Friday, August 29, 2008

Withdrawing from Antidepressants Can be Dangerous

Prescription drugs are now one of the nation's leading killers!
source: Consumer Reports. The number of people needlessly hurt or killed by prescription drugs has become staggering. A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that in one year, over two million patients suffered serious drug reactions, resulting in 106,000 deaths. Another article in JAMA estimated that only 1 in 20 reactions are reported.

Drug makers claim that antidepressants are not "habit forming" but fail to mention that all antidepressants can cause withdrawal. People often do not realize that withdrawal is causing their symptoms.

Gradual dose reduction (also know as tapering) will alleviate symptoms for most people. (For many people the reduction in dose needs to be in miniscule amounts requiring the painstaking cutting and measuring of medication.) And yet most doctors do not know the proper methods for withdrawal and fail to fully warn patients. Failure to come off antidepressants properly, can result in permanent WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS.

ANTIDEPRESSANT WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS.

1. Crying spells
2. Worsened mood
3. Low energy (fatigue, lethargy, malaise)
4. Trouble concentrating
5. Insomnia or trouble sleeping
6. Change in appetite
7. Suicidal thoughts
8. Suicide attempts
9. Anxious, nervous, tense
10. Panic attacks (racing heart, breathless)
11. Chest pain
12. Trembling, jittery,or shaking
13. Irritability
14. Agitation (restlessness, hyperactivity)
15. Impulsivity
16. Aggressiveness
17. Self-harm
18. Homicidal thoughts or urges
19. Confusion or cognitive difficulties
20. Memory problems or forgetfulness
21. Elevated mood (feeling high)
22. Mood swings
23. Manic-like reactions
24. Auditory hallucinations
25. Visual hallucinations
26. Feeling detached or unreal
27. Excessive or intense dreaming
28. Nightmares
29. Flu-like aches and pains
30. Fever
31. Sweats
32. Chills
33. Runny nose
34. Sore eyes
35. Nausea
36. Vomiting
37. Diarrhea
38. Abdominal pain or cramps
39. Stomach bloating
40. Disequilibrium
41. Spinning, swaying, lightheaded
42. Hung over or waterlogged feeling
43. Unsteady gait, poor coordination
44. Motion sickness
45. Headache
46. Tremor
47. Numbness, burning, or tingling
48. Electric zap-like sensations in the brain
49. Electric shock-like sensations in the body
50. Abnormal visual sensations
51. Ringing or other noises in the ears
52. Abnormal smells or tastes
53. Drooling or excessive saliva
54. Slurred speech
55. Blurred vision
56. Muscle cramps, stiffness, twitches
57. Feeling of restless legs
58. Uncontrollable twitching of mouth

http://community.freespeech.org/node/ ...

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