The corona virus and a search for treatments is increasing the public’s awareness of drug side effects–something more people need to be aware of when taking any medication, whether by prescription or over-the-counter.
“We need to take the time to re-educate health care professionals and counsel patients,” said pharmacists Pete Kreckel, RPh, who is involved in the “Flip the Pharmacy” program designed to prevent adverse drug events and interactions.
One such example includes a patient who “had been taking escitalopram 20 mg daily, and started taking NyQuil for cough and cold symptoms. She had full-blown seizures as a result of serotonin syndrome, which occurred from the dextromethorphan/SSRI combination. The patient was life-flighted to the hospital and made a full recovery.”
Pharmacists can remind prescribers of the importance to speak with patients about taking antidepressants with cough and cold medications, especially during cough and cold season.
Singer Melissa Etheridge lost her son to opioid addiction, adding another victim to this epidemic. Unfortunately, thousands of opioid deaths started when victims were given prescription drugs for medical reasons–but did not receive informed consent about possible benefits vs. known risks to include the risk of drug dependency.
“I didn’t know then that the aches and pains, akathisia, and Abe’s perpetual hypothermia were side effects of the antipsychotic drugs he had been taking for too many years,” says a New Zealand father after losing his son to medication-induced death.
“Rather than enhancing his well-being and quality of life, neuroleptic drugs irrevocably damaged Abraham’s physical and mental health over the long term.”
The FDA recently approved Eli Lilly’s product, Cymbalta, for kids with fibromyalgia despite that Eli Lilly’s self-funded, small clinical trial showed: 6 kids developed self-harm 2 attempted suicide 1 intentionally overdosed 1 injured himself 2 had suicidal thoughts, and 3 kids experienced depression, hallucinations and seizure.
It’s Giving Tuesday and now, more than ever, the mission of MISSD is critically important given the increasing number of drugs being prescribed during COVID19. Being safe requires being well informed. Please share our free resources take Akathisia 101 and consider a donation to support our goals.
Together we can reduce avoidable deaths by educating the public about risk factors and warning signs of adverse drug effects that can cause suicidality and suicide.
“As is true for most other sufferers of gabapentin adverse reactions and withdrawal, tests showed nothing, and after receiving a muscle relaxant and some Benadryl, I was sent home. Dr. F and his nurses were convinced that once off the gabapentin (and already off the benzo), my symptoms would improve dramatically. They did not.
I endured anxiety, sweating, heart palpitations, panic attacks, akathisia (I paced constantly), digestive issues (and severe abdominal pain), insomnia…”
Akathisia is a serious drug-induced disorder that can lead to suicidal thoughts, actions and suicide itself. But knowing more about the causes of akathisia and recognizing akathisia symptoms can help prevent these avoidable deaths. Take our free, accredited Akathisia 101 course at MISSD.LearnUpon.com.
Some comments from course completers include:
“Thanks for designing such a valuable and critical course.”
“Good information for educational purposes; well laid out and delivered.”
“I work in a community mental health setting and I plan to email my colleagues this information so we all can be better informed.”
“In the US, the use of drugs for treating depression, anxiety, and insomnia spiked 21% between February 16th and March 15th, when the coronavirus was deemed a pandemic,” finds a new survey. MISSD wants to stress the importance of following FDA guidelines that state consumers should be carefully monitored and caregivers should watch for and report any unusual changes in behavior when starting, stopping or changing drug dosage or type.
We all hope researchers soon discover a treatment or cure for COVID-19. It’s also important to ensure safety and efficacy issues are properly researched and reported in clinical trials to protect public health.
