I've Moved

I know I haven't posted anything on this blog in months. I've moved to a new location. Just in case anyone happens by this ghost town, you can now find me here. Peace.

The ten most dangerous psych meds

These Popular Drugs Can Make You Violent – Avoid Them

Posted By Dr. Mercola | February 02 2011 | 172,755 views             

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Some medications have been linked to an increased risk for violent, even homicidal behavior. A recent study identified 31 drugs that are disproportionately linked with violent behavior.
Time Magazine lists the top ten offenders:

1. Varenicline (Chantix): The number one violence-inducing drug on the list, this anti-smoking medication is 18 times more likely to be linked with violence when compared to other drugs
2. Fluoxetine (Prozac): This drug was the first well-known SSRI antidepressant
3. Paroxetine (Paxil): Another SSRI antidepressant, Paxil is also linked with severe withdrawal symptoms and a risk of birth defects
4. Amphetamines: (Various): Used to treat ADHD
5. Mefoquine (Lariam): A treatment for malaria which is often linked with reports of strange behavior
6. Atomoxetine (Strattera): An ADHD drug that affects the neurotransmitter noradrenaline
7. Triazolam (Halcion): This potentially addictive drug is used to treat insomnia
8. Fluvoxamine (Luvox): Another SSRI antidepressant
9. Venlafaxine (Effexor): An antidepressant also used to treat anxiety disorders
10. Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq): An antidepressant which affects both serotonin and noradrenaline

 

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

How legal drugs affect your mental state is a very important issue that is not getting the attention it deserves. In recent years, prescription rates for antidepressants and related drugs have skyrocketed.
About 230 million prescriptions for antidepressants are now filled each year, making them one of the most-prescribed drugs in the United States. But despite all of these prescription drugs being taken, more than one in 20 Americans are still depressed, according to the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The statistics alone should be a strong indication that what we're doing is simply not working, and that instead, these drugs are contributing to other serious health problems—and play a significant role in senseless acts of violence.
Depression (which from a more holistic perspective can be described as un-repaired emotional short-circuiting) can devastate your health and life. However, using antidepressants as the primary or only treatment option is simply not advisable, especially if the one suffering from depression is a child or teenager.
Whereas severe depression can indeed progress to suicide if left untreated, antidepressant drugs have been shown to CAUSE both suicidal and homicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Now, a study by The Institute of Safe Medication Practices has identified 31 commonly-prescribed drugs that are disproportionately associated with cases of violent acts. Topping the list is the quit-smoking drug Chantix, followed by Prozac and Paxil, and drugs used to treat ADHD.
Chantix is a whopping 18 times more likely to be linked with violence compared to other drugs, with 408 reported incidents.
These figures were collected from the US FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), and it's well worth noting here that only an estimated one to 10 percent of all side effects are ever reported to VAERS. So the fact that 408 acts of violence were linked to the drug and then actually reported is pretty amazing, considering the fact that the vast majority of side effects, regardless of what they are, are blamed on something else and connections are brushed aside as "coincidental."
Time Magazine also makes sure to state that these facts and figures do not mean that the drugs cause you to become violent. Rather we're to believe that depressed people are a naturally violent bunch and they take these drugs to control their destructive moods in the first place, so (apparently) the drug just didn't work for them.
Personally, I believe that's wishful thinking at best and irresponsible justification to protect profits for dangerous drugs at worst.
In all, five of the top 10 most violence-inducing drugs are antidepressants and two are commonly-prescribed ADHD drugs. When you consider that these are among the most prescribed types of drugs in the US, the fact that so many of them are linked to increased rates of violence should be cause for pause...

Antidepressants PROVEN Ineffective—Why are they Still the Go-To Solution?

