part of which reads, "...whereby the contemptuous, disrespectful activities of Mr Bob Fiddaman of the fiddaman.blogspot continues – along with his stalking and harassment, in an attempt to undermine, intimidate and discredit me - for some warped perverse reason known only to himself." [3]

Mardi is well aware that her boyfriend, be it current or former boyfriend, has created a blog aptly named 'Seroxat Sufferers Stand Up and Be Counted', exactly the same name as this blog. She is also well aware that he posts as 'Bob Fiddaman' and furthermore well aware of the content of his blog where he not only tries to discredit me but continues to try and discredit prominent figures such as Dr. David Healy. He also seems fixated on the solicitors handling the Seroxat Group Action plus a whole host of other people who have spoken out against Seroxat.

I am unsure of Mardi Bennett's current state of health but to accuse me of 'stalking and harassment' seems rather peculiar, particularly when her boyfriend seems to get his rocks off by posting about myself and other Seroxat campaigners on a daily basis His blog, which was created in or around August 2008, is a classic case of delusional rants and supposition. For the record, Mardi's boyfriend, had previously targeted me on the UK Survivor's forum with a series of wild and wacky accusations. [4].

Question for Mardi Bennett - Define stalking and harassment?

Jeremy's Yahoo ID was banned but he later rejoined under a different identity, one of many identities that he has used in the past [5]

I have contacted Blogger, the West Midlands Police and the Police Service of Northern Ireland regarding Jeremy's antics, but it seems it is a civil matter and not a criminal one. A claim of libel would cost in the region of £30,000.

I suggested to the West Midlands Police if I could counteract his claims by creating my own blog. They thought it was a good idea. So, I created the Strangford Bryce blog.[6]

Mardi, and/or her boyfriend, it appears, have recently requested documents from the MHRA that pertain to a recent meeting I had with Simon Gregor. Quite why they are wasting the MHRA's time is unknown. [7,8]

The MHRA have, in the past, used the word, 'Vexatious' to various campaigners. I think, in the case of Mardi Bennett and Jeremy Bryce, the word fits perfectly.

People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones Mardi.

I continue to have discussions with the MHRA and we continue to build bridges, something Messrs Bonnie and Clyde should be concentrating on rather than their deluded fantasies that there is some sort of huge push to get Seroxat noticed and no other SSRi/SNRi.

A quick click of the mouse button to Jeremy Bryce's stalking blog shows two posts, the headlines: 'So you think you have problems Fiddaman - neonatal outcomes for Christiane Schultz who was taking Effexor for several years' and 'Matthew Schultz - murdered by Wyeth, the Mark Harvey's & the greedy Fiddaman's, who would have you believe Seroxat is the worst SSRI'

And Mardi Bennett thinks I'm harassing and stalking her?

Fid

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of blogs using the same name.

Also writing for MyFace Networking

1. Meeting between Bob Fiddaman and MHRA
2. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/criticalpsychiatry/message/9784
3. Tuesday1st Blog
4. Collection of Jeremy Bryce's UK Survivor's Posts
5. Jeremy Bryce, who are you?
6. http://strangfordbryce.blogspot.com
7. FOI FIDDAMAN 1
8. FOI FIDDAMAN 2

How Michael Jackson Was Failed

2009-07-07T21:36:00.002+01:00

Source: Examiner.com

Anorexia, drug addiction and body dysmorphia: The American medical system failed Michael Jackson.

A superstar suffering from anorexia, drug addiction and body dysmorphia disorder, and the American medical system, in every way possible, failed Michael Jackson and the American public. And if the man who was, perhaps, the most famous person in the world can be failed by our out-of-control medical system, what chance do the rest of us have?

Michael Jackson weighed a reported 112 pounds at the time of his death. According to the Santa Barbara (California) Sheriff’s Department arrest report in 2005, Jackson’s height was 5 feet and 11 inches. That would make his body mass index a skeletal 15.6 at the time of his death. How low is that? The World Health Organization says that a BMI of 16.0 is the weight one might die of starvation. Amazingly, Jackson was reputed to have been gaining weight for his upcoming concert tour.

READ MORE

Fid

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of blogs using the same name.

Also writing for MyFace Networking

Penetanguishene: Leading The Lamb To Slaughter - Afterword

2009-07-07T13:18:00.004+01:00

Penetanguishene: Leading The Lamb To Slaughter - Afterword

Previous entries here:

Part I - Suicide is painless
Part II - Dr. Fargher I presume?
Part III - Whatever Happened to Compassion
Part IV - The End is Nigh
Part V - Memories
Part VI - The Hell of Paxil Withdrawal

AFTERWORD

"If you're going through hell, keep going."
Winston Churchill

It took some time and I did a lot of thinking after the withdrawal had eased up. I still had some side effects that lingered but nothing I could not handle. The guilt and memories were harder to deal with but I managed with lots of help from a friend. I still have difficult periods but I deal with it naturally.

In addition to going back to work, In 2007 I decided to start my own website. It was more about Paxil withdrawal and the massively shocking amount of corruption that exists between pharmaceutical companies, drug regulators including Health Canada, and so called "reputable and distinguished" scientists that participate in ghost writing, whose signatures have killed thousands, than it is about Penetanguishene or depression.

I was not prepared for the response I received. The emails came in by the hundreds. I opened and replied to every single one of them. In the first month I got more than 60,000 visitors from all over the world. Of course GSK was all over it but said nothing. What could they possibly say?

I met parents that had lost children, children that had lost their parents, people that were still alive but very lost and trying to find their way home again. It got to the point that I had to convince myself that I needed to sleep. If I did not reply I felt guilty and worried about them. I also continued to do as much reading and research as I possibly could while managing and readjusting to family life.

I am still very actively involved in raising awareness about these drugs and the tragic concequences they carry.

Not only do I feel guilty for attempting to take my own life, I also feel guilty for surviving and having made it to this point when so many others have not. What makes me so special?

Sara Carlin, a teenager from Oakville Ontario was not as fortunate as I was. I think about her quite often.

Initially the family had requested a coroners inquest into her death which was denied. I was furious. I was really furious. I screamed about that for days, publicly.
Every single time this Paxil nonsense lands in the lap of someone that can do something about it and protect Canadian children they come up some ridiculous reason why they can't or should not do it. In this case the coroner had stated that a jury would not make useful recommendations. The entire system is maddening. In the end, the decision was overturned.

The newspapers and news on television reported Sara committed suicide. I don't agree with that at all. She was murdered by a drug company that lied and a doctor that was like most of the other doctors here. They don't have a clue what this drug is capable of, especially to a child because no one told them. Paxil is not licenced for children because GSK's own trials prove it is too dangerous. Not only that, the trials prove it does not even work for depression, in children. What Canadian parents don't realise is that a doctor can still prescribe it off label. I'm sure if Sara's doctor had told her parents that he/she was going to prescribe an unsafe and unapproved drug with a 7.5-8 fold increase of suicide and self harm for their child, compared to a placebo they would have said "No" But they were never told and like all of us we just assume our doctors know what they are doing. It's called blind trust and it's deadly.

All Canadian parents need to be concerned about this inquest. All Canadian parents should be supporting it because it effects all of us.

The Carlin's have done as well as can be expected, managing their grief and fighting for Canadian children but they can't do it alone. They need all of us and we owe them that much. Afterall, their plight will not bring their daughter back but it could save yours and mine. So if you can't support them for the sake of their child and the tragedy that took her life then do it for yours. Get off your ass Canada.

My husband got a big promotion and is now the VP of a Mutal Fund Dealership. He is tired but content and remains supportive always and of everything I have done thus far. Not only did he not force me to talk about it he has never once held what happened, against me.

I spend time in the garden, I'm back to cooking up a storm and I have another little business going on the side. Life is busy but I love it. There are no pill bottles on my counter top. I also became a vegetarian and enjoy the benefits of healthy, natural living. I am still writing but its just a hobby I indulge in now and again and when I have time.

I have met a new friend that also has a websites and suffered the same fate as I did. He is very important to me. Not a day goes by that we don't connect in some way and even though he is half way around the world, we are very close. I can't imagine life without him or the support he gave and continues to give me.

We moved to a new house that is a century home with an abundance of character. I absolutely love our home and our neighbourhood. The kids are happy and well adjusted.

My oldest son graduated from high school last year. He decided to go to medical school. I'm happy for him as his decision seems to make him very happy. My father is deliriously happy as is the rest of the family.

Our youngest son is by far the most affectionate, loving and giving person you could meet. He is thinking about psychology but hes not sure just yet and has another year to decide. He is also debating joining the army but is worried about the haircuts. He is equally against the over prescribing of psychiatric medications as I am. He is bugging me about getting a kitten. He loves animals and they love him. I'm still thinking about it. He is the quieter of the three and the cleanest by far. Thank god for small mercies.

My daughter is a witty and level headed young lady. She is very unique and so beautiful inside and out. We spend as much time together as teens will spend with their parents. Sometimes we just sit on my bed and talk for hours, late at night while the boys are downstairs watching movies. Other times she reads her books while I'm reading mine. We both share the same views about eating meat and dairy products. Actually, it was my daughter that convinced me to become a vegetarian in the first place. I'm still shocked at how much energy I now have and how much healthier I feel.

