This started out as an endnote to another post I’m working on, but quickly began to mushroom into something warranting its own space.

Most of the cognitive problems I have been dealing with showed up when I was on neuroleptics–for good reason! Lars Martensson’s paper from 1984 is well worth a read, as is one of Breggin’s on brain damage and cognitive dysfunction, for exactly how these drugs cause physical damage. I am just recently, after four years off meds and a lot of work, starting to be able to retrieve language well enough to write much in English again. It really was the equivalent of a series of good knocks to the noggin. Not all of those effects were related to language, by any means. Thank goodness for neuroplasticity!

The abrupt loss of access to near-fluent German vocabulary happened, however, after a couple of weeks taking the antidepressant buproprion/Wellbutrin. It was still in there somewhere, but the gears just stopped meshing so I couldn’t find it (and got railroad-spike headaches when I tried). I was 3/4 of the way through a modern languages BA at the time. Those same mental blocks are still there, though I have learned to work around them to some extent while relearning things. Wellbutrin also caused absolutely terrifying akathisia, complete with sudden self-immolation urges like nothing I’d ever experienced before –or since, thank goodness! If I hadn’t already learned the hard way to deal with lesser versions of that sort of thing, I would not be here. This reaction still was not called akathisia, but was treated as a psychotic symptom of my ostensible bipolar disorder.

Come to find out, autistics have a higher risk of movement disorders from SSRIs; I would be amazed if buproprion and neuroleptics didn’t carry a similarly higher risk for us. I also got akathisia from multiple SSRIs, not recognized as such at the time–starting in 1989–along with immediate tremors and persistent tardive dystonia from atypical neuroleptics.

Not surprisingly, combining SSRIs and neuroleptics potentiates the risk of movement disorders. This makes sense, considering that they both can cause the same adverse effects. They are still frequently prescribed together, including to autistic people. I took them together for a good while.

As Amanda wrote an excellent series about years ago, when you don’t understand how someone’s nervous system works in the first place, but go messing with their neurotransmitters anyway, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen. That holds true for “normal” people, much less the neurodiverse. We get all kinds of unexpected drug effects, some of them very dangerous indeed. Nobody needs–much less deserves–drug-induced impairment and disability. There’s also precious little true informed consent out there, when it comes to psychiatric medications. Nobody should be forced or coerced into taking them, especially not when “behavior management” is the stated goal.

In this post, I’m just focusing on cognitive effects and movement disorders. With little kids whose systems are still developing, endocrine disruption should also be a huge concern.

I wound up in the psychiatric system at 13 because they did not recognize what I had as autism in the ’80s, and got heavily medicated as the “treatments” kept not working and causing strange problems. By the time I was 25, I had been on about the same number and variety of medications as Amanda reports. My experience is far from unique. Scarily, though, even a small child diagnosed on the autistic spectrum now is likely to be prescribed exactly the same kinds of medications I was given, to “manage behavior”. The risks–and even the actual adverse effects–are deemed worth it, when they are taken into consideration at all.

When I experienced akathisia, it was treated as severe anxiety and/or resistance to taking the medication, and proof that I needed a higher dose of the same. At first, I was very vocal about stopping taking Prozac due to feeling terrible; after the reaction that kept getting, I just started flushing it down the toilet in private when I was not directly forced to take the stuff. I quickly learned not to say that I was having suicidal impulses at all. After a while, I started half-believing that all this was for my own good; talk about cognitive dissonance! Years later, the agitation from Paxil was considered proof that I was really bipolar. Never was akathisia mentioned, nor even considered AFAICT.

That’s distressing but not surprising. In 1999, it came out in court that Prozac’s manufacturer had been covering up adverse effects, with internal documents showing that researchers had been aware of the incidence of akathisia. From 1978 onward, sedatives were given along with it in trials to hide the rate of serious agitation. The doctor who kept me on Prozac in spite of it apparently didn’t see the continuing recommendations to start people on benzodiazepines at the same time so they didn’t kill themselves. I’m still not sure how I managed never to make a serious attempt to do so; sheer bloodymindedness was surely a factor! Similar things have come out concerning other SSRIs (among other drugs). The FDA has mandated black box warnings for several.

The risk of extrapyramidal side effects from SSRIs is still barely taken into consideration, black box warnings about agitation and suicide or no. One professional article from 2001 admits that movement disorders, including akathisia, are a known risk, but goes on to say that “Mistaking comorbid anxiety for SSRI-associated akathisia may delay or interfere with the appropriate treatment of the patient’s anxiety disorder.” True, but it’s still working the other way around one hell of a lot more frequently, with not just misery but risk of death resulting. A lot of people are getting hurt. Even scarier, concerns about SSRIs’ risks and placebo-level effectiveness have led to atypical neuroleptics being prescribed instead for depression in the U.S. Even more people are liable to get hurt.

Possibly the most evil sentence I have read lately: “Thus, higher-functioning children and adults with autism might think about suicide when they become aware of their deficits.”

This comes from an article in The Journal of Family Practice. Funny, I was on the meds because of my perceived deficits, and got akathisia. This statement is an excellent illustration of just how seriously too many medical professionals treat any problems experienced by autistic people, even more so if we’re deemed to have extra “mental illness” on top. It’s all our deficits, and these attitudes can kill us.

I am all too aware that a lot of people, including medical professionals, would be eager to dismiss what I’ve been saying (references and all), because of my autism and my history in the psychiatric system. I have hesitated to seek specific treatment for the dystonia now that a psychiatrist isn’t giving me muscle relaxants to go with the other meds. I know that a lot of people–again, including doctors–either refuse to take this kind of lasting effect seriously, or will openly say that it’s just the wages of being crazy/autistic/whatever. This also hurts one hell of a lot of people.

