Medical doctors today struck out against the dangerous position
actress Brook Shields has taken in promoting the antidepressant Paxil
for treatment of post partum depression (PPD). "Ms. Shields does
not address the tremendous body of medical opinion against
antidepressants being prescribed for PPD, nor does it appear she was
medically advised of this. The Food and Drug Administration warns that
these drugs can cause hostility, anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, and
mania, which is a public health warning ignored in recent
media coverage," said Anthony P. Urbanek, M.D., a surgeon from
Nashville.
Today, the FDA issued a warning that adults who use the
antidepressants could also be at risk of suicidal behavior. After
analyzing hundreds of studies, the FDA updated its website with a
notice about a higher-than-expected rate of suicide attempts in adults
taking the drugs.
Julian Whitaker, M.D., the founder of the Whitaker Wellness Center
in California, said, "PPD should be treated as a medical, not
psychiatric condition. Add psychiatric drugs to the hormonal imbalance
that occurs at birth and you’ve potentially created a time bomb.
Texas mother Andrea Yates was prescribed antidepressants for PPD,
became psychotic and drowned her five children. New mothers need to be
warned of this risk."
A statement by Edward G. Ezrailson, Ph.D., at the time of
Ms. Yates' trial, warned the drugs she was prescribed caused
involuntary intoxication, leading to the murder of her children.
Last year, Dena Schlosser, who had been prescribed two
psychotropic drugs known to cause violent behavior, killed her
10-month daughter by severing her arms. Since September 2002, the
FDA has been issuing more and more warnings about psychiatric drugs,
side effects that both psychiatrists and manufacturers have underplayed
or withheld. Additional warnings have now been added to antidepressants,
antipsychotic drugs and stimulants.
Psychiatrist Nancy Mullan, who practices non-drug alternatives to
health care problems, warned, "There is a terrific plummet in
hormones when giving birth which needs to be normalized.
Blood sugar imbalances, nutrient deficiencies,
low adrenal gland function, thyroid imbalance and
copper and zinc deficiencies should all be tested for. The last thing
you need is an antidepressant masking or messing with this."
The Physicians Desk Reference also warns that Paxil can be secreted
through breast milk.
Ms. Jan Eastgate, International President of the
Citizens Commission on Human Rights, a psychiatric watchdog established
by the Church of Scientology, says, "This is not a celebrity issue;
it's about the failure of psychiatrists and doctors that have bought into
psychiatric marketing of PPD as a mental 'disorder' to inform women about
the dangers of these drugs despite the FDA issuing very strong
drug warnings."
Source: http://www.cchr.org/press/2005/050702.htm