It's interesting to note that while many alternative and complementary medical strategies are currently under heavy fire for being "unproven," we still continue to prescribe drugs that have been scientifically proven to be as effective, or less, than a placebo...
For example, alleged "safety concerns" over herbal medicines and questions about whether or not homeopathic remedies "actually work" have sparked a renewed drive in Europe to get many of these products off the market.
Meanwhile, various studies through the years have found that up to 75 percent of the benefits of antidepressants could be duplicated by a placebo! So not only do these drugs not work as advertised, but the evidence is also quite clear that most of these drugs increase your risk of suicide and violence.
Trying to reason this through logically is futile because it's not based on logic. It's based on money. Depression and ADHD are near limitless gold mines for pharmaceutical companies. There is no diagnostic test for either of these problems, and literally anyone who exhibits, or claims to have, certain symptoms can be labeled depressed or ADHD and be given drugs to treat the symptoms.
This too is a very important point: antidepressants are modifiers, not cures. They do not in ANY way whatsoever treat the root cause of depression. These drugs act as sedatives or stimulants—they're NOT actually "correcting" an underlying imbalance.
Most of you have probably heard that depression is due to a "chemical imbalance in your brain," which these drugs are designed to correct. Unfortunately for anyone who has ever swallowed this marketing ploy, this is NOT a scientific statement.
Medical journalist and Pulitzer Prize nominee Robert Whitaker explained the background of this oft-used but deceptive claim in my interview with him last year:

"The low serotonin theory arose because they understood how the drugs acted on the brain. But it was just a hypothesis borne to try to explain why the drug might be fixing something. They investigated whether people had low serotonin…[But] in 1983, NIMH concluded that there is no evidence that there is anything wrong in the serotonergic system of depressed patients...
So there was never any evidence that people with depression characteristically had low levels of serotonin."

I think that we need to take a step back and remember that when you're facing life's ups and downs there's nothing wrong with feeling blue now and again. It's a part of normal life, and in some cases depression is a sign that your LIFE is unbalanced, not your brain!
Accepting your feelings, whatever they may be, is one of the reasons why the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) works so well.

The Many Dangerous Side-Effects of Antidepressants

Increased risk of suicide and violence are not the only risk factors to take into account when considering taking an antidepressant. They can also harm your immune system, and raise your risk of type 2 diabetes by two to three times in high-risk groups.
Worse yet, they can CAUSE or worsen actual mental illness, and can lead to mental decline with long term use...
Robert Whitaker discussed this at length in my interview with him and you can also read more about this in his new book Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America:

"There are two side effects or risks that really need to be addressed, and that everybody should be thinking about, that show up in the scientific literature," he said.
"The first risk is that you'll convert from unipolar depression to bipolar depression.
… One of the things we've seen with the use of the SSRIs is this incredible, extraordinary boom in bipolar diagnoses, and that is definitely tied to the widespread use of antidepressants.
Now, in kids, something like 25 to 50 percent of all kids placed on an antidepressant, who stay on that antidepressant for five years, will convert to bipolar illness. With adults, it seems like about 25 percent of long term of users that begin with a diagnosis of unipolar depression will convert to bipolar.
... The second real risk is that there is a lot of evidence compiling [showing] that if you stay on antidepressants for five, ten, fifteen years, there is some real worry with cognitive decline associated with that long term use."

How to Treat the Root Cause of Your Problem

Like many of you, I have been personally affected by depression. Someone very near and dear to me made several unsuccessful suicide attempts several years ago. It was devastating. Medications and inpatient care were a terrible failure as they never addressed the underlying cause of the depression. This happened just as I was beginning to learn about energy medicine.
I'm quite confident I would have been able to help reach a more favorable outcome, more quickly, if I knew then what I know now.
Ultimately, it was energetic techniques that assisted this person to make a full recovery from depression. A very advanced form of cranial osteopathy was administered by a skilled physician. My favorite tool is energy psychology.
Learning how to use an energy psychology tool like the Emotional Freedom Technique can make an enormous difference if you suffer from depression or any other kind of emotional dysfunction. It's one of the most powerful methods I know of, and really is a crucial element of a successful treatment program.
For serious problems, it would be prudent to contact a health care professional who is trained in the technique.
I strongly believe that energy psychology is the single most important tool to resolve depression, but its effectiveness will certainly be significantly improved if it can be combined with a healthy lifestyle. Overcoming depression is usually a matter of integrating key natural therapies into a treatment program that feels right for you.
Here are four key factors to consider:

1. Optimize your diet—Tailoring your diet to your nutritional type to ensure your body is getting the appropriate nutrition it needs to thrive, along with drastically reducing or eliminating most sugars and grain from your diet will help form a firm foundation for both physical and mental wellness.
   
   Eating according to your nutritional type and abstaining from sugar/grains will optimize your insulin and leptin levels naturally. Remember that insulin resistance (which is caused by too much sugar/fructose and grains in your diet) is not only a primary factor in diseases like diabetes and heart disease, it’s also a significant risk factor for depression.
   Researchers have discovered a positive connection between higher levels of insulin resistance and severity of depressive symptoms in people with impaired glucose tolerance, even before the occurrence of diabetes. Based on these findings, it was suggested that insulin resistance could be the result of an increased release of counter-regulatory hormones linked to depression.
   According to one 2004 study, sugar suppresses activity of a key growth hormone in your brain called BDNF. BDNF levels are critically low in those suffering from depression and schizophrenia. To learn more, please see my article, The Links Between Sugar and Mental Health.
   Keep in mind that abstaining from sugars and grains also means avoiding sodas, sweetened beverages of all kinds and processed foods of all types as high fructose corn syrup is a staple ingredient in most processed foods and sweetened beverages.
   You’ll also want to avoid artificially sweetened “diet” foods and beverages. Artificial sweeteners like aspartame have also been linked to depression and behavioral disturbances.
   
2. Exercise!—Regular exercise is one of the “secret weapons” to overcoming depression. It works so well because it helps to normalize insulin resistance while boosting “feel good” hormones in your brain. Again and again, researchers have confirmed that physical exercise beats antidepressants in terms of effectiveness and long-term stay-well rate.
3.  Optimize your vitamin D levels—Getting safe sun exposure, which allows your body to produce vitamin D, is a natural mood booster, and vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a significantly increased risk of depression. One study found people with the lowest levels of vitamin D were 11 times more prone to be depressed than those who received healthy doses.
   
   Ideally, you’ll want to optimize your vitamin D levels by getting regular exposure to sunlight, but you can also use a safe tanning bed or take a high-quality vitamin D3 supplement.
   
4. Take high quality animal-based omega-3 fat daily—Not getting enough omega-3 fats is known to change the levels and functioning of both serotonin and dopamine (which plays a role in feelings of pleasure), as well as compromise the blood-brain barrier, which normally protects your brain from unwanted matter gaining access.
   
   Omega-3 deficiency can also decrease normal blood flow to your brain, an interesting finding given that studies show people with depression have compromised blood flow to a number of brain regions. Finally, omega-3 deficiency also causes a 35 percent reduction in brain phosphatidylserine (PS) levels, which is relevant considering that PS has documented antidepressant activity in humans.
   Omega-3 fats such as those in krill oil have actually been found to work just as well as antidepressants in preventing the signs of depression, but without any of the side effects. I can also attest to this, as throughout my years of medical practice many of my patients were able to eliminate their antidepressants once they started taking omega-3 fats.
   

Depression can be a very serious condition, but antidepressants are rarely effective, and the side effects can be just as deadly. I urge you to consider the natural treatments suggested above—ideally with the support and guidance of a knowledgeable natural health care practitioner.
If you or someone you love is currently struggling with depression, I also highly suggest reading Dr. Gordon's book Unstuck: Your Guide to the Seven-Stage Journey Out of Depression. It is packed with valuable insights to help you feel better and regain control of your physical and mental health.