I love my family. I enjoy them thoroughly and their friends too. We always have a full house which is important to me. I just wish they would learn to pick up their dirty socks but sometimes I don't even get upset about it. I'm just glad I'm here to be annoyed by it and healthy enough mentally to find it amusing.

Life is good.

Interviewer: Bob Fiddaman, Author of Seroxat Sufferers Blog. http://fiddaman.blogspot.com/

Copyright: http://bobfiddaman.com/

Please do not reproduce (in print or on websites) without express permission from Bob Fiddaman and the author, who wishes to remain anonymous. We appreciate your truthfulness and respect for the law.

Any correspondence to use the material contained within this file should be mailed directly to fiddaman64@blueyonder.co.uk

[1] http://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/87853/ON/Parry-Sound/Fargher
[2] http://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/868341/ON/North-York/Fareau-Weyl

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of blogs using the same name.

Also writing for MyFace Networking

FULL PDF FILE HERE

SWINE FLU ADVERSE REACTION "PRIORITY" REPORTING

2009-07-07T09:14:00.003+01:00

With an apparent pandemic of swine flu, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency [MHRA] have issued a letter to Healthcare professionals with regard to reporting of any adverse reactions to the vaccines, Tamiflu [Roche] and Relenza [GlaxoSmithKline].

The letter, which can be downloaded here, announces the 'special' web-based portal, which the MHRA have named, 'The Swine Flu ADR Portal.'

Two ways of looking at this:

1, The MHRA expect a large number of reports because the vaccines will be widely used

or

2, The MHRA have their suspicions about these vaccines so want to keep a close eye on the adverse reactions.

Now call me a cynic...

Fid

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of blogs using the same name and posting as me

Also writing for MyFace Networking

Penetanguishene: Leading The Lamb To Slaughter Part VI

2009-07-06T19:43:00.002+01:00

Penetanguishene: Leading The Lamb To Slaughter Part VI

Previous entries here:

Part I - Suicide is painless
Part II - Dr. Fargher I presume?
Part III - Whatever Happened to Compassion
Part IV - The End is Nigh
Part V - Memories

PART SIX
The Hell of Paxil Withdrawal
“The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering.”
Ben Okri

Then came the dreaded Paxil withdrawal AGAIN. I had to get off the rest of it but this time was going to be different. This time I was going to have more control. This time I knew it was the drug and not me.

I read everything I could get my hands on. I became a huge fan of Dr. David Healy, Dr. Peter Breggin and Dr. Joseph Glenmullen. I read blogs, websites and forums. I steered clear of anything authored by GlaxoSmithKline and their famous ghost writers. If I was going to get through this I needed the truth and not a bunch of smoke and mirrors. I also stayed away from anything authored by Health Canada, the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency [MHRA]. I might not be a University scholar with a medical degree but I'm not stupid either. They are full of lies and corrupt as hell. You have to have a severe learning disability not to see that.

The first thing I did was talk to my husband and tell him what I wanted to do. He told me he would support me but that he wanted to know more about it too. My husband worked quite a distance from where we lived. He is the VP of a mutual fund company and his job is demanding but he was always home right after work and on weekends. He spent evenings catching up on what I had learned. We had to prepare the kids too. How do you that without scaring them? "Mommy is going to turn into the devil". Education and preparation. We told them what the worse case scenario would be and what the best case scenario would be. We let the kids read everything we had read. My daughter, whom I thought would scream in protest and fear, said, "I know you can do this." The kids were amazing. I don't know how many times my son had to put a pill in my mouth and hold the glass of water to my lips.

As we now know, Paxil has a short half life. The severe initiation and withdrawal side effects don't simply plague the very small minority of those that willingly take it. The numbers are much higher then most would have us believe. Though I have spoken to some people that did not have the severity that I did. I am very happy for them but sad for anyone that does.

I started reducing by 10mgs/daily. The plan was that I would do this for approximately 2-3 weeks. That was a disaster. By the second day the anxiety was pumping out of me at an alarming rate. I was sure I would have a heart attack and die. That accompanied by severe and debilitating depression was more than I could handle for any length of time. I decided to be less eager and more realistic. I changed the reduced amount to 5mgs/daily and took a sleeping pill at night. The sleeping pill was very helpful. At least while I slept I was not in agony though the vivid dreams were something else. Unfortunately when I woke up I was greeted by the same feelings of impending doom that were followed by anxiety attacks like the ones I had experienced right before my suicide attempt, after reducing by 30mgs daily, in 2006. I hated those feelings. I would dive out of the bed as though by doing so I was able to get away from it. No such luck. Those suckers followed me around day in and day out and until it was all over.

Some people say that withdrawal makes them sleep for hours on end. Not for me. I had severe insomnia and I relived every single mistake I had ever made in my life including chopping my sisters hair off when we were 6 yrs old. Of course Dr. T.J Fargher and Penetanguishene Mental Health Facility came back to me. My mind would not let it alone. I relived it over and over again until it would make me throw up. I spent days on the bathroom floor in a pool of sweat and vomit. I had body aches as though I had caught the flu virus. My entire body ached like hell. I cried, I screamed and I begged those memories to leave me alone but they would not. I shook like a fish out of water and so much so that I could not hold a glass of water without spilling it all over the floor and myself. I hallucinated and at times I do believe I was delusional.

I had headaches that went on for days. Tylenol was helpful for those.

There were also mood swings. One minute I would be bawling about something on television and the next minute I would be explosive. There was another feeling that I always found hard to describe. The best I can do is say that I felt like I was splitting away from myself.

Of course the depression came back with a vengeance. I would be lying if I said that I did not ever feel suicidal during which would become my last time doing Paxil withdrawal. I did. In truth, it was like hanging on to the edge of a cliff whilever I was awake, which was 18 hours/daily for weeks at a time.

Paxil is a very complicated experience. I did experience some of the very same symptoms during initiation that I did during withdrawal which just adds to the confusion for both patient and doctor. Every time the dose was changed I went for a roller coaster ride. Unfortunately my family had to go on it with me. To add insult to injury GSK was not exactly forthcoming about their billion dollar baby. This infuriates me to no end. Although it seems that our Drug Regulators are beginning now to take steps to control this out of control problem, we should not have had to work this hard or wait this long for something that is clearly a life threatening problem. I read somewhere that fifty million people are taking SSRI drugs. With a number as shocking as this one would think that getting a handle on this problem would be a priority for our drug regulators, doctors, the public... but they take forever and every decision they make is to the benefit of pharma with a hint of concern for public safety. I suppose it has to appear as though life is more important than money.

My husband, whom is very familiar with the regulations about conflicts of interest in his field, is quite shocked by the way in which Health Canada operates. What a world we live in when our financial investments are far more protected than our lives. What have we become?

The bathroom might seem like an odd place to pitch a tent but the floor was cold and I was boiling hot. I actually had a fever. How that could be? I don't know but I did. My face was beat red. I would do this until the withdrawal would ease up which lasted far longer than the two weeks GSK claims it takes. Then I would coast for a few weeks and catch my breath. I was afraid that if I coasted at the new dose for too long I would lose the courage to keep going. I should have kept a diary but how would I have written in it? There was no way I would have been able to hold a pen to paper much less write legibly. I thought it would never end but it did. A few months later and many pounds lighter, as I could not hold a thing down during the worst of it with the exception of ice chips, it was over. I could not believe it was over. I could not believe I survived it. Psychiatry was out of my life forever. I don't remember ever being so proud of myself as I was then. I still can't believe I did it.

When People ask me to describe severe Paxil withdrawal I always refer to the same thing. I ask them, "You know the movie, The Exorcist?" , with the exception of my head spinning 360 degree that was about it. Oh and there was no Priest or holy water either. I am not exaggerating. Paxil hated me more than Fargher and that Hitler woman did combined. It was like a living entity in its own right and it did not want to let me go. Knowing that the withdrawal from Paxil was not me losing my mind and a state I would be in for the rest of my life, but the Paxil leaving my system, made the difference between life and death. Had I not known about Paxil withdrawal, had I believed that experience was me and not the drugs... well... I don't even want to think about it.

I attended my daughters graduation drug and psychiatry free. Never have I felt more liberated.

Never again will I take a drug without doing a mountain of research on it before hand. Never again will I fall prey to psychiatry. Never again will I blindly trust any single doctor or any miracle cure or treatment. Never again will I trust that our very own Health Canada is on guard and protecting us. Never again will anyone that I know take an SSRI drug like Paxil. That is one good thing that came out of it all. The people, family and close friends that witnessed this, will never touch an SSRI drug.

Never again will that happen to me!!

Dear GlaxoSmithKline,
Who, in the name of God would attempt a paediatric licence knowing an experience like this could be a possibility to a child?

Coming Soon. Afterward

Interviewer: Bob Fiddaman, Author of Seroxat Sufferers Blog.

http://fiddaman.blogspot.com/

Copyright: http://bobfiddaman.com/

Please do not reproduce (in print or on websites) without express permission from Bob Fiddaman and the author, who wishes to remain anonymous. We appreciate your truthfulness and respect for the law.