Most of the results from any of the cluster of searches on “autism SSRIs/neuroleptics akathisia/movement disorders/EPS” advocate the use of these medications for our betterment.

I did not think there were any still, but Risperdal is the only FDA approved drug for autistic “irritability”, since 2006. “Although there is no cure for autistic disorder or treatments for the core symptoms of autistic disorder, scientists are researching ways to help.” (“Helping build small victories”) Knowing that makes me feel a lot better. I know risperidone helped me.

I feel like a need a bath. With a stiff brush and possibly Clorox.

BBC News reports that the organs used in transplants are now, because of the shortage of donors, more likely to come from patients with a history of cancer or drug abuse, drinkers and heavy smokers, elderly donors and those with serious illnesses.

I can be contacted from my website if you need my further help. My help is free.

Not a great deal to report really, my mood is still shifting from low to high but they are small shifts and nothing like the weekend. It does leave me wondering where i am at times as i will have low thoughts and no motivation that will then just disappear and then i feel quite energetic and motivated.

My anxiety levels are also rising and falling but overall i am able to deal with all the changes at the moment.

Tomorrow is going to be a very stressful day for family reasons so hopefully i will still be able to stay on top of everything.

I wrote this title as an homage to my science background.  I have an advanced degree in medical science and have always enjoyed reading the titles of scientific articles; they are no-nonsense, clear, and serious, all qualities that elude me in real life communication.  Yes, I have an advanced degree; no, I’m not fully using it at the moment.  There are a few reasons for this, not the least of which is that I truly did not enjoy the prospect of a life long career in science.  It just wasn’t for me.  Also, if I can play the “it’s everyone else’s fault” card for a moment, many very well-intentioned people pushed me into science at a time when I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life.  But I don’t really enjoy blaming others for my life; it’s whiny, it’s weak, and it’s really futile, since what’s done is done.  I am lucky that I stumbled into the job teaching high school science a few years back; it was a fantastic experience and one I hope to duplicate in our new town as soon as possible.

The main reason I couldn’t (and probably can’t) pursue a career in medical science is that I have a pretty strong case of depression mixed with a potent shot of anxiety.  Some clinicians have given me the diagnosis of bipolar II, which I like to call low-cal bipolar, because it’s basically half the mania with all the depression.  It took me a long time to accept any mental health diagnosis.  I felt weak, ashamed, confused, and irritated.  I railed against the idea that I seek therapy or take medication; the diagnosis of and treatment options for depression  just seemed more fitting for someone more feeble, more fragile, more damsel-in-distress than I.  I say seemed more fitting because my wonderful primary care physician finally convinced me to take my SSRI and I eventually felt worlds better.  I felt pretty good, in fact.

Therapy, however, is something I still can’t embrace.  Now, let me first say that therapy is effective for many and therapists are very intelligent and talented mental health practitioners.  I’m sure I could benefit from therapy, but I don’t like talking to people I know, let alone strangers.  For me, for now, my medication is serving me well and I have far fewer dark days than I did pre-medication.  However, everyone needs some kind of therapy to help them with the stress of work, the stress of the impending holidays (more on that later), and the stress of the day-to-day.  So what unorthodox therapies do I use to augment my conservative medication regimen?

Dessert – I went to a baking class last night.  I was ready to leave as soon as I arrived.  The room was filled with strangers and I knew that eventually I would have to interact with them.  I was, sadly, a nervous wreck.  I stayed and yes, I did talk a little bit to some of the other participants (who were all lovely people) but mainly, I got to do what I really loved to do – bake.  I got to roll dough and knead dough and ever-so-delicately press dough into pie dishes.  I got to make chocolate pecan filling, biscuits, rolls, and tarts.  It was cathartic.  Baking and cooking are fabulous therapies for me; I focus on something very concrete, I work for a relatively short amount of time, and in the end, I produce something someone can enjoy.  The work itself is soothing; the longer you work, the more your senses get involved in the process; the dough feels stretchier, the smells get stronger, the food starts to look perfect.  It’s the best of all worlds; I feel better when I finish making dinner or dessert and my family also gets a tasty reminder of how much I love them.

Dogs – I love my mini schnauzer.  She’s irritable, curmudgeonly, and loud.  She vomits far too often and poops about five times a day, not always outside.  She’s five years old and still hasn’t mastered “sit” or “stay”.  But she’s my first baby.  I wanted a dog my whole life and I finally got her.  She tolerates only a very small number of people but she loves me.  She curls up with me at the end of the day and snores her adorable snore and I can’t help but smile.  She is the best listener in my family and is therefore the holder of all my thoughts and secrets.  Poor dog.  Sometimes I wake up and have the ominous “it’s going to be a dark day” feeling.  Maybe that feeling never completely goes away that day, but when my dog trots over to me and wags her sad little stub of a tail, the feeling definitely subsides.

Deodorant – I felt quite lousy yesterday morning.  I was feeling down, tired, unmotivated, and full of self loathing.  It was one of those dark days when the thought “I’m a failure” kept echoing in my head.  My daughter, with her patented bouncy run, came bouncing into my room and saw I was sad.  She handed me Hoots and smiled.  I smiled back, but my daughter, in her infinite wisdom, could sense that Hoots wasn’t fixing my problem.  So, she ran into my bathroom.  I heard her rustling through my drawers (a favorite pastime of hers) and she reappeared, proudly holding my deodorant.  She handed it to me with a toothy grin and looked incredibly pleased with herself.  How could I not feel better?

