FACT #2: The FDA has issued public health
warnings about the volatile side effects associated
with psychiatric drugs, and they are clearly
disclosed by the pharmaceutical companies that
manufacture them.
Dangerous, mind-altering side effects are listed in the
product inserts provided by the pharmaceutical com-
panies, and even television commercials for individual
drugs. (Case in point, in the midst of preparing this
article I heard a commercial for Cymbalta that said,
“…please talk to your doctor if you experience changes
in behavior or suicidal thoughts, which may be intensi-
fied in teens and young adults.”)
When it comes to violent and suicidal side effects,
SSRI antidepressants dominate the list. The fatal five
include Pristiq, effexor, Luvox, Paxil and Prozac, the
last of which came in at number two, causing violent
reactions in those ingesting it at a frequency almost 11
times greater than the average pharmaceutical drug.
In March 2004, the FDA published a Public Health
Advisory that reiterates several of the above-men-
tioned side effects and states, in part, “Anxiety, agita-
tion, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility,
impulsivity, severe restlessness, hypomania, and
mania have been reported in adult and pediatric
patients being treated with antidepressants for major
depressive disorder as well as for other indications,
both psychiatric and non-psychiatric.”
It’s important to note that adverse reactions are
most likely to occur when starting or discontinu-
ing a drug, increasing or lowering the dose, or when
switching from one drug to another. Adverse reactions
are often misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder, when the
symptoms may be entirely iatrogenic (treatment-
induced). Withdrawal, especially abrupt withdrawal,
from any of these medications can cause severe symp-
toms. It’s important to withdraw extremely slowly
from these drugs, under the supervision of a qualified
specialist. Withdrawal is sometimes more severe than
the original symptoms or problems.