Any correspondence to use the material contained within this file should be mailed directly to fiddaman64@blueyonder.co.uk

[1] http://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/87853/ON/Parry-Sound/Fargher
[2] http://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/868341/ON/North-York/Fareau-Weyl

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of blogs using the same name and posting as me.

ANTIDEPRESSANTS - TRUTH vs LIES

2009-07-06T03:41:00.004+01:00

Three videos to watch.

Video one is from Gwen Olsen. Gwen spent more than a decade as a sales rep in the pharmaceutical industry working for health care giants such as Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Abbott Laboratories.

Video two is from BBC's Panorama, 'Taken on Trust' and features Glaxo's Head of European Clinical Psychiatry, Dr Alastair Benbow and MHRA Chairman and former employee of Glaxo, Sir Alasdair Breckenridge.

Video three is food for thought. I don't expect pharma or regulators to pass comment.

You can draw your own conclusions...

Fid

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of fake blogs using the same name.

Also writing for MyFace Networking

This post is dedicated to the memories of Sara Carlin and Sharise Gatchell and to the countless others who have lost their lives to antidepressant medication.

Penetanguishene: Leading The Lamb To Slaughter Part V

2009-07-06T02:02:00.002+01:00

Penetanguishene: Leading The Lamb To Slaughter Part V

Previous entries here:

Part I - Suicide is painless
Part II - Dr. Fargher I presume?
Part III - Whatever Happened to Compassion
Part IV - The End is Nigh

CHAPTER FIVE
Memories
"God gave us memories that we might have roses in December."
J.M. Barrie, Courage, 1922

There was a man that was a patient at Penetanguishene Mental Health Facility while I was there, on the assessment floor. He was the most interesting person. He was homeless or so one of the nicer nurses told me when I asked her what would become of him when he was released. I think his name was either John or Robert or maybe it was William. I can't remember. He had most likely been diagnosed as schizophrenic but I can't be certain. Either way, he had the best manners I have ever witnessed. the kind of manners you don't see in the 21st century. Watching him, which I did because I was curious and he was definitely unique, was like watching the movie 'Kate and Leopold', staring Meg Ryan and my favourite actor Hugh Jackman, who played a man that had somehow come back to life from the mid 1800's. John or William behaved very similar as Hugh Jackman did when he played Leopold in that movie. Every single time I entered the room he would stand up and only sit after I had. He would do the same during meal times. He always washed his hands before he ate and he was very attentive without saying a word. I always smiled at him. He was such an interesting person. I'm sure he would have been very handsome in his youth and before this mental illness thing had taken hold of him. Either way, I was fascinated by him but never had the courage to talk to him. I always regret that. He seemed to prefer standing near the nurses station for hours on end but always a gentleman when a lady entered the room. I suppose he made me feel like I was a decent enough person to stand for. John, Robert or William... whoever he was... would have cleaned up really well in a silk Armani suit and fresh haircut and shave. He did not belong there. But then, who really does?

I still think of him from time to time and I still smile when I do. Now, when I am in the city, which is quite often, I search the faces of every homeless person I pass to see if he is there amongst them. I want to tell him that I'm sorry I did not talk to him or reach out in some way and show him the kindness he had shown me that very first day. Strange the things and people that touch our hearts and stay there.

Coming Soon. Part VI: The Hell of Paxil Withdrawal

Interviewer: Bob Fiddaman, Author of Seroxat Sufferers Blog.

http://fiddaman.blogspot.com

Copyright: http://bobfiddaman.com

Please do not reproduce (in print or on websites) without express permission from Bob Fiddaman and the author, who wishes to remain anonymous. We appreciate your truthfulness and respect for the law.

Any correspondence to use the material contained within this file should be mailed directly to fiddaman64@blueyonder.co.uk

[1] http://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/87853/ON/Parry-Sound/Fargher
[2] http://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/868341/ON/North-York/Fareau-Weyl

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of blogs using the same name and posting as me.

The Corrupt Industry

2009-07-05T14:12:00.003+01:00

Fascinating article one of my good friends sent me this morning.

This article was written in 1986 and comes from the New Internationalist, issue number 165.

So 23 years ago there was already a concern about Pharma.

How far have we come?

The corrupt industry
Bribery and corruption, fraud in the testing of drugs, criminal negligence in the manufacture of drugs, dubious advertising claims - the pharmaceutical industry has a worse record of law breaking than any other industry. Dr John Braithwaite of Canberra's Australian National University explains why there should be such a high concentration of sinners - as well as saints.

The pharmaceutical industry has contributed more to the well-being of humanity than any other. Arguably among other achievements it has helped to remove tuberculosis, gastroenteritis and diphtheria from among the ten leading causes of death in the western world. Yet the avoidable suffering caused by pharmaceutical companies, particularly to the poor of the world, seems at times beyond comprehension.

As both a consumer activist and a student of business ethics I have been struck by the large numbers of pharmaceutical executives I have met who, in their commitment to socially responsible business conduct, were so much more impressive than the average industrial decision maker. Yet corporate crime is a bigger problem in the pharmaceutical industry than any other. The pharmaceutical industry is a paradox of corruption and conscience.

By corruption, I mean first of all the paying of bribes. Every scholar who has surveyed the comparative evidence on bribery in international trade has concluded that pharmaceuticals is one of the most corrupt, if not the most corrupt, of industries. My own research1 found evidence of substantial bribery by 19 of the 20 largest American pharmaceutical companies. There is evidence of bribes being paid to every type of government official who could conceivably affect the interests of pharmaceutical companies: bribes to cabinet ministers to get drugs approved for marketing, bribes to social security bureaucrats who fix prices for subsidised drugs; to health inspectors who check pharmaceutical manufacturing plants; to customs officials, hospital administrators, tax assessors, political parties, and others.

But a much greater threat to world health than corruption is fraud in the safety testing of drugs. Rats die in trials on new drugs and are replaced with live animals; rats which develop tumors are replaced with healthy rats; doctors who are being paid $1,000 a patient to test a new product pour the pills down the toilet, making up the results in a way which tells the company what it wants to hear.2

But it is the less blatant forms of fraud against health authorities which have caused the greatest loss of life - companies telling half-truths to governments about the severity of side effects or covering up adverse reaction reports from concerned doctors. Last year Eli Lilly was fined $25,000 in the United States after it was charged with covering up deaths and illnesses caused by its anti-arthritic drug, benoxaprofen. The drug was withdrawn from sale in 1982 after it was found to be associated with 61 deaths in Britain and unknown numbers elsewhere. In 1984, Smith Kline was fined $100,000 on charges of covering up adverse reactions to their product Selacryn, which was associated with 36 deaths in the US. Similar allegations of covering up adverse reactions are being made against A. H. Robins in the litigation over the Dalkon Shield intrauterine device. A former company lawyer has testified that he was ordered by his superiors to shred sensitive evidence.

Beyond bribery and fraud, misrepresentation in advertising, breaches of laws which ensure the sterility and purity of products and antitrust offences, have all been widespread.

The reason for the paradox of corruption and conscience in the pharmaceutical industry is first that it attracts a lot of idealistic people keen to work on ways of solving health problems, but second that the realities of the pharmaceuticals' market make the temptation for corporate crime unusually acute.

The pharmaceutical industry is very much like the aerospace and defence industries - the future of a company often depends on securing the support of a small number of people who can unlock a big market for a single product which has already cost the company a fortune to develop. Just as aerospace companies face great temptations to bribe defence chiefs to secure one big sale of their new supersonic fighter, pharmaceutical executives confront massive win-lose decision points when national health authorities decide whether to approve their new drug for marketing.

Often the product will have cost $50 million of company funds to develop. A single national market might recover that entire up-front expenditure. Equally, a single pricing decision by a social security bureaucrat on a company's leading product will often decide whether the national subsidiary will run at a profit or a loss for the year. In this way companies which sell pills are different from those which sell breakfast cereals. The temptation to dishonestly secure the one big sale of cornflakes is not common; so one does not see the culture of corruption which characterizes the pharmaceutical industry.

How do honest people survive in an industry where so much unethical and downright criminal conduct occurs? They survive because they have no contact with it and mostly no knowledge of it. Organizational complexity in a large corporation makes it quite possible for the left hand not to know what its right hand is doing. And if the right hand is engaged in fraud and bribery, then organizational complexity is exaggerated to prevent knowledge of wrongdoing from spreading to other parts of the firm. The left hand would probably rather not know about it in any case.

Some American pharmaceutical companies take this to extraordinary lengths: they have 'vice-presidents responsible for going to jail' whose job it is to act as a scapegoat for corporate crime, to have the buck stop with them rather than taint the chief executive with knowledge of illegality.

But mostly the ways of protecting pharmaceutical executives from their own consciences are more straightforward. The quality control manager is an honest person who takes pride in producing a product which is always sterile, pure and made exactly to specifications. She or he is very busy at this important task and doesn't take time to find out that these pills are being promoted in Brazil for totally inappropriate conditions or that the specifications she so meticulously follows are partially based on fraudulent testing. Moreover, the corporate culture has taught her that the activities of the Brazilian subsidiary are none of her business.

The difference between socially responsible and corrupt companies is that in the former, ethical questions are everyone's business. In a socially responsible company there are mechanisms for a researcher who discovers a dangerous side-effect to blow the whistle within the company if his superiors cover up the discovery; the researcher can complain to an ethics committee of the board or an internal ombudsman if the Brazilian subsidiary ignores new information on the product.

However most pharmaceutical companies do not look to break down the barriers which protect the ethical majority of executives from their own consciences. That leaves it up to external critics to prick the consciences of the decent corporate employees. For it is insiders who, in the long run, are in the best position to prevent the day-to-day predations of the industry.

The international consumer movement, organized under the umbrella of Health Action International (see page 25), has been the most important of these outside forces.

The consumer movement has become increasingly sophisticated in the way it approaches the industry. There is now a realisation that most pharmaceutical industry executives do have consciences which can be stirred; and there are a great many 'sleepers', covert supporters of the consumer movement's campaigns. Further, because any pharmaceutical company is uniquely dependent on its reputation to sell products to doctors and hospital administrators in a way that companies which sell cornflakes or cigarettes are not, it is highly sensitive to publicity and community campaigns which tarnish its image.

So there are grounds for optimism that consumer activism can deliver reform. Indeed, there is already growing evidence of a willingness of the transnational pharmaceutical companies to respond constructively to the criticisms put publicly by activist groups.

Apart from internal critics and the threat of damage from unwelcome publicity, a further control mechanism to protect public interest is criminal law. It is an under-utilized weapon which can break down the barriers protecting honest executives from their own consciences. Criminal law is also the tonic needed for the consciences of many government officials. After all, with bribery it takes two to tango.

My research found that when bribes are paid to Latin American health ministers to secure government approval of a new product, the proposition is put as one of speeding up the inevitable approval of a product which will prevent much suffering or death. That is, the Minister's conscience is protected because he accepts the company's view that he is acting in the public interest by taking the bribe.

Criminal prosecutions would highlight publicly that when decisions on drug approvals are made on the basis of bribes rather than scientific assessment, lives will be lost, not saved. Fraud and crude misrepresentations in advertising for wonder drugs can have cruel repercussions on the community's health. It is up to the community to enforce the criminal prosecutions needed to jolt the industry into reassessing misplaced priorities. Healthy people are more important than healthy corporate ledgers. And the two need not conflict.

John Braithwaite is Senior Research Fellow, School of Social Sciences, Australian National University as well as author of Inequality, Crime and Public Policy and Corporate Crime in the Pharmaceutical Industry.

1 Corporate Crime in the Pharmacautical Industry, Routledge & Kegan Paul. 1984.
2 These practices are illustrated with many specific examples from North America, Europe and Japan in Corporate Crime in the Pharmaceutical Industry

SOURCE

Fid

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of fake blogs using the same name.

Also writing for MyFace Networking

GSK's Alli Linked to Liver Failure!

2009-07-05T08:01:00.003+01:00

Source: Sunday Mail
Hat-Tip - Ruth

A slimming pill that triggered massive sales when it was launched earlier this year is being investigated amid fears it is linked to liver damage.

Alli, which blocks the absorption of fat in the gut, is the first diet pill of its kind to be available without prescription.

Its main ingredient is the drug orlistat. But now the US medicine watchdog, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is investigating a series of alerts from patients who developed problems while taking orlistat.

The UK drugs regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has also received 31 reports of side effects linked to orlistat since Alli was launched in April.

But it was not able to say if those were from patients taking Alli or the stronger pill Xenical – which also contains orlistat but is available only on prescription.

Since Xenical became available in 2001, 24 patients taking it have died, one of liver failure and the others from heart attacks, gall bladder inflammation, multi-organ failure and lung clots. There were also five cases of sudden death where the cause was unclear. In total, the MHRA has received 1,252 reports from patients of potential side effects from Xenical, including heart problems, gastrointestinal issues and skin complaints. Nearly 100 were connected with liver problems.

On the day Alli was launched in the UK, £1million worth of pills were sold. But it has already provoked controversy. Manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) claims it can boost weight loss by up to 50 per cent, helping dieters lose an extra 1lb for every 2lb shed.

Read More

Related Links:

This size-8 girl was able to buy diet pills [Alli] at her local chemists

Alli pimping - GSK's new Ally

Diet drug Xenical renamed Alli, still a cancer worry

Angry Aussie slams Alli

GlaxoSmithKline Complaints Dept

Alli - The Poem

Experts wary of new diet pill

GSK - The Alli Spin

GSK 'Crossing the line with Alli

GSK's Alli and The Obesity Society

GSK's Alli

GlaxoSmithKline's 'Belly' laugh

Lose Weight with GSK's Alli...

Fid

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of fake blogs using the same name.

Also writing for MyFace Networking

Penetanguishene: Leading The Lamb To Slaughter Part IV

2009-07-04T09:36:00.003+01:00

Penetanguishene: Leading The Lamb To Slaughter Part IV

Story by 'Miss S'

Previous entries here:

Part I - Suicide is painless
Part II - Dr. Fargher I presume?
Part III - Whatever Happened to Compassion

The end is nigh
“To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping”
Chinese Proverb

It seemed to me that working at Penetanguishene Mental Health Facility has some strange employee benefits. Computer games were a personal favourite of certain employees and so was doing their own personal laundry on the assessment floor. I wish, today, my employer would let me do my laundry at work, it would sure cut down on the water bills at home. More importantly I would have more time with my family.

It seems our government is very generous to government health care workers. I read an article about a manager at Penetanguishene Mental Health Facility whom was earning in excess of $150,000 a year. During a strike he was paid $50,000 in overtime during the course of five weeks. Strike or no strike, where do I sign up?

Employees at Penetanguishene Mental Health Facility even get to nap at night when everyone is sent to bed. My current employer does not allow napping either. I think we should all work for the government. Talk about perks!

By the end of my mandatory 72 hour 'sentence' I was told I was going home. I was no longer a threat to myself or society. I had never been a threat to society so that part did not shock me. Dr. Pigeon talked to me about Paxil withdrawal. I had been on 90mgs daily when my GP had reduced the amount by 30mgs. He felt quite certain that the suicide had been severe Paxil withdrawal. Did this mean I was not a criminal any more? I am still unsure.

I was never so glad to leave somewhere in all my life but I did feel guilty leaving that woman that had been screaming "Help me, please help me", from the window. Actually I felt guilty about leaving them all behind. I went to the graduation, I saw the kids and hugged them as tightly as I could and then we drove back up to Rosseau. It was late at night when we arrived. I jumped in the shower and made it as hot as I could stand. I scrubbed my skin until it was raw. I wanted to get that place off of me. I wanted the memories to wash down the drain and never be heard from again. I was in there for an hour or more. I remember sitting on the shower floor. I have never cried as hard and for as long as I did then. I thought the tears would never stop.

There was a moment during all of this, after Penetanguishene and before going back to the city, when I was still recovering at the cottage, that I will never forget.
It was late one night at the end of the summer, I think around 3am when my teenage son woke me up. My husband had brought the kids up that weekend for a visit. he did that every weekend while I was there. It was hard on him because he spent so much time in the car and his job was demanding. Then on Friday's he would pack them all up and come to see me.

My son scared me a little. I was startled to see him at the edge of my bed leaning over me, gently shaking me. He said, "Can you come in the sun room?" I got up right away thinking there had to be something really wrong. He never does that and is too old to be afraid of the dark. My heart started racing when I quietly followed him to the back of the house, the entire time I followed him I was thinking of all the things he would need to say to me at 3am and I was worried something was very wrong. We sat on the couch. I could hear the lake water and the breeze felt really good coming in the window. It had been really hot that day. He held my hand. I remember that, then he looked at me and I could see he had been crying. His eyes were swollen. He said, and I will never forget this, "Mom... I need you to get better and come home." The next day I began planning on when I would leave the cottage and go home for good. Four weeks later I was back at home and six weeks later, still coasting on about 30mgs of Paxil. By then, I had gone back to work. Every single time I faced a difficult patch, which was quite often in the beginning, I remember the look on his face that night and the words he spoke.Sometimes I think those few moments and his courage to tell me what I really needed to hear, and what he needed from me, saved all our lives.

I spent two months recovering from everything before I left the cottage and went home to the life and people I had to face. As hard as I tried Penetanguishene Mental Health Facility and Dr. T. J. Fargher did a pretty good job convincing me that I was a horrible person. I found it hard at first to face people that knew what had happened. Had it not been for the fact that the kids needed their mother completely and to be actively involved I quite easily could have stayed at home and hid from the world. My children needed me and I owed them so much. I started off with little outings. Eventually things got easier. My husband never forced me to do anything or go anywhere. He was very patient and kind as always. He was even kind about the nightmares I had. I would wake up nearly screaming. It was always the same. I was at Penetanguishene and that woman that was screaming from the window was jumping out and begging me to catch her. She was full of blood. It was just a dream but I had it many times. There were other times too when the guilt ripped through me and it would be followed by massive anxiety. I would wake my husband gently and ask, "Hug me for a little bit", he always did without question and then I would slip back off to sleep.