Here, in no particular order, are some other sources of comfort I use when the days are long and weary:  Cleveland Cavaliers games, college football, John Legend’s music, The Colbert Report, Arrested Development on DVD, the holiday line of lotions from Bath and Body Works, smoked gouda, Food Network Thanksgiving specials, yoga, spaghetti with garlic and olive oil, my husband’s laugh, Real Simple magazine, rereading Marjorie Morningstar for the twentieth time, my daughter’s face when she wakes up in the morning (almost always all smiles), old movies, naps with my husband on the weekend, Johnny Depp…..

So every day I take a deep breath, my pill, and a healthy dose of one (or several) of my therapies.   And then I can find a genuine reason to smile each day.

ScienceDaily (Nov. 7, 2009) — Prozac works wonders for some depressed people, but not for others. In some cases, patients derive little benefit and at worst, it can lead to bizarre hallucinations and fits of rage. Researchers and doctors remain puzzled as to what causes the wide range of reaction to Prozac and similar antidepressants.

The answer, Tel Aviv University researchers believe, can be found in a patient’s genes. And if their research is successful, these scientists may be able to provide psychiatrists with a simple genetic test to revolutionize the treatment of depression.

Hunting for “the Prozac gene” — its response biomarker, in science-speak — is the foundation of a new Tel Aviv University project established by a unique biobank in TAU’s Sackler School of Medicine. Initiated by the biobank’s director Dr. David Gurwitz, and his student Ayelet Morag, the researchers are attempting to discover reliable pharmacogenic markers for antidepressants such as Prozac.

“Many drugs for treating depression are on the market,” says Dr. Gurwitz. “The most popular ones — including Prozac — are the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). But they only work for about 60% of people with depression. A drug from other families of antidepressants could be effective for the other 40%,” he says. “We are working to move the treatment of depression from a trial-and-error approach to a best-fit, personalized regimen.”

A genetic basis for psychiatric treatment

Dr. Gurwitz says the key is in our genes, and the first step to unlocking the puzzle lies in discovering relevant biomarkers, the biological elements in blood or DNA that provide clues for disease or conditions such as blood glucose in diabetes, blood pressure in heart disease, and hormones released in pregnancy. Clinicians already base treatments for cancer patients on genetic tests. This has proven especially useful for breast-cancer, where drugs such as Tamoxifen or Herceptin are prescribed only after genetic tests show that they would benefit the patient.

“Why not embrace the same approach for treating depression?” he asks. “We’ve designed an experiment to search for elements that can determine who will — and who won’t — benefit from drugs such as Prozac,” says Dr. Gurwitz.

An effective response to “extreme responders”

The researchers will explore “whole-genome gene expression profiles” in cell lines from healthy people. Since Prozac and similar antidepressants are known to inhibit the growth of blood cells, they are now screening a large collection of cell lines to determine which have the strongest and weakest growth-inhibition responses to SSRIs like Prozac. Those cells that exhibit extreme responses will then be screened across the entire human genome, to find out which genetic make-up works best with SSRIs.

Dr. Gurwitz believes that among our 25,000 human genes, only a few hundred will show a difference between the two types of “extreme responder” cells. In the next phase of their study, they will explore which of those “hits” can be valuable clinical biomarkers for the response to Prozac, a study that can subsequently be done by psychiatrists.

“Ours is a unique model because it does not make presumptions,” says Dr. Gurwitz. “Research on Prozac response biomarkers over the past 20 years has focused on genes related to the brain metabolism of serotonin, long suspected as the cause of depression,” he adds. “However, after many years of research with this focus, it is now obvious that the approach has failed. We realize that we must look at the entire repertoire of human genes.”

“Psychiatric pharmacology remains a black box,” says Dr. Gurwitz. “Nobody knows why some people respond to Prozac-type SSRI anti-depressants, while others are helped by other kinds of antidepressants. The World Health Organization predicts by the year 2020, costs and lost productivity from depression will exceed those of cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of health expenditure in developed countries. We hope to produce a clear test for antidepressant drug responses to improve the odds for successful treatment.”

Babies whose mothers used antidepressants during pregnancy visit the doctor more often and have higher risks of certain health problems than other children their age, a new study suggests.  It found that rates of congenital heart defects and physical therapy — a potential sign of movement-related problems — were elevated among babies whose mothers used antidepressants throughout pregnancy. These children also tended to have more doctor visits and higher rates of certain other health problems, like respiratory and digestive symptoms.

Click here to read more…

I haven’t been here for a while and although i have visited other blogs frequently that i like to read i have had no desire to write on mine.
I have been meeting with my DBT councillor weekly and the meetings seem to be going well, i like my councillor though i do find her to be a little too bright and breezy at times. Now this could be because she is or more than likely the fact that my mood has shifted downward the last few weeks and quite frankly on a couple of occasions has been quite black.
She has noticed the change and we have talked about it quite a lot. She is concerned that i might slip into my old coping mechanisms before i have had a chance to join the group, which i have learned will consist of 3 people.
I have to admit that my thoughts are quite destructive at the moment and my mood swings are dramatic at times. My energy levels are quite high which worries me as if i don’t fill my time constructively then i sit pondering how i can deal with my emotions and mood and those thoughts are not good as i know i have the energy to take them from fiction to fact.
I start my 1st group session in a couple of weeks time, i can’t say i am looking forward to it at all. My main concern is that someone i was very good friends with but had a bad falling out with was referred at the same time as me, now i have no idea if she will be in the group or not but i am sure that if she is there it will all end in a big showdown.
I have a meeting with my psych in a few days. Our last appt was uneventful but he did say he was thinking of adding an anti depressant to my medication so we will see what happens.(the anti depressant he was talking about is new and has something to do with melatonin however i’ve already decided i’m not going to take it, i would be his first patient he has prescribed it too and with my history with ssri’s i don’t think it is a good idea)
Family still continues to be a sore subject and with an anniversary around the corner and christmas not too far away (these are always triggers) i am hoping that my slide back to depression won’t carry on as this will just be a receipe for disaster.

