Have you or your family experienced side effects from Antidepressants or Antipsychotics?

How do you know if you or your family will be genetically predisposed to the risks associated with psychotropic/psychiatric medication?

These are important questions you need to ask before agreeing to treatment with psychotropic drugs such as; antidepressants, antipsychotics or ADHD drugs.

The Australian drug regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has documented over 57,000 adverse reactions to psychotropic medications since 1990's.

This figure includes over 500 reported deaths directly linked to these types of drugs.

Reported Side Effects

tremors seizures hallucinations memory loss nausea anxiety severe headaches aggression & violence homicidal ideation constipation & diarrhea cardiac disease	high blood pressure diabetes skin rashes depression weight gain or weight loss suicidal ideation & behaviour   psychotic episodes Akathisia (agitation) lack of concentration & memory loss sexual dysfunction

Even though psychotropic medications account for the highest percentage of adverse drug reactions in Australia, our regulator has failed to increase or improve prescribing standards or warnings. 

We encourage you to sign our petition to demand that the Australian government immediately upgrades the warnings for these drugs to include a Black Box Warning on all psychotropic drugs.  A Black Box warning is the strongest warning available for prescription medicine in Australia, it would immediately alert both the Doctor and the patient about the serious risks associated with these drugs.

Tens of thousands of Australians have suffered unnecessary injuries, many resulting in death because of the failure of our government to responsibly regulate this class of drugs. 

The Secretary for the Department of Health and Ageing, responded to concerns by the community and specialists about the alarming amount of injuries & deaths caused by these drugs, by commissioning an expert advisory panel to review the warnings.  The department employed three specialists who took over 12 months to review the data and their conclusion was that a black box warning that is mandatory in America was not necessary in Australia because in their opinion there was extensive information contained in the Product Information Guides to warn both the doctors and patients about the risks.

FACTS:
There is no consistent requirement in Australia for pharmaceutical companies to document the warnings that these drugs provoke worsening of depression and suicidal ideation in some patients.

Most Product Information guides for these products do not advise that the drugs can actually provoke worsening depression or suicidal ideation, rather the information suggests that the drugs take time to work so in the meantime the patient’s condition may worsen leading to these symptoms and advise doctors to monitor their patients in the earlier stages of therapy.

Both the post marketing and clinical trial data have shown that these drugs can provoke depression and suicidal ideation in patients who were not experiencing these symptoms prior to treatment. 

Many of these drugs are linked to causing Diabetes, so while being claimed as a treatment for depression or anxiety they create a more serious health condition that requires yet more medical treatment and places the patient at greater risk. 

Remember even the manufacturers of these drugs do not claim these drugs provide a cure and an independent study produced evidence that there was only modest benefits compared with the patients treated with a placebo.

Many of those who experience these side effects require hospitalization or additional health care.  The issues are not just related to the suffering of thousands of Australians, but the millions of dollars that are being spent every year caring for patients that are not always suffering from a disorder but rather side effect from the treatment.

Most doctors, particular those specializing in mental health fail to report suspected adverse reactions experienced by their patients. 

We understand from complaints and concerns lodged with our organisation that many doctors commonly claim the adverse reactions experienced by their patients are instead symptoms of a worsening psychological disorder.  They commonly increase the dosage or prescribe in combination other drugs that only lead to further adverse reactions.

The polypharmacy issues associated with these types of drugs are complex and do not usually come within the scope of many general practitioners or even psychiatrists understanding or education of pharmacology. 

We highly recommend that you ask for second opinion if you are not satisfied with your Doctor’s response, you can email us directly for advice or referral regarding your rights. 

This information is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice.