Project about depression - please contribute to survey

Questions about depression?

We at APRIL have been trying for years to persuade doctors and official bodies to ensure people who are suffering adverse reaction to everyday medicines or anaesthetics or having problems related to withdrawal from prescribed drugs,  are heard and helped.

 Adverse drug reactions (ADRs)  and withdrawal effects can be depression, anxiety, insomnia, psychosis, self harming, or suicidal thoughts and actions.

Please contribute to the survey at www.depressionarq.org 

This is part of a major project about depression research. The aim is to inform research and provide a strong connection between researchers and the needs of patients.

Unfortunately if patient groups involved in this research have received substantial funding from the pharmaceutical industry, there will be attempts to cover up the extent of depression and suicides linked to medication adverse effects or withdrawal problems. It is therefore very important for those with experience of iatrogenic (treatment induced) depression or related conditions to express their views.

As difficult as it may be for those bereaved by iatrogenic related death of a loved one, we do appeal for you to please make your views known.

The survey gives patients, carers and clinicians a chance to let the organisers know what questions need to be answered. Questions can be about any aspect of depression; prevention, causes, diagnosis,
treatments or care.

Visit www.depressionarq.org to take part

BEWARE OF PHARMACEUTICAL FUNDED STATINS TRIALS PROPAGANDA AND PHARMA MARKETING PRESS RELEASES!

BEWARE OF PHARMACEUTICAL FUNDED STATINS TRIALS PROPAGANDA AND PHARMA MARKETING PRESS RELEASES!
10.08.12, 12:59pm

The Statins promotion article in today's Daily Express entitled ' Statins key to a longer life'  is about the Jupiter trial which was funded and sponsored by the manufacturer/marketer to assess the benefits of their drug Crestor (rosuvastatin) The publication of this study in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2008 pushed sales up. Lead/ author of the Jupiter study was the person quoted in the article is Paul Ridker.

One wonders why this article about a trial started in 2003 is appearing now. It may be because of patients’ voices being heard as they share their suffering on Internet forums and can now report adverse drug reactions (ADRs) themselves to the regulator (MHRA) using the Yellow Card system.

A study which examined data from 34,000 patients in 14 clinical trials was published by the Cochrane Library. This respected independent International reviewer of clinical trials pointed out that the majority of trials had been carried out by the manufacturers who may play down possible risks and that some of the patients had suffered memory loss, depression and mood swings. Previous studies linked liver dysfunction, acute kidney failure, cataracts muscle damage to the use of statins. There is also evidence that lowering cholesterol increases cancer risk.

Patients should not be pressured (as I know some are) to say yes to a drug that could reduce their quality of life and should weigh up the benefit- harm ratio. Those taking statins should be aware of early warning signs of the above possible ADRs.
If you are getting muscle problems which may be rhabdomyolysis, a CreatineKinase test will show if the statin is responsible
Millie Kieve founder of www.april.org.uk

this response was • Posted by: MillieAPRIL today on the Daily Express web site at www.express.co.uk/posts/view/338741

Are statins safe for everyone? research data compared to patient experience

Research data as compared to patient experience in the case of Statins

The ludicrous headline in the Telegraph and the article repeating the view that Statins are good following dubious based research has attracted over 700 comments from the public. This shows that people are not fooled by trial data funded by the industry and professors looking for funding for their university.

When pharmaceutical drugs are licensed for use by the general population, one would think that evidence of the safety of these drugs would have been established.

The manufacturers look specifically for the action of a drug but not for the harms in the clinical trials, so often harms are not recorded. Patients who drop out of trials due to adverse drug reactions may not be listed. Withdrawal effects are not followed up. Raw data is not seen by the licensing authority, only summaries of trial data produced by companies that rely on the good favour or the pharmaceutical company for their livelihood.

Less than 10% of serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are reported and some health professionals think the figure is more like 1%

Emergency hospital admissions due to ADRs have increased by 76.8% over 10years and deaths by 10% (official statistics) http://jrsm.rsmjournals.com/content/103/6/239.full
So where does that leave the patients?

We are bombarded with Disease awareness campaigns telling us that if a diagnostic test result is below or above a certain number we are at risk –
We have to ask the question

Are we put at more risk by the treatment than the test number prediction.?

Why does a headline such as today’s in The Telegraph, quote such nonsense as Statins should be prescribed to everyone over the age of 50?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9269027/All-over-50s-should-be-taking-statins.html

I had a conversation with a renowned consultant urologist this morning about the claims by Professor Colin Baigent that Statins should be prescribed to more people, the consultant was as horrified as I was. He said "statins are not safe for everyone. What about the Asian community who are at greater risk from statins." He mentioned the harm to liver and kidney, the increase in alzheimers?

A Professor of Clinical Pharmacology said to me:

“Would you take a lifestyle drug now to prevent something that may never happen in the future, that could make you ill now”

Questions to ask before you take Professor Baigen’s comment seriously.


Will he benefit by obtaining funding for his research. Who provides the funding for the research?


What are the details of the 27 random trials that the study took the data from?


o Were the 27 random trials all independent of pharmaceutical company funding?

o Did the random trials include people from the Asian and other populations known to be at increased risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) from statins

o How many women were included in the random trials (as it is know that statins were originally licensed following clinical trials mainly on men)

o Were the people on dummy pills (placebo) free of previous history of heart conditions.

The statement in the report “for every 1000 people in the low risk group treated with statins for five years there would be 11 fewer major hear attacks or strokes - A benefit that greatly exceeds any known hazards of statin therapy” needs teasing apart.
For example official statistics claim less than 10% of serious ADR are reported.

Read the forums with memory loss linked to statin use. These are not in the official statistics.

How many people are receiving steroid injections for muscle pain without being told to stop the statins or being given a CK test as recommended by the manufacturers.
What are the ‘know hazards of statin therapy?
They include

o Memory loss

o Bleeding strokes (burst blood vessel in brain)

o Muscle weakness and worse (rhabdomyolysis)

o Kidney failure

o Liver conditions

o Depression

o Diabetes

o Sleep problems

o Stomach problems

o Headaches

Take a careful look at the data provided by Pfizer before you decide to take a statin

http://www.medicines.org.uk/EMC/medicine/1424/SPC/Lipitor+10mg%2c+20mg%2c+40mg%2c+80mg+Tablets

Official pharmaceutical company data sheet – summary of product characteristics (SPC) – for Lipitor and the same for all statins states: The patient should be placed on a standard cholesterol-lowering diet before receiving Lipitor and should continue on this diet during treatment with Lipitor.

Data sheet states under 4.4 Special warnings and precautions for use:

• Liver function tests should be performed before the initiation of treatment and periodically thereafter
• Lipitor should be used with caution in patients who consume substantial quantities of alcohol and/or have a history of liver disease.