Okay, I’ve been neglectful again.  I’m sure this comes as no surprise to regular readers.

I’m going okay on the meds.  Up to 30mgs, as of last Monday, so six days now.  Haven’t noticed the increased dosage has made much of a difference, though.  Maybe I need to up it to 40mgs?  Who knows.  In any case, I’m seeing my pdoc on Wednesday, so I can check with a medical professional, rather than guesstimate it myself. 

I’m noticing that while I do still get stressed on fluoxetine, more so than escitalopram, I do have more energy.  I’m not needing a sleep after work every day, or at lunch time.  I’m not needing a nap on weekends.  Today, for example, I was up at 7am, spent all morning running around doing shopping etc, then gardened all afternoon.  I did have a nap, but only for an hour, and I got up and cooked a real dinner (spaghetti bolognese) afterwards.  This is waaaay more energetic than I ever was on the escitalopram.  So yes, my need for sleep has quietened to a dull roar.  While it may still sound like I still need too much sleep, I should point out that I’ve always, always loved my naps, and needed lots of sleep.  With the fluoxetine my need for sleep is about right for me, pre-depression.  So I’m guessing that’s a good thing.

So yes, we spent some time in the garden today.  SO’s stepmum and I planted out a front garden bed, while SO and his dad got some mulch and spread it over the rest of the front garden beds.  It’s amazing how much better the place is looking!  We’ve spent at least one day for the last four or five weekends out there, weeding, planting, fertilising, and hacking back plants.  It’s starting to show - everything looks great.  It makes me really happy to see the gardens looking respectable. 

Things are generally going well, I guess.  While my moods are smoothed out, I’m functioning at a higher level on a daily basis, which is good.  And who knows, an increase in my fluoxetine dose might be just enough to really hit the spot.

ScienceDaily (Oct. 23, 2009) — A dramatic rise in antidepressant prescriptions issued by GPs has been caused by a year on year increase in the number of people taking antidepressant drugs on a long-term basis, according to researchers from the University of Southampton.

In a paper, published in the printed edition of British Medical Journal (BMJ), scientists found that despite a drop in the number of new patients diagnosed with depression over 11 years, the number of prescriptions doubled.

“We estimate that more than 2 million people are now taking antidepressants long-term over several years, in particular women aged between 18 and 30,” comments Tony Kendrick, a professor in Primary Medical Care of the University’s School of Medicine, who led the study.

The number of prescriptions issued per patient rose from 2.8 in 1993 to 5.6 in 2004.

Prescription Pricing Authority data shows that more than 30 million prescriptions for SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) such as Prozac and Seroxat, are now issued per year, twice as many as the early 1990s. Researchers at the University of Southampton found 90 per cent of people diagnosed with depression are now taking SSRIs either continuously or as repeated courses over several years.

Professor Kendrick adds: “Our previous research found that although these drugs are said not to be addictive, many patients found it difficult to come off them, due to withdrawal symptoms including anxiety. Many wanted more help from their GP to come off the drugs. We don’t know how many really need them and whether long-term use is harmful. This has similarities to the situation with Valium in the past.”

The research team analysed all new cases of depression between 1993 and 2005 from anonymous computerised general practice records covering 170 GP surgeries and 1.7 million registered patients.

Apologies for the disappearance.  I’ve been a bit all over the place with the meds, and every day is a new adventure, apparently.

I had a couple of days where my initial responses to everything that happened were completely different to my usual reactions.  I’m talking, different personality stuff.  It was strange, and I didn’t like it.  It was during that time I called and made another appointment to see my psychiatrist.  Since then, I’m more ‘me’, but I’m keeping the appointment.

The depression seems okay, anxiety is still there.  I’m not sure if this is going to work for me or not, but I guess we have to see…..also, there’s the chance to up the meds if I think it’ll help.  The doc has given me the okay to do so if I think I need to, but let’s face it, if the drugs don’t work at a low level, will they work any better at a high dose?  Who knows.

Other stuff has happened, but I’m just too tired to put it all down for now.

Popular Antidepressant Associated With A Dramatic Increase In Suicidal Thoughts Amongst Men, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (Oct. 15, 2009) — Nortriptyline has been found to cause a ten-fold increase in suicidal thoughts in men when compared to its competitor escitalopram. These findings are published in the open access journal BMC Medicine.

The research was carried out by Dr. Nader Perroud from the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London, who headed up GENDEP, an international team. Dr Perroud said “Suicidal thoughts and behaviours during antidepressant treatment have prompted warnings by regulatory bodies”. He continued “the aim of our study was to investigate the emergence and worsening of suicidal thoughts during treatment with two different types of antidepressant.”

Both escitalopram and nortriptyline have their effect through the mood modulating neurotransmitter systems. The former is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), preventing serotonin from re-entering the cell and thereby prolonging its effect on nerve synapses. The latter is a tricyclic antidepressant that inhibits the reuptake of noradrenaline, and to a lesser extent, that of serotonin.

The study was carried out on 811 individuals with moderate to severe unipolar depression. Whilst an overall trend in reduction of suicidal thoughts was observed, men who took nortriptyline were found to have a 9.8-fold increase in emerging suicidal thoughts and a 2.4-fold increase in worsening suicidal thoughts compared to those who took escitalopram.

Perroud concludes, “Our findings that treatment-emerging and worsening suicidal thoughts may also be associated with psychomotor activation triggered by antidepressants needs to be investigated in future studies. The study also refutes the idea that newer antidepressants such as the SSRIs are worse than older medications in terms of increasing suicidal thoughts.”