I spent months at the computer doing research, trying to figure out how I would get off the remainder of the Paxil I was still on. It was not going to be easy. But by then I knew I could only depend on myself. Psychiatry, for me, was out of the question. They had poisoned me, nearly killed me and then when that did not work they were just darn right cruel, treated me like it was all my fault and called it therapy. I would rather be dead then endure that again.

Coming Soon. Part V: Memories

Interviewer: Bob Fiddaman, Author of Seroxat Sufferers Blog.

http://fiddaman.blogspot.com

Copyright: http://bobfiddaman.com

Please do not reproduce (in print or on websites) without express permission from Bob Fiddaman and the author, who wishes to remain anonymous. We appreciate your truthfulness and respect for the law.

Any correspondence to use the material contained within this file should be mailed directly to fiddaman64@blueyonder.co.uk

[1] http://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/87853/ON/Parry-Sound/Fargher
[2] http://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/868341/ON/North-York/Fareau-Weyl

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of blogs using the same name and posting as me.

"Off-Label" Prescribing

2009-07-03T11:38:00.003+01:00

Phil Dawdy over at Furious Seasons has an interesting post this morning. Antipsychotic Use Up 1,000 Percent In Canadian Kids, highlights the number of children taking medications known as atypical antipsychotics in Canada has increased tenfold over the past decade.

This interested me as I've recently been in correspondence with the MHRA with regard to "off-label" prescribing. A practise, I believe, is the crux of the non-acceptance by doctors that SSRi withdrawal is an issue.

If a doctor deems it fit to prescribe an SSRi to a child, despite that particular drug being banned for use in that age group, then what hope do adults have when complaining to their doctor about a whole host of problems they have when tapering?

Conversations with the MHRA has proved baffling as it seems they are powerless to stop this practise of "off-label" prescribing.

I don't actually know who has the authority to stop it? Surely this is hugely problematic.

The MHRA have recently uploaded a 'Drug Safety Update' (April 2009 edition) where "off-label" prescribing is highlighted. It still does not throw any light on this subject other than basically telling the doctor that they are responsible for the drugs they prescribe... at least that's the way I see it?

What we have here is:

1. Pharmaceutical Product
2. MHRA Rules [ie; Not recommended for persons under the age of -------- Fill blank]
3. GP's

Now, something is obviously very unclear and confusing here. Transparency is missing.

On one hand, the regulator have in their possession evidence that SSRi's are not beneficial to a certain age group. They then inform doctor's of this evidence. In the same breath they are condoning [because in essence that's what they are doing] that SSRi's be used in the very same age group that they have evidence to suggest that this age group may be at harm if they take these SSRi's?

Confused?

Here's the rub.

The MHRA can completely wash their hands of any adverse reaction a patient in this age group may have because they have already warned doctors about it. Same goes for the manufacturers of these drugs, they too are in the clear if any patient in a certain age group has an adverse reaction because they have also stated that their drug is not recommended for persons under the age of ----- [fill in blank] - well, they have now - basically because of one pharmaceutical company hiding evidence that a particular SSRi was less than beneficial to children. [GSK/SEROXAT]

So, the onus is on your doctor to decide whether or not a drug that has not been recommended for you child is suitable for your child.

Here we have MANUFACTURER - REGULATOR - RETAILER - CONSUMER

The manufacturer and regulator are telling the retailer the particular product is unsafe to "sell" to a certain age-group. The retailer [Doctor's] can, on their own behest "sell" the product to the consumer [our children]

For those of us with children, I'd like you all to ask your child to run down to the corner shop and purchase a bottle of Jack Daniels and 20 cigarettes. If they get served, what would you do about it?

This is happening across all doctor's surgeries in the UK. Our children are being given something that, like booze and cigarettes, is prohibited in certain age-groups. Can you imagine if a pub landlord sold booze to a 10 year old on his own behest or a shop owner sold cigarettes to a 6 year old on his own behest?

But booze and cigarettes are way too risky for children would be the MHRA's and pharmaceutical companies response, wouldn't it?

Well so are SSRi's - you've said so yourselves!

I'm highly sceptical here. Don't you think this is merely a way of stopping lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies at the same time lining their pockets?

It's a major cop-out as far as I'm concerned. It's nobody wishing to take accountability.

As parents you should all be disgusted that this is allowed to happen, same way you would be disgusted if your child was sold cigarettes or alcohol.

The MHRA have in their possession a huge influential tool. It's the word 'REGULATE'. They are quick enough to raid shops selling non-pharmaceutical wares yet act like sloth's when drugs they have not recommended are being given to minors.

I want this "off-label" prescribing nonsense to stop. I want someone to take responsibility instead of passing the buck, a buck that goes round and round in circles because not one single person or organisation has the decency or humanity to say, "Enough is enough."

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of blogs using the same name and posting as me.

Also writing for MyFace Networking

Penetanguishene: Leading The Lamb To Slaughter Part III

2009-07-02T23:40:00.004+01:00

Part I - Suicide is painless
Part II - Dr. Fargher I presume?

PART III

Whatever happened to compassion?

“In order to get power and retain it, it is necessary to love power; but love of power is not connected with goodness but with qualities that are the opposite of goodness, such as pride, cunning and cruelty”
Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

There was another person in the assessment room with us. I was not really sure why he was there but I knew he worked there. Then came all the questions which he asked me. Do you take illegal substances? Have you ever been convicted of a violent crime? Do you have cigarettes on you? I can't remember all the questions but they were the kind of questions that would easily offend, especially if you have not even had a speeding ticket in all your life and to someone who has never been a fan of illegal substances. I smoked cigarettes. That was my sin. That and attempting to take my own life. I was not sure but I had a feeling that it meant I was now some sort of criminal. After all, if I was not a criminal then why the bars on the windows and the restraints on the bed? Why did they send a female version of Adolph Hitler in to speak with me about frightening and traumatic events of my life and events I still had not spoken about to anyone? I never really did answer her questions. I was never an open book to begin with but especially not to someone that clearly hated me before knowing me.

Finally I got to leave the room. I walked out to find my husband. We sat in the common area. I did not tell him what she said or the questions they asked me. He would have flipped his lid and that would not have been good. After all, he got to walk out of there. I was stuck there for a mandatory 72 hours and if they felt I was still a threat to myself or anyone else they could keep me up to 2 weeks. I remembered the ambulance attendants words of warning. "Do your time and get the hell out of there"

After a while that same man that had been in the assessment room with the female version of Hitler came to me and gave me my afternoon meds. I did not realise until afterwards, when I started to feel severe anxiety and drowsyness, that they had given me far too much. My husband went to the nursing station and asked them, "What did you give her?" , he had been my nurse long enough to know what I looked like or how I reacted when over medicated. He knew instinctively they had overdosed me. He corrected them with the dose but I know he was concerned about them giving me too much because when he called me the following day he asked me about it and made me promise to make sure it was the right amount and no more.

The first night was like your first night in prison. I was lucky because I had a room-mate that was so nice. Actually every single patient there was very nice and helpful. Mostly they would reassure me that everything would be OK and that I would be out of there in 72 hours. I was not so convinced. Hitler hated me. She seemed to enjoy her position of power and far too much. I lay there in that room which was stifling. there was no air and I felt I could not breathe. I wanted to cry but I held it back. I went to the nursing station. I thought maybe the nurse would make me feel better. She did not. I told her this place is so intimidating, she had this smug look on her face. She said nothing. She gave me a sleeping pill and sent me back to bed. "You are suppose to talk about things during the day, not at night!" . I went back to the room I was assigned to.

The next day I was relieved to find I did not get Hitler as my doctor. Instead I ended up with Dr. Pigeon. At first I was not thrilled with him. He seemed really strange. He called me into this room where we sat and talked. At first he said nothing. He just sat there reading my file as though I were not even in the room. Then he started laughing , not to me but at something in my file and to himself. He looked at me and asked, "Are you a puppeteer?" To this day I have no idea what the hell he was talking about and he never did elaborate. He asked questions and I answered them but I did not breakdown and cry the way I wanted to. I just answered the questions. I saved the crying for later.

That evening I called my mother. One of the kids was graduating from middle school and I was afraid that if they kept me I would not be able to attend the graduation. This is not something a parent should ever miss but it was not up to me. My mom and dad were three hours from the city. I wanted her to promise me she would attend the graduation in my place if I they decided to keep me the two weeks rather than the 72 hours. She would have to make arrangements to get back to the city. "Call me in an hour or two, and I will see what I can do in the meantime", she said. I did not realise there was a restriction on what time I could use the phone until I went to use it an hour or so later, to call my mom back. The Pay phone was directly across from the nursing station. Another patient told me it was too late to use the phone. I wanted to die. I needed to make sure my mother had made arrangements for the graduation. I could not imagine my child not having me there but grandma would be the next best thing. I went to the nursing station and I asked the same nurse [that gave me the sleeping pill the night before], if I could call my mom about my child's graduation. "NO! You already did that", she was very abrupt but I was getting use to it all by then. What shocked me more was that she was actually listening in on my earlier phone conversation. I said nothing.

That night they gave me twice the amount of medication again. My husband had to call them. He was very upset about this and almost in panic when I told him. He called the nurses station immediately after we got off the phone.

