Tania and Ian Morgan, from Swansea, lost their 25-year-old son, Sam, when he killed himself in January 2020. They believe his death was caused by an adverse reaction to an antidepressant.

Other consumers were fortunate that the hospital crisis team recognized an “adverse reaction to the sertraline”(Zoloft) and took appropriate actions before it was too late.

“An adverse reaction to antidepressants can happen within hours,” says Professor Healy.

“In 2012 I was struggling with insomnia while going through a divorce and visited my doctor for sleeping pills. Instead, he prescribed the antidepressant escitalopram, which triggered a four-day delirium during which I hallucinated about how to end my life,” Katinka Newman, author of “The Pill that Steals Lives.”

Read the full article at https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12186777/Agony-families-say-pills-depression-led-children-lives.html.

Real stories. Real People. Real Harm.

No cherry-picked drug data here, only truth. Listen & Learn at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibCOhnmM608

Like akathisia, serotonin toxicity symptoms are often missed: “high fever, fast heart rate, impaired consciousness, muscle rigidity, tremors, and difficulty speaking.”

It’s essential “to regularly evaluate symptoms of secondary psychiatric syndromes…” Read the full article at https://cushingsdiseasenews.com/news/case-cushings-disease-misdiagnosed-anxiety-disorder-case-report/.

It’s good to see akathisia mentioned in Emergency Medical News. “Do not re-dose the medication if akathisia occurs after a single dose” is critical information many medical professionals are either unaware of or don’t follow because akathisia is often missed or misdiagnosed as “worsening symptoms.” The article should note that many drug classes, including benzos, can cause akathisia.

Read the full article at https://journals.lww.com/em-news/Fulltext/2023/05000/Treatments_that_May_Alleviate_Akathisia.14.aspx.

Study author Dr. John Read, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of East London, said: “Not only do antidepressants not reduce suicidality, but they also actually increase it for many, and for some they provide the mechanism for killing oneself.”

The research, which will be published in the journal Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry, concluded: “If the goal is to prevent suicide then clearly they are not working for thousands of people.” Read the full article at https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/04/17/antidepressants-suicide-drugs-prozac-research/.

Information about high-risk medical products, health issues, and adverse drug effects can be found on Drugwatch to include info about pharmaceutical products marketed as antidepressants. Of note:

“Antidepressants have also been linked to akathisia, which is extreme restlessness and an inability to sit still. The discomfort can be so great that suicide becomes a welcome alternative to feeling this type of agitation. Sometimes akathisia is misdiagnosed as worsening depression, so medication dosage is increased, causing the restlessness to persist.” See https://www.drugwatch.com/ssri/suic for more info.

In Australia and most countries, children who need talk therapy are increasingly getting drugs instead.

“Most people would suggest trying psychological approaches first, but that assumes you can access those things – the waiting lists are horrendous,” said Ian Hickie, psychiatrist and co-director of the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre.

The federal health department has “launched a review of antidepressant prescribing behaviours by GPs.”

Read the full article at https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/gen-stress-prescriptions-surge-for-children-s-anxiety-medicines-20230403-p5cxop.html.

Major changes to national guidelines in the UK may help people safely withdraw from dependency-forming prescription drugs such as depression pills, benzos, and opioids. The UK “finally acknowledged the prevalence, severity, and duration of withdrawal after decades of minimization and denial,” said John Read, professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of East London.

A 2019 Public Health England report also recommends “specialised services and a phone hotline” to help people safely withdraw.

When will the US FDA take similar actions to help reduce avoidable suffering and save lives? Akathisia is frequently a critical symptom of withdrawal.

Read the full article at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psychiatry-through-the-looking-glass/202303/services-for-people-withdrawing-from.

Serotonin toxicity can occur with akathisia, especially after an increased dosage of certain drugs such as SSRIs. Symptoms include “altered mental status, changes in mood, behavior, increased anxiety, agitation or irritability, & confusion.”

This article does a good job explaining serotonin toxicity causes and symptoms. However, medical research does not support the author’s chemical imbalance claims. Read more at https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/what-is-serotonin-syndrome/ar-AA19bQJK?li=BBnba9O.

This excellent article is written by the spouse of an akathisia sufferer and can help others better understand akathisia symptoms and their impact on relationships.

“The suicidality that accompanies akathisia is the natural human impulse to escape being tortured. The body is overwhelmed by a frenzied need to fight or flee. The danger, while non-existent, becomes embodied in the physical and emotional torture akathisia creates, which then becomes overwhelming, culminating in a freefall of terror that can easily self-perpetuate.” — E. Kent Winward

Read the full article at https://www.madinamerica.com/2023/03/one-pill-disrupt-psychiatric-drug-withdrawal-marital-relationship/.