Adapted from materials provided by BioMed Central, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091014193213.htm

Like looking at visual design, info graphics, statistics, data? Have a look a these info graphics from Information Is Beautiful by visual & data journalist, David McCandless. Personally, I love this stuff. I love design & I like reading about little bits of interesting information. I studied a bit of statistics at uni, and it’s so much more interesting to see the information presented so visually (& beautifully) in this way.

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(to see the images more clearly, just click on the image & it will take you to the original article with the full image).

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Well I didn’t know THAT!!

I need some coffee…

hmm…havent heard of half of those social networking sites above. I bet you that if they broke those stats down even further, they’d find that the majority of females using hi5, bebo etc. were teenager girls with an average age of about 14 or 15, haha.

I think I’d be one of those 50 lazy twitter people…

Check out more info graphics at Information is Beautiful.

I have read about problems with the placenta being associated with Paxil, and I have even known people with this problem whose babies were exposed to Paxil or other antidepressants not from the mother but via the father’s sperm and exposure from semen. I am guessing the exposure from mom taking a drug would probably be more intense but this goes to show how toxic the drugs are. There are reports of drug exposure via semen in the MedWatch database.

I was wondering about umbilical cord abnormalities and antidepressants so I decided to do a google search and couldn’t find much aside from unrelated drug selling websites that used every key word imaginable.

So, I pulled a few reports (not all the reports, just a sampling) from the decrypted MedWatch report database on the topics of intrauterine death and umbilical cord abnormalities (Thank you CCHR!).

Some also have placenta problems although I did not do a search on those specifically. The decrypted MedWatch data seems to be one of the only sources for finding this information on what is really associated with antidepressant use / psych drug use. I think it is really one of the best sites on the internet because you can search for a specific side effect and see how many reports there were. The main psychdrugdangers database even breaks it down for you by age range.  The MOTHERS Act / prenatal / neonatal database section has all the reports you need to see if you are looking for pregnancy and breastfeeding reports since 2004.

I love this site because you are able to see the truth and not have to wonder about any conflicts of interest with the researchers, agendas, or bad motives like you would if you only read the complete b.s. being offered up by websites of moms on drugs, psychs in the pocket of pHARMa, etc.

Because of the seriousness of this issue I feel that every mom should have access to this information so I hope you will share this with your friends, you never know who it may help to save. (See: October 15 Infant and Child Death Awareness and Prevention Day).

On that note, I highly recommend the book Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year by Susan Weed. It talks about herbs and vitamins that can be used to help prevent miscarriage, to stop miscarriages in progress, promote uterine health, and what herbs and foods to avoid to protect your baby during pregnancy.

I have this book on my shelf, and I looked up some information for a friend once… Using some of the recommended vitamins during a time when she was having bleeding and on bed rest during the second trimester, things improved. Another great product she used is called Carry On which is for bleeding and prevention of miscarriage. Every time I see her baby I think about those products and how they possibly saved that baby’s life. We found out about that product from a friend on a home birth listserv.

If you’re not on any mommy listservs or yahoo groups I recommend trying to find a holistic one to get advice from holistic friends like this. The MADNAP listserv, UNITE listserv, and CHAADA listserv are all hosted on Yahoo and would be a good place to start. We have several home birthing moms on there who have experience with alternative health and can refer you to other resources / groups.

Now for the sample reports I pulled: If you have had a similar incident while taking a psychiatric drug or shortly after withdrawing from one, please consider making a MedWatch report by going here:

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/medwatch-online.htm

http://www.thefetus.net/page.php?id=167 According to this article on velamentous insertion of the umbilical cord, the anomaly is associated with congenital abnormalities and preterm birth. These are problems commonly associated with antidepressants. One study found a nearly five times higher rate of preterm birth for babies exposed to antidepressants. [“Infants exposed to fluoxetine during the third trimester had, compared to those exposed only during the first and second trimester, reduced birth weight and length, an almost 5-fold increased risk of premature delivery, a 2.6-fold increased risk of being admitted to special-care nurseries, and an almost 9-fold increased risk of experiencing respiratory difficulties, cyanosis on feeding, and jitteriness.” Birth outcomes in pregnant women taking fluoxetine. Chambers CD, et al. N Engl J Med, 335(14):1010-5 1996 Oct 3.]

DECRYPTED REPORTS:
http://www.cchrint.org/psychdrugdangers/MothersAct.html

EFFEXOR

M 6026440 4964817 03/01/2006 04/03/2006 Venlafaxine Depression Caesarean Section, Drug Exposure During Pregnancy, Testicular Torsion, Umbilical Cord Abnormality

M 6232679 5232270 07/01/2006 02/07/2007 11/01/2006 Effexor XR CN Anomaly of External Ear Congenital, Intra-Uterine Death, Limb Malformation, Low Set Ears, Skull Malformation, Transmission of Drug Via Semen, Umbilical Cord Abnormality

6040906 4985077 09/07/2005 04/19/2006 Effexor XR Pyramidal Tract Syndrome Brain Malformation, Cerebral Cyst, Drug Exposure During Pregnancy, Exomphalos, Intra-Uterine Death, Talipes

5827164 4692986 06/15/2005 Effexor XR OT Drug Exposure During Pregnancy, Intra-Uterine Death

F 5941024 4845757 11/30/2005 Effexor XR Depression Abortion Spontaneous, Depression, Disease Recurrence, Drug Exposure During Pregnancy, Drug Ineffective, Drug Withdrawal Syndrome, Foetal Growth Retardation, Intra-Uterine Death

