“Surprisingly, there are no published guidelines on how to come off antipsychotics. Stopping medications is an important part of the job of a psychiatrist, yet it has received relatively little attention.” 

More than 50% of individuals who have taken antipsychotics reported negative experiences, including but not limited to suicidality, emotional numbing, sedation, weight gain, and cognitive difficulties.

Read the full article at https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/03/major-publication-tapering-antipsychotics-released/

A routine medical records request helped this healthcare consumer identify errors regarding akathisia.

Akathisia: “One of the oldest and most ghoulish side effects” that can vary from a mild, knee-bouncing restlessness to a hellish, suicidal dysphoria…”

Read the full article at https://www.milwaukeemag.com/how-seeing-my-mental-health-records-helped-me-and-didnt/

A new article in the Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling, and Psychotherapy, discusses the dangers of misdiagnosing SSRI withdrawal as other conditions. Prescribers “often mistake patients’ experience of withdrawing from antidepressants as Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS) or Functional Neurological Disorders (FNDs).”

Read the article at https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/03/antidepressant-withdrawal-misdiagnosed-functional-disorders/

“Contrary to prominent claims, we find no reliable evidence that antidepressants protect against suicide. Instead, it appears that antidepressant use may even increase suicide risk,” state researchers who conducted a meta-analysis.

Further, Hengartner et al. found that “studies funded by the pharmaceutical industry were far more likely to find lower suicide rates than studies performed by independent researchers. Studies that make antidepressants look poor are far less likely to be published.”

Michael Hengartner, Simone Amendola, Jakob Kaminski, Simone Kindler, Tom Bschor, and Martin Plöderl recently published the findings in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Read the full article at https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/03/antidepressants-still-linked-increased-suicide-risk/

The USC Titus Center for Medication Safety and Population Health will seek to reduce hospitalizations and emergency room visits by improving to improve patient health and safety by ensuring that patients “receive the right medication at the right doses, avoid dangerous drug interactions and understand how to use each medication correctly,” said Steven Chen, the school’s associate dean for clinical affairs.

“Although that may sound like a simple goal, it tackles an important issue because taking the wrong medication or dosage can lead to costly hospital visits or even death,” Chen said.

Read the full article at https://news.usc.edu/183353/usc-school-of-pharmacy-susie-titus-gift-prescription-medication-safety/

A recent article in Elle magazine about drugs marketed as “antidepressants” claims they work by helping “increase serotonin—the “happy” chemical—in the brain.” This claim hasn’t been supported by medical research but has been promoted by pharmaceutical companies and their marketing departments. MISSD calls on Elle to do better–and inform readers to watch for any unusual behavior changes if starting, stopping, or changing dosage or type of SSRIs. Akathisia awareness can save lives.

Read the full article at https://www.elle.com/beauty/health-fitness/a35607381/covid-19-antidepressants-not-alone/

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently partnered with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and other pharma-funded organizations to hold a summit to end suicide. The conference failed to address akathisia and communicate why the FDA has a Black Box suicide warning designed to protect teens and young adults from medication-induced deaths.

Kids deserve better. MISSD calls on the American Academy of Pediatrics to increase akathisia awareness and help reduce these avoidable deaths.

Read about the summit at https://www.aappublications.org/news/2021/03/03/suicide-summit-030321

Emergency medical specialists and other first responders need to be able to recognize the signs of serotonin toxicity given that it can precipitate akathisia, especially if a drug dosage has recently been changed.

“Most of these patients will be agitated…”

Read the full story at https://www.emsworld.com/article/1225590/edge-ems-serotonin-syndrome-neuroleptic-malignant-syndrome-and-malignant-hyperthermia

It’s important that doctors are aware that certain prescription drugs can cause withdrawal akathisia when discontinued. This includes drugs marketed for asthma, depression, infections, acne and mental health challenges.

“Perhaps the worst symptom of these is akathisia, described as a horrific type of pain and agitation that is poorly understood and seldom taken seriously by doctors.” Read the full article at https://www.madinamerica.com/2021/02/keys-successful-discontinuation-antipsychotic-medication/