I cried that night thinking about everything and having no one to talk to that could make me feel better. I wanted to see the kids so badly but I did not want them to see me in that place. It would scare the hell out of them. No child should have those kind of memories.

On the second full day at Penetanguishene I decided to go on a tour of the grounds with a few others. It was hot outside. The tour guide was a perfect guide. He knew every little detail about the history of Penetanguishene. I wish he had not. Every place you looked there were reminders on both the outside and inside of the place, taking you back to the days of lobotomies and forced electric shock. Children that had been abandoned by their parents because they were disabled in some way and left at that place to rot. I did not find it entertaining, I found it horrifying. I can't remember exactly where but in one of the buildings there are pictures and memorabilia on the walls, placed there like medals of honour awarded after battle - only there was nothing honourable about these medals. Who the hell wants to celebrate the torture of innocent people as though its not happening any more? It is still happening in Penetanguishene. Was this supposed to impress me? I had another anxiety attack and I wanted to bawl my eyes out thinking about those helpless children in the care of mad scientists. It was those scientists who needed medication and therapy more than their patients! There is a cemetery on the grounds too. People that had been buried there and forgotten long ago. Not a single flower or stone of remembrance or caring. I started to wonder if that was the point of it all? Did the staff at Penetanguishene want us to feel hopeless and isolated, forgotten and evil? Was this all about intimidation humiliation and control? If not, then what else could it be? How could otherwise intelligent people wind up to be so stupid but more importantly, incredibly cruel? Who's bright idea was to gather them all up and put them in health care?

I don't know the name of the building, there are a few on the property but it was across from the building I was in. Other patients told me horror stories of things that went on in that building. I don't know if I did not believe them or just did not want to believe but during that second day when we had gone outside I heard a woman screaming bloody murder, out of a window, from that building. I will never forget the sound of absolute terror in her voice. "Help me, please God, help me." It still haunts me to this day. I wished I had been my old self right then, just for her. I would have marched in there and demanded to know what the hell they were doing to her. I would have done everything and anything to get to the bottom of it because that's the way I was before Paxil. I was fearless and never intimidated by anyone that I felt was abusive to another human being. Typically, I've always been shy and quiet most of the time but when it comes to cruelty and abuse, especially of children or the elderly, look out, because nothing upsets me more. I suddenly lose all shyness as though it never existed in the first place.

Coming Soon. Part IV: The End is Nigh

Interviewer: Bob Fiddaman, Author of Seroxat Sufferers Blog.

http://fiddaman.blogspot.com

Copyright: http://bobfiddaman.com

Please do not reproduce (in print or on websites) without express permission from Bob Fiddaman and the author, who wishes to remain anonymous. We appreciate your truthfulness and respect for the law.

Any correspondence to use the material contained within this file should be mailed directly to fiddaman64@blueyonder.co.uk

[1] http://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/87853/ON/Parry-Sound/Fargher
[2] http://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/868341/ON/North-York/Fareau-Weyl

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of blogs using the same name and posting as me.

Also writing for MyFace Networking

Emory University - "Double Standards"

2009-07-02T11:15:00.003+01:00

It seems the top brass at Emory University don't like to be associated with blogs these days... unless of course the author/s cover them in garlands that is.

Doug Bremner, who writes the insightful, 'Before You Take That Pill' blog has been told by Emory to remove their name. Bremner, who is ironically a professor of psychiatry and radiology at Emory, recently added the post, 'I Am Removing the Name of My University From This Blog.'

What strikes me here is that Emory officials seem to be ashamed of their tainted past. Remember it was Emory who remained quiet over Charles Nemeroff and his money making ties to the pharmaceutical industry, in particular, GlaxoSmithKline. Nemeroff failed to tell Emory about $500,000 he received from drug maker GlaxoSmithKline PLC while heading a government-funded research project studying Glaxo drugs.

Here we have two men in Bremner and Nemeroff. One who fails to tell Emory what he is doing, whilst the other proudly tells his readers of his connections with Emory.

Emory University, it appears, is nothing more than a pharmaceutical rep breeding ground. One would imagine that it is okay for Emory students to peddle in illegal drugs... as long as Emory officials don't know about it!

It's laughable.

Although I'm not all too happy with Bremner's company he keeps, he doesn't deserve this - which in essence, is nothing more than bullying.

Emory have shot themselves in the foot and gained further bad publicity with this latest attempt to stifle voices.

I hereby award them the Seroxat Sufferers Dumbass Award.

EMORY, YOU ARE DUMB ASSES!

Fid

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of blogs with the same name and cretins posting using my name.

Also writing for MyFace Networking

Glaxo's Zyban requires a boxed warning about the risk of serious mental-health symptoms

2009-07-02T06:55:00.002+01:00

Source: WSJ Health Blog

The FDA announcement today that smoking-cessation drug Chantix should require a boxed warning about the risk of serious mental-health symptoms isn’t particularly surprising.

The Pfizer drug has been investigated by U.S. and European regulators since 2007 for concerns about suicide risks and other events like blackouts. Since that time, Pfizer has beefed up warnings on the drug’s label, the U.K. has issued a warning letter about its connection to suicide and the FAA banned its use in pilots and air-traffic controllers. As a result, Chantix sales — which Pfizer had once called its fastest drug launch ever — have rollercoastered. U.S. Chantix sales decreased 30% in 2008 to $489 million compared with 2007.

Unexpectedly, today’s FDA action also affects another smoking-cessation drug, GlaxoSmithKline’s Zyban. Curt Rosebraugh, director of the FDA’s Office of Drug Evaluation II, said that initially Zyban and nicotine-replacement patches served as comparisons to Chantix, but investigators noticed that “the characteristics of the reports [with Zyban] seemed to be the same as with Chantix,” Rosebraugh said during a news briefing.

FULL STORY

You may remember a few days ago, I had researched Penetanguishine Mental Health Centre in Ontario, Canada and learned that in 2003 they announced that the use of tobacco products would no longer be allowed anywhere on its 225-acre grounds. As a replacement, Penetanguishine used nicotine replacement therapy, Zyban and other pharmacological aids were made available to all appropriate patients.

So using drugs on patients with mental illnesses that were for apparent 'nicotine replacement', was merely adding to the cocktail mix of mind-bending drugs!

I wrote an FOI to Penetanguishine. They have never replied.

Something stinks about that place - it reeks of something very dark and sinister.

Related links:

Penetanguishene: Leading The Lamb To Slaughter Part I

Penetanguishene: Leading The Lamb To Slaughter Part II

Fid

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of fake blogs using the same name.

Also writing for MyFace Networking

Penetanguishene: Leading The Lamb To Slaughter Part II

2009-07-01T16:55:00.003+01:00

Story written by 'Miss S'

Penetanguishene: Leading The Lamb To Slaughter

Part I here

PART II

Dr. Fargher I presume?

"Psychiatry, Penetanguishene, Glaxosmithkline, Health regulators, the politiicans that should be doing something, ghost writers...It all has a funny smell... It smells like lies"
Miss S

Three days later I woke up in the Intensive care unit at Parry Sound West Hospital. I had a tube that went in my mouth and thread its way down into my lungs. I could hear the beeping of the heart monitor and I knew that I was completely naked beneath the sheets. I wondered where my clothes had gone. I remember Dr. T.J Fargher asking me if I wanted the tube out. I nodded that I did. They took it out which is not very pleasant in itself.

Fargher has mixed comments online at ratemds.com. One comment [1] goes as far as accusing him of contributing to the death of a woman with:

“I believe due to his absence and ego, he contributed to the death of my mother-in-law. She had congestive heart failure which lead to Ascites. We had to beg for a Thoracentesis - 2xs. We were ignored until we had a power of attorney drafted and my husband had to insist on the procedure. The guy is rude, egotistical and never around. He needs to retire and soon!!”

Dr. Fargher and I had words the next day which was a Thursday. I could not understand why he was attacking me. He did not ask me a single question that I recall he just attacked as though he were talking to someone that had committed a crime he found appalling. Sometimes I wish he had asked me questions because maybe he would have found the source of the problem and that would have given me some relief. But he was too involved in his own ranting and I knew that it was a waste of time to even try to explain something to someone that even I did not really understand. I cried instead. I cried for days.

I asked Dr. Fargher when I would be getting my medication. At that time I was on benzodiazapenes, Seroquel and Paxil to name a few. I think I was taking Ritalin then too, for apparent Attention-deficit disorder [ADD.] What a roller-coaster ride of emotions. Up and down, up and down. I'm not sure what else they had me on by then. I can't remember them all. Nor do I want to. Anyone with even the slightest knowledge of psychiatric medications knows what happens when those drugs are suddenly halted. He told me that I would not be getting any of my medication for 72 hours but by then it was Thursday and I had not had anything since Sunday. I tried to explain that it would make me very sick if I had to wait that long, it always did, but back then I was never quite sure why. I thought it was severe depression coming back but it was not, it was severe withdrawal which I later learned about.

There were times in months prior when I would run out of pills. I would become so ill emotionally that I could not stand it. I admit that I drank booze to take the edge off. I would drink enough to make myself pass out so that I would not kill myself. It was either drink booze or die. I picked the booze a few times. I had never abused alcohol in my life, prior to that.