Source:  Time Magazine January 7, 2011

Source:  PLoS One December 15, 2010; 5(12)

Related Links:

  These Foods and Nutritional Deficiencies Can Make You Depressed or Violent

  The MOST Effective Treatment for Depression Isn't Drugs... But You'll Never Hear That From Your Psychiatrist

  Best Kept Secret for Treating Depression

           

Dr. Mercola

Dr. Mercola is the founder of the world’s most visited natural health web site, Mercola.com. You can learn the hazardous side effects of OTC Remedies by getting a FREE copy of his latest special report The Dangers of Over the Counter Remedies by going to his Report Page.

Subconjunctival Hemorrhage

So this is what my eye looks like right now. I even found a pic with an eye the same color as mine, which is kind of unusual!

The first time it happened, I was 16 years old. I don't know why it happens. It doesn't hurt. It often happens when I'm overly tired or stressed.

My eyes felt extremely dry this time. It's only in the left eye. Apparently it's more worrisome if it happens in both eyes at once.

So...look me in the eye--if you dare!

Yes, and Stupid Too

Someone on Facebook posted the question "Is Sex Overrated?"

Ask a silly question...

Yes. And it's stupid too.

Have you ever really observed how people look when they're having sex? No, I've never stood there watching people have sex in front of me--that would embarrass me far more than it would arouse me. But I have seen porn.

 People look stupid when they're having sex. The only reason it might seem arousing at the time is because one has the desire but no-one to fulfill it with. However, try to watch porn when you're not horny and it becomes about as arousing as watching someone fix the plumbing. It's completely ridiculous.

I do think that sex is overrated. So many movies/television programs and advertisements revolve around sex. If you can't tell a story without sex being the central focus, it's not a very good story. It might be decent erotica, but it isn't a good stand-alone story. And if you can't sell a product without resorting to sexual imagery, it likely isn't a very good product.

For me, romantic relationships are right out. They make me suicidal. Literally. And casual sex does not make me feel aroused, it makes me feel sick and dirty.

I don't go around telling other people not to have sex, and I take umbrage that there are people out there who have had the audacity to tell me that there is something "wrong" with me because I don't want sex.

So, my real opinion at this point in my life is that sex is stupid. And I'm happy enough never to waste time on it again.

Check out NǽnøĉÿbbŒrğ VbëřřĦōlökäävsŦ – Supermassive Illuminating Celestial Plasma Concentration (Part VII: Antares,… http://ping.fm/e58v3 via @lastfm I love epic length songs--work great for a writing soundtrack!

Does anyone else just love it when Blogger screams "AIEEEEE!!!! CONFLICTING EDITS!!!!!"

RT @MySOdotCom “Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” -John Wayne RockTheReTweet

RT @rainnwilson Are actresses on awards shows required to be spray tanned like glittery ochre deck furniture?

Sorry people--I'm stupid tonight. I'm going away for a while and when I come back maybe my brain will be working again.

You know what makes you look really dumb? When you duplicate what you already said--like I just did--twice! I'm mentally tired.

Not only no...

For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." - Steve Jobs

The answer is "not only no, but fuck no!" And yet I'm still doing it.
How the hell can I get out of it? I need the salary. I can't just quit.

http://ping.fm/0VZQH Name 'em and shame 'em. Bastard!

"It's true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?"~The Gipper

http://ping.fm/5gAWU Info about Nanocyborg Uberholocaust. Pretty interesting!

Check out NǽnøĉÿbbŒrğ VbëřřĦōlökäävsŦ – Slow Dreary Seasonal Progressions Of An Ancient Solar Entity (Part I: Winter) http://ping.fm/dJ4gM via @lastfm Time for a long ambient doom jam. 70 minutes--epic! Enjoy!

"The mashed together, distorted text that you couldn't read in the Word Captcha did not match what you entered. What a surprise!"

