SSRIs, such as Paxil and Zoloft, should never be abruptly stopped. Doing so can cause withdrawal akathisia which can cause violence and medication-induced suicide. Today’s New York Times article is disturbing, given that the pharma clinical trial instructs menstruating women to take the drugs for only 2 weeks per month.

Read the full article at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/20/well/live/antidepressants-pms-treatment.html

“MISSD sponsors akathisia awareness day in September to help publicize that prescription drugs–even when taken as directed–can cause suicidality and iatrogenic death.” –Wendy Dolin, MISSD Founder

Knowing the causes and symptoms of akathisia can reduce suffering and save lives. See https://www.einpresswire.com/article/590766361/suicide-prevention-must-include-akathisia-info

“Thanks for designing such a valuable & critical course. I wish the whole world knew about AKA & could identify as soon as it develops. I wish doctors would acknowledge AKA & warn their patients when starting new meds.” –Akathisia course completer

To take our free, accredited 1-hour course, see MISSD.LearnUpon.com.

Zoloft, an SSRI sold by Pfizer pharmaceuticals, can cause akathisia & iatrogenic death even when taken as directed by people who were given the drug off-label and not for depression. Close monitoring of children and young adults (and really, consumers of all ages), is critical, especially “when the person starts the drug or takes a new dosage.” Read the full article at https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326268#severe-side-effects

MISSD is concerned that 988 counselors are not trained to ask specific questions about prescription drugs and adverse drug effects such as akathisia that can cause suicidality and medication-induced death. HHS Secretary Becerra can change this to save more lives.

Read the full NPR article at https://tinyurl.com/2nw77ac4@NPR.

Akathisia can cause medication-induced death, but it can also cause years of lost life. This excellent article on Mad in America tells a story of prescribed harm that is all too common.

“At the end of that nine months, I was shocked to realize my anxiety, akathisia and suicidal thoughts were completely gone. I had never experienced these before psychotropics. I cannot begin to describe the utter shock I felt. I had just lost 20 years of my life and everyone and everything I held dear, including myself, due to psychiatric medicine. Why did doctors not see how drastically I changed and how rapid and brutal my descent was? Why did I not see?”

Read the full article at https://www.madinamerica.com/2022/09/madness-miracles/.

Suicide prevention hotlines should ask about medications callers may be taking or recently stopped. Some people “have voiced concerns & warned others about the possibility of a brush with law enforcement if they call 988.”

Akathisia is a prescription drug-induced disorder, not a mental disorder, and counselors should be trained to ascertain the difference. Read the full article at https://khn.org/news/article/988-call-centers-crisis-counselors-limited-resources/?utm_campaign=KHN.%3A%20Daily%20Health%20Policy%20Report&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=225409864&_hsenc=p2ANqtz–KCc-D3X7JNV1iRnPkdrDnHMlNcwhGc3X2JRvsQZhumStR4My_s0czbjcw_GqO8Qd5sQYaTT9h7kPgtfn9NkGbKHk0xg&utm_content=225409864&utm_source=hs_email

A drug advertisement for the new product called Rexulti is marketed as an add-on drug to be taken with SSRIs and similar depression pills. Otsuka Pharmaceuticals lists akathisia as the most common “side effect” of Rexulti but fails to mention that polypharmacy and simultaneously taking two drugs that can cause akathisia increases your risk of suffering from this serious drug-induced disorder. Also, see the drug ad promotes some new guesses as to what “may” cause depression. See https://www.rexulti.com/why-rexulti

After more than a decade of case reports associating Propecia with medication-induced suicidality and suicides, the hair-loss drug has finally updated its warning.

Read more at https://www.pfsfoundation.org/news/first-ever-suicidality-adrs-added-to-us-propecia-product-label-per-fda-mandate/

Treating teens as a “generation of Guinea pigs” causes multiple harms. A study in the Journal Pediatrics found that 40.7 percent of people ages 2 to 24 who were prescribed a drug for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were also prescribed at least one other medication for depression, anxiety, or another mood or behavioral disorder. The study found more than 50 different psychotropic medicines prescribed in such combinations, and a review by The New York Times found that roughly half of the drugs were not approved for use in adolescents, although doctors have discretion to prescribe as they see fit.”

See https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/27/health/teens-psychiatric-drugs.html?