Today, and after all the research, I now know that Paxil has a very short half life. Withdrawal would kick in very quickly and mercilessly for me. I knew the suicidal feelings would kick in again and what would I do then? He had me on suicide watch. Jumping out the window would be impossible. Explaining this to him was a waste of time, "That's too bad" , he said and stormed out of the room.

Finally the day came when I was transferred by ambulance to Penetanguishene Mental Health Facility. I was relieved to not have to face Dr. Fargher anymore but scared to death to go to Penetanguishene. I knew nothing about the place. I'd never heard of it before which is all well and good because if I had I would have been far more panic stricken then what I was.

I said goodbye to my elderly room-mate who I really did like and whose daughter was so sweet to visit her mother several times/daily. You could tell they were close and I was glad for her. She was the sweetest old lady I'd ever met next to my own grandmother who had passed away many years prior.

The ambulance ride seemed to take forever. The ambulance attendant that rode in the back with me was really nice. She told me about her rebellious teenage daughter and we laughed about the trials and tribulations of child rearing but then she suddenly became very serious with me as we got closer to Penetanguishene. She asked me if I knew about Penetanguishene. I told her I did not and had never heard of it. "It's not a nice place" , she said as she tried to warn me without terrifying me. She leaned over and said in a very serious voice, "Do your time and get the hell out of there.”. I will never forget the way she said it or the look on her face. I think my heart started to race. I hoped she was exaggerating but one look at the assessment room and I knew she had not been.

This might sound really mellow dramatic but do you know that movie Sixth Sense? Bruce Willis plays a psychiatrist in the film that is actually dead but does not realise it. I sat in that room waiting for the doctor that would assess me. I was staring out the window. I suddenly wondered if I had not survived my own suicide attempt at all. I started to wonder if I had actually died and gone to hell.

My husband was there with me. He had followed the ambulance from Parry Sound West to Penetanguishene Mental Health Facility. He tried to make light of it but I could tell that he was nearly as rattled as I was. “Why are there bars on the window?”, I asked him. I know that if it were not mandatory that I serve a 72 hour sentence for attempting suicide he would have rushed me out of there as quickly as they had rushed me in. "I'm not sure why?" , he said.

The air was stale and the walls needed a good cleaning and painting. The floor was older than I was. I looked at this metal framed bed off to the side. The torn and tattered blanket that looked like a victim itself was just lying there lifeless. I noticed restraints at each corner of the bed. That was it. I almost threw up. “Where the hell am I?”, I asked him. I wondered if they had all lied to me and I was actually in a prison of some kind.

I kept staring at him and I know the tears were welling up in my eyes. “How did I get this way?”, I asked him. "I don't know babe", he said. And that was the truth. Neither of us could really make heads or tails of it at the time. We had great kids and a lovely home and then everything was turned upside down. "I'm so sorry", I told him. I did not really want to talk about what had happened or what I had done but I needed him to know how sorry I was just in case I really was dead and that was the last I would ever see him or that he could ever hear me or worse yet...what if they kept me there for the rest of my life? I decided that would have been far worse than death.

I don't know how many minutes passed by when Dr. Joelle Farreau -Weyl walked in the room with her ego. She was not friendly or warm in any way at all. I immediately did not like her and based on the way she spoke to me, she did not like me either even though we had never met previously. She went on a rant about my children and compared them to the children of diplomats. I wanted to tell her that I was not a diplomat but I had a feeling that interrupting her would not be a good idea. Part of me wondered if she was taking too much medication or what her diagnosis was. I even wondered if some patient had dressed up in a skirt and heels and was impersonating a doctor for kicks. She was not helpful. She was a nightmare. That's it, I decided I had really died and I had really gone straight to hell for taking my own life. The Bible was right. I was a sinner and I deserved this. The worst part was when I told her I just want to get better and get home to my kids. They were being cared for by their father. "How do you know they want you back with them?", she asked. "Because they said they did" , I replied, which they did, especially when they realised something was very wrong. I may have been guilty of many things but I was always a very good mother. I was and still am very close to my children. "Children lie" , she told me without a single bit of feeling and as though throwing that in my face made her feel good about herself. I honestly think she got some sick morbid satisfaction out of that twenty minutes or so.

Dr. Joelle Fareau-Weyl has a pretty abysmal rating if user comments are anything to go by. Two comments online [2] at ratemds.com pretty much sum up how others feel about her. One post writes:

“Rudeness, judgmental comments, especially to patients with addiction issues, short-temper, poor listening which leads to poor diagnosis, to the degree almost pathological. Her 'bedside manner' should be reported to the College.”

Whilst another writes:

“I only went to see this doctor once as I was referred to her by my family physician. This doctor was very judgemental and rude to me. As I was explaining what the matter was I could see her snickering and smirking which I thought was very unprofessional given her line of practice. She also yelled at me because when she asked me how my diet was I replied that I ate sufficient amounts of carbs and proteins and she didn't like that answer so she yelled. I left her office and never went back.”

Coming Soon. Part III: Whatever Happened to Compassion?

Interviewer: Bob Fiddaman, Author of Seroxat Sufferers Blog.

http://fiddaman.blogspot.com

Copyright: http://bobfiddaman.com

Please do not reproduce (in print or on websites) without express permission from Bob Fiddaman and the author, who wishes to remain anonymous. We appreciate your truthfulness and respect for the law.

Any correspondence to use the material contained within this file should be mailed directly to fiddaman64@blueyonder.co.uk

[1] http://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/87853/ON/Parry-Sound/Fargher
[2] http://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/868341/ON/North-York/Fareau-Weyl

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of blogs using the same name and posting as me.

Glaxo's Cervarix - 4,074 suspected reactions

2009-07-01T09:16:00.003+01:00

This report summarises the adverse reactions suspected to have been caused by Cervarix human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in the UK. This includes reports received between 14 April 2008 and 24 June 2009. These reports have been voluntarily submitted to the MHRA by healthcare professionals and members of the public via the Yellow Card Scheme (visit www.yellowcard.gov.uk) and by the manufacturers of the vaccine as part of their legal requirements.

REMEMBER - THESE ADVERSE REACTIONS ARE ONLY THE ONES THE MHRA HAVE RECEIVED, FROM HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, GLAXOSMITHKLINE AND VIA THEIR YELLOW CARD SYSTEM.

Personally, I believe the yellow card system is failing to protect the British public. The MHRA are well aware of my views on this.

Currently the adverse reactions to GlaxoSmithKline's Cervarix is thus:

Total number of reports received: 1,828
Total number of suspected reactions: 4,074

I think we can safely assume that these numbers could be multiplied by ten to get a more truer figure of the problem... but that's just my opinion.

Document from MHRA website HERE

Fid

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of fake blogs using my name.

Also writing for MyFace Networking

Read more about Cervarix:

GSK - A Catalogue of Disasters!

Glaxo: "Promote More, Feel Better and Live a Life of Luxury"

Glaxo Goes Head-to-Head on HPV

Teenage Girls Sue Over GSK's Cancer Jab, Cervarix!

GlaxoSmithKline submits final study data to FDA for cervical cancer vaccine

HPV Vaccine Video on Youtube

Concerns over GSK's Cervarix vaccine

UP YOURS GLAXO!

Mindy Merck & Gail Glaxo Dilemma

LOLA'S LAND PROMOTING HPV VACCINE

GlaxoSmithKline's Cervarix. Is Your Daughter Safe?

More debate on GSK's Cervarix

Cervical Cancer, Ofsted & GlaxoSmithKline

Penetanguishene: Leading The Lamb To Slaughter Part I

2009-06-30T17:55:00.003+01:00

The following is a result of an interview conducted by myself over a period of many days and nights. The person telling the story is real. She wishes to remain anonymous.

Story written by 'Miss S'

Penetanguishene: Leading The Lamb To Slaughter

Part I

Suicide is painless

“No life that breathes with human breath

Has ever truly longed for death”

ALFRED TENNYSON, The Two Voices

I was not sure how I felt about writing this in the beginning. Part of me wanted to cling to what dignity this entire experience has left me with, which in the beginning was not much at all. But I spoke to my son one afternoon when he was home sick from school. He said, "Martin Luther King did not fight for equality for blacks by keeping silent." From the mouths of babes.

The Canadian Mental Health Association[CMHA] objective is to eradicate stigmas. I'm quite certain this objective was funded by pharma. After all, if people are more apt to run to their doctors and say "I'm feeling depressed" and not be afraid of the stigma, companies like GSK profit from this and not a little profit but millions and millions of dollars worth, Right?

But this is where things get a little sticky. On one hand if someone is very depressed and it's deeply affecting their life then you want them to get help for it. Depression is a treatable condition. (I refuse to call it a disease due to lack of scientific evidence) But what is happening here is that we are medicating normal human behaviour [feeling low] and calling it mental illness, Premenstrual syndrome [PMS] is now Premenstrual dysphoric disorder [PMDD](as in my case). If you read the story about what happened to me with the massive anti psychotic cocktail I was taking then you know that there is a huge problem here. If my story was in the minority then it would not be so bad... but its not. That combined with the experience with Dr. T. J. Fargher and Penetanguishene Mental Health Facility is enough to scare the hell out of anyone.