The Only Religion We Need is Love

Be more like...these guys? YES!

This is a response to a post on Trent Vanegas' excellent "Pink is the New Blog" regarding Ricky Gervais' humanist views.

I'm one of those people that both sides hate. I'm an agnostic. The Fundamentalist Christian lot hates me because I don't agree with their view of a deity who is in essence an abusive egomaniac parent, punishing their children for not completely and utterly adulating them. Seriously, if there is a deity or deities, they are so much more advanced than humans that our adulation would not be in any way necessary to their existence! I despise organized religion because it has started so many conflicts and separates people from each other.

On the other hand, I get crap from atheists because I don't believe that we are all just "walking meat sacks" whose entire consciousness will wink out when our bodies die. I believe there is something more to it than that but I don't claim to understand what it is. The more acerbic Atheists think that people like me are stupid because we have any spark of spiritual belief. And I don't think that's cool either, or that it's very scientific. A true scientist would say that we can't PROVE such a belief is true but would keep an open mind to future findings rather than belittling someone who said they think that survival of the conscious energy is possible in some form.

The point is that none of us really KNOW for sure. So it would be nice if we could stop belittling and hating on each other and show some love. Whatever the case of the existence or lack thereof of a soul, it sure as hell wouldn't hurt to adopt the Bill and Ted philosophy and be excellent to each other. It would certainly make it a better world.

Happy Xmahannukwanzyule.

My Heart

The Suicide Queen said it better than I can so I am taking her words and making them my own.

Are we friends ? please read if you are not sure !

I try and learn something new about myself every day... on that same note, "people" tend to revile themselves to me everyday as well... either verbally or by their actions... or inactions... I happen to be going through a very difficult period in my life. I have cut myself off from any "outside" pain... I swallowed it all up internally... 

However, one thing I can not deal with, and never have been able to deal with... is rejection... personal rejection brings me more pain than all of my negative experiences put together! I am who I am... and I will not change that for anyone. I see the world in black and white, and to me, the grey area promotes drama and bullshit... I refuse to live in that zone... nor will I walk on eggshells anymore... 

I have wasted too much of my life walking on eggshells... If we are mere "surface level" friends... this is not the place for you... feel feel to follow me on Twitter @faycinacroud or on Facebook  but I am saving this place  for "true" friends... and if you think we are "surface level"  friends, then this is not the place for you. Twitter, Facebook, fine... but not here... This is a place for the friends I love and who love me...

I look at it this way… I may have a very short time left on this earth… I am very volatile and while I have "just talked" about suicide for years, it is a real possibility that I may take the plunge any time, and the possibility grows stronger and stronger as I lose more and more. I want to be surrounded by people who love me… is that so wrong ? I need “True” dependable friends at this point in my life and I do not have the energy to waste on providing a "jolly time happy place" for “surface level” friends…

If you want the (usually) funny shit, go to UNDEAD or RBUMM. Hell, they could use some readers. You can also go to the UNDEAD in the Netherworld or Short Time Attention Span Abbreviated News or KHEL 666 pages on Facebook. Either look them up or go to the links through the banners in the sidebar on the blogs.

If you care about animals and want to connect on that level, go to Animal Anarchy. There is also an Animal Anarchy page on Facebook. There is a link in the sidebar of the blog.

And if you are a troll, please just DIE, DIE, DIE, FUCKING DIE!!!!

I really have no patience for users, abusers, or especially piece of shit fucking worthless excuses for existing, aka Trolls.

Honestly, the one thing I ever wanted to do in this life is have fun and die happy.

So much for dreams.

Happy Xmahannukwanzyule.

Disenfranchised

"Poor Pluto" was found here.

Nobody likes Pluto or me.

Now I have not only managed to ruin my son's little family by accidentally letting his cat out when I was coming in--10 days ago, I don't imagine she will ever be found--but I am now estranged from my family. 