PAXIL

F 5892354 4789790 10/06/2005 Paxil CN Drug Use for Unknown Indication Drug Exposure During Pregnancy, Intra-Uterine Death, Placental Disorder, Umbilical Cord Abnormality, Umbilical Cord Vascular Disorder

M 5991062 5464256 11/02/2005 09/21/2007 Paxil CR CN Maternal Condition Affecting Foetus Arrhythmia, Atelectasis, Atrial Septal Defect, Balance Disorder, Blindness, Blood Pressure Increased, Caesarean Section, Cardiac Failure Congestive, Cardiomegaly, Catatonia, Complex Partial Seizures, Convulsion, Coordination Abnormal, Cyanosis, Dehydration, Developmental Delay, Drug Exposure During Pregnancy, Eating Disorder, Embolic Stroke, Encephalomalacia, Facial Palsy, Heart Disease Congenital, Hemiparesis, Infantile Spasms, Loss of Consciousness, Muscular Weakness, Oedema, Oral Intake Reduced, Oxygen Saturation Decreased, Patent Ductus Arteriosus, Pleural Effusion, Post Procedural Complication, Postoperative Thrombosis, Psychomotor Skills Impaired, Pulmonary Oedema, Respiratory Acidosis, Respiratory Distress, Screaming, Sinus Bradycardia, Skin Discolouration, Speech Disorder Developmental, Tachypnoea, Thrombosis, Transposition of the Great Vessels, Umbilical Cord Around Neck, Univentricular Heart, Urinary Tract Infection, Ventricular Hypoplasia, Ventricular Septal Defect, Vesicoureteric Reflux (This one was accidentally copied and pasted, and I just realized doesn’t have umbilcal cord abnormalities, just around the neck, but it was such an awful case I felt I should keep it in.)

F 5654406 4488092 03/23/2004 10/28/2004 Paroxetine MD Depression Cytomegalovirus Infection, Drug Exposure During Pregnancy, Intra-Uterine Death

5819180 4690656 02/24/2005 06/15/2005 02/24/2005 Deroxat CN Drug Exposure During Pregnancy, Intra-Uterine Death

WELLBUTRIN

F 5701388 4536190 09/17/2004 12/23/2004 Bupropion OT Depression Chorioamnionitis, Drug Exposure During Pregnancy, Intra-Uterine Death, Micrognathia, Umbilical Cord Abnormality

26 Years F 6000982 4938300 03/09/2006 Bupropion OT Depression Drug Exposure During Pregnancy, Hypertension, Umbilical Cord Vascular Disorder

M 4011323 4279456 01/27/2004 Wellbutrin MD Depression Abdominal Wall Anomaly, Arteriopathic Disease, Chorioamnionitis, Cleft Palate, Congenital Atrial Septal Defect, Drug Exposure During Pregnancy, Ear Malformation, Intra-Uterine Death, Jaw Fracture, Kyphosis, Liver Disorder, Lymphangiectasia, Macrognathia, Nose Deformity, Pectus Excavatum, Placental Disorder, Spleen Malformation, Thyroid Disorder, Traumatic Delivery

F 6172347 5156305 11/22/2006 Wellbutrin OT Drug Use for Unknown Indication Drug Exposure During Pregnancy, Intra-Uterine Death

Well, this sucks.

I’ve been doing okay with the med changes.  Some physical stuff, the nausea, the visual stuff, but okay.  However both last night and today, some of the emotional/mood stuff is rearing its head.  I’m getting vaguer, not remembering words for common things, and I have the horrible knotted stomach thing happening again.  And no matter what I do, I can’t relax it.  It really is a physical symptom, but I know it’s a manifestation of anxiety, which is a mood thing.  Ugh.  It sucks.

So I’m not at work today.  Great, my boss must be delighted.  I hate letting her down, she’s so fantastic to work for, and just a great person.  So yes, the self-esteem isn’t the best either.

On another note, we were sitting at the dining table this morning when I noticed a baby magpie in our backyard.  I could tell he was a baby as his black feathers are still grey.  He was wandering around, and not doing much flying (another indicator he’s only young).  Anyhow, when SO and I went outside, he ran over to us.  SO groaned – ‘God, he’s tame.  That doesn’t bode well for his long term survival!’  The dopey bugger was looking for some food, or some attention I guess.  Anyhow, I watered the front garden, and when I came back he was still waiting.  I had a chat with him while he looked at me hopefully, but I didn’t feed him.

He’s still out there, sitting on the washing line.  I think I’ll call him Dopey.

It amazes me how many articles on the internet discuss the impact of antidepressant meds during pregnancy and breastfeeding.  Not that it surprises me that expectant mothers get depressed; this seems a perfectly normal reaction.  (Does that make me weird?)  I understand succumbing to depression while pregnant.  What I struggle with, is people with a history of depression, who choose to go on to have children.

Okay, I admit here that I’m not the most maternal of females.  I suspect if I had my own children, that I would very well end up eating my young, for all the maternal feelings I have.  But truly, the thought of choosing to be pregnant and risking coming off/not being able to take antidepressants, and go through depression without that option, scares me.  I struggle to cope on meds; I can’t begin to imagine what life is like off them, especially when pregnant.

And then, you have the baby.  I would definitely need meds to deal with a crying, helpless little baby who can’t let you know what it needs.  Plus the interrupted sleep.  Oh god, just the thought of the bad sleep is enough to scare me off forever.  Tiredness is the number one trigger for me. 

It’s fine if the only real impact is on yourself.  I can be suicidal and know that my darling SO can still feed himself and go to work, and do everything he needs to.  A baby, on the other hand, needs a competent parent to survive.  And when I’m badly depressed, I can’t look after myself, let alone a poor little baby that didn’t ask to be born into this world to a suicidal mother.