And it should.

So while I agree with eradicating silly stigmas I also realize that in many cases creating this massive awareness has been a little bit like leading the lamb to slaughter.

I do not trust psychiatry. I don't trust them to protect their patients from companies like GlaxoSmithKline. I do not trust their science because there isn't any. I don't trust them to be rational and not over-pathologize because that's what they do best. I don't trust them to treat their patients like normal human beings because that has not been my experience. (Don't tell me that mentally ill people are not criminals and then ask me if I have ever used illegal substances or been convicted of a violent crime upon assessment.) Do they ask cancer patients these questions when they are admitted to hospital? Of course not. By the way, the answer is "NO" to both questions.

I do not trust them not to demoralize a person that is suffering severely and almost died a week prior because that's what they did. Penetanguishene Mental Health Facility is barbaric. Canada should be ashamed that it is still in operation. Turn it into a museum and an example of what not to do. That's all it's good for.

If psychiatrists were protecting their patients interests then why is there no withdrawal protocol for severe SSRI withdrawal in Canada? Nope, we don't have one! This is a HUGE problem. The MHRA is working on one with you Fid and Dr. David Healy. How pathetic is it when a consumer is the one to step forward and put his work and time into while psychiatry sits there with their fingers up their ass and do nothing? If it was not so serious it would almost be funny.

I do however realise that there are some psychiatrists who are very good at what they do and do take action to protect their patients. (They are few and far between) Dr. David Healy is one of them. If all psychiatrists would follow his lead then we would be much better off but that would not be profitable for pharma so pharma does their best to undermine him which has not worked. Healy is a recognized authority in his field. Dr. David Healy has huge courage to do what he has done. It says a lot about his character. It's not easy to go up against big pharma but it is possible and he has proven that.

Going back to mental health awareness in Canada. Sure, the Canadian Mental Health Association [CMHA] has done a fabulous job of raising awareness. Everyone knows about depression, anxiety, shyness, PMDD etc. Everyone and their brother is drugged up. Not only is it socially acceptable but it is a very popular trend to drug our kids too. Everyone is doing it and our teachers encourage parents whose child prefers adventure and fantasy to mathematics and science because apparently that's a mental illness too. CHMA should be very proud of themselves. They have spent pharma money very wisely. We have never been more aware and more sad than we are today.

I was put on Paxil initially for PMDD (bad pre-menstrual stress) When I say bad PMS I'm not saying that I turned into a serial killer for three days of the month. I'm talking about mood swings and crying over silly little things that would otherwise not bother me that much. I'm talking about bloating and cramps. Actually, I guess what I'm talking about is every single woman's monthly curse. At the time I found them difficult but now when I experience the mood swings commonly associated with PMS and compare those to the mood swings commonly associated with Paxil, I realise the PMS mood swings were a walk in the park by comparison.

After taking Paxil for several months I became depressed. Not a little depressed but very depressed. I could not really understand where it was coming from. Life was not perfect but it never is. I had always been a relatively happy person with tons of energy. Suddenly I could not get out of bed.

At that time and until I started doing my own research three or more years later, I thought I was just experiencing this thing called "depression." I was not aware nor was my doctor at the time, that the side effects of Paxil were in fact symptoms, sometimes severe, of depression. I was up and down like a Yo-Yo. I had zero ambition to do anything at all, I was teary all the time and when I was not teary I was angry and sometimes explosive. I was also experiencing insomnia which made it even worse. There were definitely personality changes. I did not want to do anything but I could not sit still either. I was having a difficult time in my relationships at home and at work. I was really struggling and these feelings and my reactions to things were very foreign to me. I was scared.

I was admitted to Joseph Brant Hospital for an assessment. Upon admittance they did ask me if I was taking any medication. I was taking pills for water retention but I was also taking Paxil which was not in my possession at the time. I believe I was there for approx 6 weeks. Aside from the over eager doctor that loved to load his patients up with meds and once told me he hated his profession and wished he'd gone into the trades, the staff there were pretty good as far as kindness went. I was prescribed a cocktail of medication that was costing nearly $1000.00 per month. I left hoping things would improve. Things didn't. Things got a lot worse. I was a prisoner to the army of pill bottles that sat on the counter top in our kitchen. If I missed a pill I would really suffer. I thought it was the depression coming back because I had forgotten to take my pills. I now know that was not the case but back then...God help me if I forgot them at home when I went up my parents cottage.

Long story short, (about three years of misery later) I went to my GP and told him to get me off these drugs. Namely Paxil. I hated that drug. Mind you, 90mgs/daily is far too much for anyone to take. The maximum therapeutic level is 20mgs/daily. He attempted to do so by reducing my dosage by 30mgs/daily. I went to the cottage and I went crazy at the same time. GSK has no right to call something so severe "discontinuation syndrome" that is their attempt at making withdrawal sound far less excruciating. It is excruciating and deserves to be called withdrawal amongst other words that are not appropriate for this article.

I remember lying in bed and deciding I could not take another day of it. I had never, in my life, been so severely depressed and suicidal. I realized ,or at least I thought, I had become a burden to my family. They didn't need this, which is the kind of thinking that really pushed me over the edge from actually thinking about it to attempting to take my own life. I was miserable and I was making everyone around me miserable.

I had been taking a sleeping pill (I can't remember what it was called) but I did not like the way it knocked me out cold rather than gently falling asleep. My Oakville doctor suggested Seroquel. It gave me anxiety for about an hour before it would kick me off to sleep. I did not like Seroquel either but at least I slept.

On June 11, 2006 I had a full two week supply of Seroquel and a large bottle of wine. I took every single pill in the bottle and then washed it down with the wine. When I think back to those moments and realize how determined I was it rattles me to the core. How could I have done such a thing? How could I have been so fearless? I don't know but I was. I was more afraid of another day of the anxiety that would roar inside of me like a fire doused with petrol, more afraid of reliving every single mistake I'd ever made in my life, more afraid of my family growing to hate me then I was of dying. I had become a burden and I knew it.

My husband phoned sometime shortly after I'd taken the pills and drank the wine. I'm sure I was slurring. I don't remember what he said or what I said I just remember hitting the floor and seeing the phone which was out of arms reach. The combination of the drugs and the wine took hold. I remember the halo around the light that hung from the ceiling and I remember my fathers dog lying beside me whining as though she were scared of something and needed me to reassure her and then I closed my eyes. I never thought I would ever wake up again. But I did.

While my husband had been on the phone with me he used the land line to call 911. If you have ever been to Rosseau, Ontario or Muskoka in general you know people move rather slowly up there. That's why we love it so much. Lucky for me, they did not move slowly that day.

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Coming Soon. Part II: Dr Fargher I pressume?

Interviewer: Bob Fiddaman, Author of Seroxat Sufferers Blog.

http://fiddaman.blogspot.com

Please do not reproduce (in print or on websites) without express permission from Bob Fiddaman and the author, who wishes to remain anonymous. We appreciate your truthfulness and respect for the law.

Any correspondence to use the material contained within this file should be mailed directly to fiddaman64@blueyonder.co.uk

[1] http://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/87853/ON/Parry-Sound/Fargher

[2] http://www.ratemds.com/doctor-ratings/868341/ON/North-York/Fareau-Weyl

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED

Beware of blogs using the same name and posting as me.

Penetanguishine: Leading The Lamb To The Slaughter

2009-06-29T21:46:00.001+01:00

Earlier this year I highlighted the story of a former patient of the Penetanguishine Mental Health Centre in Ontario, Canada.

Since then the patient, who wishes to remain anonymous, and I have been corresponding via email and telephone. Some weeks ago I persuaded her to put her thoughts down into words, if anything, it's great therapy.

What started as a healing process turned into an in-depth account of 'Miss S' and her horrific ordeal with a cocktail of medication and the ignorance shown to her by doctors and staff at Penetanguishine Mental Health Centre.

From tomorrow, I will be serializing her account, which will be in 7 parts.

Her complete account was sent to Penetanguishine Mental Health Centre and the Canadian Mental Health Association for comment. There are no contact details for Parry Sound Hospital, at least none that I can find. As of 9.30pm UK time 29/06/09, they failed to make any sort of comment.

Her story highlights the need for better education for doctor's and psychiatrists who hand out mind controlling drugs as if their lives depended on them. It also blows the lid off Penetanguishine Mental Health Centre and asks serious questions into the way the facility is run.

As I say, the story will be serialized in 7 parts at the end of which I shall upload the full 36 page document.

I'd like to personally thank 'Miss S' for writing about her experience and for allowing me to share it with the readers of the Seroxat Sufferers blog. 'Miss S' has worked seriously hard on this as much of it was pushed to the back of her memory. After listening to her talk I can totally understand why she pushed her memories to the back of her mind.

Hers is a story that readers of this blog may relate to, it's a story of failure on the part of the Canadian Mental Health system but more importantly it's a story of one woman's journey to hell and back.

'Miss S' - I SALUTE YOU.

Minus solum, quam cum solus esset. - Cicero

Fid

SEROXAT SUFFERERS STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
Beware of blogs using the same name and posting as me.

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It's time for Canada to wake up.