I was going over to my son's apartment last night and probably should just not have done so--I was not in a good mood. I called wanting him and his father to at least do the dishes so I wouldn't have to look at that same stack of dishes.

 I got stuck in traffic near the fucking mega-church that used to be a Wal Mart...if that isn't depraved, I don't know what is. The capitol of cheez whiz commercial corporations sells one of its buildings to a cheez whiz commercial church. That place has to be about as devoid of spirituality as a septic tank. Mega church: because preaching judgment at others is really what Jesus was all about. So not. Please--kill me now. I hate this world.

So I get there to Son's place and when ex husband asks me how I am, I mutter "horrible." He should have left it alone or said "sorry to hear that" but he starts in with the Dr. Phil "what is making your day horrible?" I said "Nothing, I don't want to fucking talk about it. And couldn't someone have cleaned the counter?" Yes, probably I should not have said that. But I'm sick and tired of everyone expecting that because I have ovaries, cleaning is only my jurisdiction. 

I was just going to make fucking ham sandwiches--because that's really all there was. Ex husband said something snotty--I don't even remember what it was. I said "fuck you, I'm leaving." I went to grab my coat, a big row ensued, and he said that I came in expecting to be treated like "a spoiled little princess."

Folks, that is the worst fucking thing you could possibly say to me. I, of all people, have never in my life been treated like anything even remotely close to a "spoiled princess." I live in a house that doesn't have the ability to flush the toilet. I have to piss in a trash can on puppy piddle pads. I don't have any working appliances. I can't take a shower here. I am constantly developing skin infections because I don't have the ability to shower more than once a week. I live on Yoo Hoo, dried fruit, and chocolate. They don't have to be refrigerated. I feel like shit about 1000 percent of the time. I don't even fucking like champagne or caviar and I could give a flying shit less about designer labels. I hate to shop. I hate when men try to buy me drinks because I know it means they think they're going to get some pussy. Hint...they aren't. And then they get pissy because they don't.

So...spoiled princess. That really triggered it. I threw my fucking keys at the bastard's head.

I can never forgive him for those filthy words. If he had called me a bitch, an asshole, a cunt, even if he had accused me of fucking every man in Colorado that I wasn't related to, I could forgive that a lot sooner than those words. Why not just call me a Kim Kardashian wannabe to put the icing on the cake. Seriously, Sir, FUCK YOU!

He left for a time, ostensibly to go look for the cat. Who the fuck knows or cares what he did. 

Then my son springs on me that the whole last semester when I thought things were going great and he appreciated that I was helping him out that instead he thought I was grouchy most of the time. 

Fine--I can't win.

I no longer have a family.

And I don't have any friends either.

I cut myself for the first time in more than five years.

I will be cutting from now on.

I have a few things to finish up and then I am done.

No offense to anyone who is a believer, but I don't believe in God so don't pull the old "it's a sin to commit suicide" card. I'm not trying to be some sort of acerbic "smartier than thou" atheist. I'm not really an atheist either. I know that something happens to the energy that might be called the "soul" after we die, but I don't know what it is. All I know is that I don't believe the stuff I was taught as a child. I hope you're right that there is some sort of afterlife, if you are a believer. But I hope that you're wrong about it being under the jurisdiction of some sort of egotistical, judgmental high school principal figure. Because that is how I see the Church God.

I guess I still liked the Christmas holiday because it was such a great thing when I was a child. Up until this year--because this is the year that I lost everything. I hate Christmas. I wish I could go back into the past and kick that stupid little credulous turd that I was when I was ten years old, spit in her face, tell her that her beliefs were a lie and that one day her father would be a sick, demented old man and then he would be dead. I would tell her that Christmas was a lie. Why? Because I want the stupid little bitch to stop lying to me from the past. I just want to kick her straight in her ugly buck teeth! I hate her!

All I want for Christmas is a sharp knife, a shotgun, and a couple of shells.

Sayonara.

Why I Hate Myself