Please don’t misunderstand me.  I’m not criticising women with a history of depression who choose to have children.  I actually think they’re about as brave as anyone I can think of.  It’s just I couldn’t do it, myself.  I’m just not strong enough.

I suppose the reason I’m thinking about this is because all my friends are pregnant at the moment.  I look at them and marvel.  And in the back of my head is a little voice that says, even if you wanted to go there and try it, you’re a good two years away from even being stable on your new drugs.  Thinking about having kids has been pharmaceutically pushed out by a significant time frame.  This doesn’t particularly worry me, but SO may well find it difficult to cope with when it occurs to him.  Poor darling, he loves kids.

So, yes.  Something else to ponder on.

http://www.womenhealthline.com/ssris-to-the-rescue-for-postpartum-depression-part-i/

By Anthony J. Brown, MD

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – September 25, 2009 – If you take antidepressants such as fluoxetine (marketed as Prozac) early in your pregnancy, you may be doubling the risk that your newborn will be born with a heart defect, according to a new study.

However, the vast majority of children born to women who take such antidepressants – known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) – do not have such defects, the researchers are quick to note.

Earlier studies have tied SSRIs during pregnancy to heart defects, but also to even more serious birth defects. According to the new study of nearly half a million children born in Denmark between 1996 and 2003, however, only heart defects are likely to be associated with the antidepressants, note co-author Dr. Lars Henning Pedersen, from Aarhus University, Denmark, and colleagues.

Along with fluoxetine, sertraline (marketed as Zoloft) and citalopram (marketed as Celexa) seemed to increase the risk more than others, as did using more than one antidepressant at a time, according to the report in the September 25th Online First issue of BMJ.

Overall, SSRI use in early pregnancy, defined as 28 days before to 112 days after conception, doubled the risk of a particular kind of heart defect involving a piece of tissue that separates parts of the heart.

Sertraline more than tripled the risk, while citalopram more than doubled it. Using more than one SSRI nearly quintupled the risk of the heart defect.

However, the number of children born with such defects was still quite small: For about every 250 pregnant women who did not take SSRIs, one infant was born with the defect, while about two were born with the defect for every 250 women who took one SSRI, and four for every 200 mothers who took more than one.

Pedersen told Reuters Health that the results surprised the team.

Still, in an accompanying editorial, Dr. Christina Chambers, from the University of California, San Diego, comments that doctors and patients “need to balance the small risks associated with SSRIs against those associated with undertreatment or no treatment.”

SOURCE: BMJ, online September 25, 2009.

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE58O39F20090925

When the news came out late last week that Burt Reynolds had been in rehab for painkiller addiction, reports suggested previous drug abuse in the 1980s, “after he was diagnosed with temporomandibular joint disorder, a painful condition which affected his jaw.” The drug was Halcion.

Why a sleep med for dealing with TMD?

If a person has the habit of nighttime clenching and bruxing (grinding the teeth from side to side), this can lead to or intensify the effects of TMD. We presume anti-anxiety and sleep drugs may be given to try to reduce the behavior that increases pain and discomfort.

We don’t think “drug therapy” of any kind is a good way for dealing with TMD – even as painkillers, antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs may give temporary relief from symptoms. Drugs add to the overall toxic body burden and increase the risk of greater health problems down the line. Of course, they also have their immediate risks, as well, via so-called “side effects.” Really, it would be more appropriate to call them “direct effects.” The drug causes them directly; they’re just not the preferred effects.

As an interesting side note, some drugs can actually cause conditions that lead to TMD – most notably Prozac and other SSRIs. Some who have never clenched or bruxed before develop the habit upon taking these drugs.

Most times, TMD can be treated through the use of night guards, orthodontic devices to realign the bite and other nontoxic, non-invasive measures. If immediate pain relief is needed, a wide variety of homeopathics, herbs and nutritional supplements may be used. Neural therapy, acupuncture and various types of body work (e.g., therapeutic massage, Rolfing) can also help alleviate pain without the use of drugs…which seem inevitably to do more harm than good.

We wish Mr. Reynolds the best to as he adapts to a new and – we hope – drug-free life.

Antidepressants Once Seen as Miracle Drugs: Now Risks are Becoming Evident

Since the horror of the Thalidomide scandal in the 1960s, pharmaceutical companies and medicines regulators have been acutely aware of the dangers drugs may pose to the unborn child.  Establishing what the effect of a drug may be on a foetus, however, is no simple task. Companies must rely on animal studies in the early stages of research and hope that the drug will behave in humans in the same way. Trials on pregnant women are rarely carried out, for obvious reasons.

Depression and anxiety became big business for the pharmaceutical industry in the 1990s as doctors became better at diagnosing the problems, exposing a population of over-achieving, highly-stressed, worried-well.

Women, always more willing to see a doctor than men, were a large proportion of those diagnosed and put on SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) such as Prozac and the British drug Seroxat, known as Paxil in the US. For a while, these seemed to be the new miracle drugs. They were safer than older antidepressants because the severely depressed could not overdose on them.

But in court cases about to begin in the US, it will be argued that insufficient attention was paid to the possible dangers for young women who were pregnant or might become pregnant and more particularly, for their babies.

Twenty years ago, when serotonin, a chemical which sends messages to the brain, was under investigation, it was recognised that it was likely to have an effect on the developing foetus, according to David Healy, professor of psychiatry in Bangor, Wales, and an expert witness in the legal action against GlaxoSmithKline. It was not just a neurotransmitter, but played a role in organ development in the embryo.

