Loaded on Pills

“Physically, it was almost equally as bad as the acute alcohol withdrawal I experienced after my brother’s death. I went through things like brain zaps, panic attacks, and upset stomach. But the worst part was definitely the psychological effects. I was unsure of my own existence; everything looked two dimensional. It’s called depersonalization. I had a constant, intense fear that I could never explain”, remembers Blaise.

You might be wondering why a drug like Paxil ever made the market, or why it’s still so popular. In 1988, before Paxil was officially on the market, GSK (formerly Smith Kline Beecham) conducted a clinical Paxil test in Yugoslavia; however, what happened in Yugoslavia was never exposed to the public eye.

The trial consisted of participants suffering from major depressive disorders. The trial was divided into two phases: in phase one, all patients took Paxil. In phase two, patients were randomized into two groups, one of which remained on Paxil while the other was given a placebo.

Following phase two, the placebo patients began experiencing massive Paxil withdrawal symptoms. As a result, these patients entered a depressive state that was far worse than their initial one. On August 14, 2001, in The Superior Court of the State of California case, Lacuzong vs SKB, it was argued that the Yugoslavia trials weren’t intended to seek withdrawal symptoms; the patients, rather, were simply seen as suffering a relapse.

[pullquote]After one starts antidepressant therapy, doctors should schedule about 7 follow-up appointments with the patient.[/pullquote]

In 1992, Paxil was launched with no withdrawal warnings. As Dr. Pillay recalls, “When we first started prescribing these drugs, you would get a pharmaceutical representative bringing you pens, books, offering tickets to things.” He also argues that recent studies show that repeated exposure to a certain name may cause an unconscious bias in consumers.

Contrary to Canadian direct-to-consumer drug advertising restrictions, media outlets in the US are infested with prescription medicine ads that barely slur the side effects of these drugs.

Dr. David Reiss, who has performed more than 10,000 psychiatric evaluations, says he stopped seeing pharmaceutical representatives twenty years ago. He asserts, “Half of what they said, you couldn’t have faith in. These days, I’ll go to presentations and pick up some of the literature, but even with that, you have to be careful. They are trained to sell, and I’m not there to buy.” Further, he alleges that “There’s a lot of pressure to basically sedate people or get them drugged to suppress symptoms and not really deal with what’s going on.”

These days, it seems relatively easy to get a hold of these drugs, or even to feel like you might need them. Amanda Clark, former Paxil user and certified Peer Specialist at the Assertive Community Recovery LLC in Georgia, says she has been to over nine doctors in the past year. According to her, “a lot of doctors are pill pushers.”

One of Amanda’s doctors prescribed her Paxil after a rapid consultation. Amanda experienced vomiting, total loss of hair, night-sweats, intense nightmares, and extreme sensitivity to sunlight. “It took me three months to feel normal again…I would say it’s up there with getting off anti-psychotics,” says Amanda.

Advertisements promise you won’t mind the extra forty pounds, that the love of your life won’t mind your sexual shortcomings, and that you won’t kill yourself – you might be too sedated. On top of that, the average doctor might be ready to spray his antidepressant candy shotgun all over the consultation room. Once you’ve experienced all this, and when you no longer feel like walking over to the pharmacy to get more pills, you can have it brought right to your door!