Animal tests appear not to have been reassuring, he says. By 1991, a study by Shuey and Lauder had shown that all SSRIs were potentially teratogenic – could cause birth defects – in animals, albeit in small numbers. GSK denies this. “The animal and human studies did not show teratogenicity, and were made available to regulatory agencies as part of the approvals,” said a spokesman. But based on Lauder’s work, Pfizer which made a rival drug, Zoloft, recommended that women on their drug “should employ an adequate method of contraception”.

Datasheets

GSK launched Seroxat in 1992. It was recognised that insufficient work had been done to establish the safety of any of the SSRIs during pregnancy, and as a result, throughout the 1990s, the standard statement on the drug datasheets which go to doctors was that they “should not be used during pregnancy or by nursing mothers unless the potential benefit outweighs the potential risk”.

But pregnant women become depressed too. “I think depression is generally underestimated in pregnancy,” said Dr Tim Kendall, joint director of the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health in the UK. “It is much more common than people think. It used to be thought you gave birth and you are suddenly depressed – the withdrawal of all those oestrogens. But in fact people who have postnatal depression are quite commonly depressed before the birth.”

GSK began to market Seroxat as the SSRI of choice for women who were depressed and pregnant, or might become pregnant, says Healy. GSK says marketing to women of childbearing age was valid, as women make up a high proportion of those diagnosed with depression and anxiety and most would be of childbearing age.

Seroxat was positioned as the best SSRI in cases where the benefits of treating depression outweighed any risk. It was found in only low concentrations in breast milk, the company said, which meant that breastfeeding would not be a problem. It pointed to studies which showed children born to mothers on Seroxat had no mental or behavioural problems.

GSK also argued that depression itself could harm the baby because an untreated mother is more likely to smoke, drink and take drugs and maybe even to harm herself. Healy says there is no evidence relating to women with depression during pregnancy – only to those who were diagnosed with postnatal depression.

From 2000, GSK in the US was running a targeted promotional campaign to increase sales of Paxil to pregnant women and women of reproductive age. The Mother Knows Best Campaign had three main objectives: to raise awareness of its greater claims for safety than other antidepressants, such as the low Paxil levels in breastmilk, to educate doctors and consumers generally on the benefits of the drug for women of childbearing age and to encourage women with depression to ask specifically for Paxil.

Influential psychiatrists, called in the business “key opinion leaders” were recruited to give talks and author articles on Paxil’s safety for mothers to be.

But in February 2005, the Lancet published an analysis of almost 100 cases from the World Health Organisation’s adverse drug effects monitoring centre in Sweden of babies who suffered from convulsions and other withdrawal symptoms after birth because their mother had been taking an SSRI for depression during her pregnancy.

The effects were most marked on Seroxat, it said, and recommended that all SSRIs “should be cautiously managed in the treatment of pregnant women with a psychiatric disorder”.

Malformations

In 2003, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) which regulates medicines in the United States had asked GSK to look at the incidence of birth defects on Seroxat, or Paxil. In 2005, the company handed over a retrospective epidemiological study which found an increased risk of major congenital malformations in the babies of women who took it in the first three months of pregnancy.

GSK pointed out that data from other places did not show up a problem. Nonetheless, the FDA changed the pregnancy warning from category C, meaning not enough research has been done to be sure of safety, to category D, meaning there are signs it may not be safe.

“FDA is advising patients that this drug should usually not be taken during pregnancy, but for some women who have already been taking Paxil, the benefits of continuing may be greater than the potential risk to the foetus,” it said.

A later advisory notice from the FDA drew attention to a raised risk of a life-threatening lung condition called persistent pulmonary hypertension in babies whose mothers took Paxil later in pregnancy – up sixfold from the usual level of one or two per 1,000 babies born in the US. But at the same time it pointed to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association showing women who stopped taking antidepressants while pregnant were five times more likely to relapse.

GSK insists that their drug has only ever been promoted for those who need it – in the case of pregnant women, those in whom the dangers of depression are greater than any possible risk from the drug. “GSK appropriately marketed paroxetine for use by the patients for whom it was indicated and who could benefit from it,” said the company in a statement.

Apparently those are my choices.

I upped my SSRI from 5 to 10 mg last week, and I’ve already gained four pounds. Back in the 90s, when I first tried the stuff and it totally blissed me out while simultaneously turning me into a tub of lard, I didn’t care. I was so fucking anxious over everything I was about to have a stroke, and the relief I got from it was worth it. Well, fast forward to 2009. A decade later. I’m not having any of the other lovely side effects except the rapid slow down of metabolism and concomitant weight gain. And this time, while feeling so much better I hardly know where to start raving about it, I DO care about becoming a tub of lard again. This shit slows my system waaaaaaaaaaaay down. Par example, s’il vous plait, Tuesday and Wednesday: four hour nap and three hour nap, respectively. Yeah. This from the woman who hasn’t napped since 2001 because every time I try, I freak out thinking my hair is on fire. That is, there’s something I need to do that’s not getting done and either I or someone else is going to die due to my lack of vigilance.

The only thing I have to say to anyone depending on me this week? Meh, good luck. Hope you’re not on fire. My ass is so relaxed I might have to roast a marshmallow on ya.

Mmmmm s’mores.

The other thing that used to happen was I drank like a fish on the stuff. Girl just wanted to have fun. And I had such a rummy Friday last week I was pretty much drunk all day Saturday, too. No, I’m not proud, but damn it was entertaining; I didn’t even know I was getting bruised. So I guess the first thing my fat, happy ass has to do is put down the pina colada.

And put on the gym shoes. This morning I used Splenda in my coffee and measured the 1/2&1/2 with a tablesppon. Go me. 40 calories down, 760 to go. Did I mention I hate dieting? At least I used to. Apparently I love everything now, except my scale.