The American Legion Greatly Concerned About VA Treatment of PTS With "Useless" Drug - Calls for Congressional Hearings
WASHINGTON, Aug. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The head of the nation's largest veterans service organization says he is "greatly concerned" about the widespread use of an apparently ineffective medication by VA (Department of Veterans Affairs) doctors treating patients with post traumatic stress (PTS).
"It is alarming," said Jimmie L. Foster, national commander of The American Legion, "that fully 20 percent of the nearly 87,000 veterans VA physicians treated for PTS last year were given a medication that has proven to be pretty much useless."
According to a study conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs itself and published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Risperdal, an antipsychotic medication commonly prescribed to veterans with post traumatic stress when antidepressants have failed to help, does not alleviate the symptoms of PTS.
"Not only that," said Foster, "but Risperdal is not even approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of PTS." Only two medications, Zoloft and Paxil, both antidepressants, are government-approved to treat PTS and neither drug, say researchers, is very effective at treating patients with a chronic form of the disorder. "I am greatly concerned that veterans suffering the 'invisible wounds of war' are receiving equally invisible care," said Foster.
read more here
The American Legion Greatly Concerned About VA Treatment of PTS
Showing posts with label PTSD medications. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PTSD medications. Show all posts
Monday, August 8, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
US Troops Heavily Medicated on Prescription Drugs, Report Warns
Yesterday I posted about how giving medication alone was not working for a reason.
Telling veterans to only pop pills, nails coffins
Now here's more news that you need to know.
US Troops Heavily Medicated on Prescription Drugs
Telling veterans to only pop pills, nails coffins
Now here's more news that you need to know.
read more of this here"The medications they use shouldn't be so heavily prescribed in combat," said Dr. Judith Broder, a psychiatrist and founder of the Soldiers Project, a nonprofit counseling service.
"But they can't afford to send anyone home. They need the bodies -- health and welfare are secondary," she said.
US Troops Heavily Medicated on Prescription Drugs, Report Warns
Updated: Wednesday, 22 Jun 2011, 3:39 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 22 Jun 2011, 3:02 PM EDT
(The Daily) - Men and women in the US military are more medicated than ever -- and their doctors do not even know who takes what, The Daily reported Wednesday.
The Department of Defense does not keep track of medical prescriptions doled out to service members in combat, despite ongoing pleas from federal officials to do just that.
Last week, a report on the military's 2012 budget from the House Appropriations Committee remarked that the prescription of pain management drugs is handled inconsistently, especially in battle.
The report also handed down an ultimatum: within two months of the budget's approval, the committee wants concrete information on "the required steps and potential obstacles toward electronic transmission of prescription drug data."
A 2010 US Army study found that 14 percent of soldiers had been prescribed an opiate painkiller, with 95 percent of those prescriptions for oxycodone, a notoriously-addictive pharmaceutical best known by the brand name OxyContin.
US Troops Heavily Medicated on Prescription Drugs
Unseen Wounds of War: Serving the Mental Health Needs of Our Troops
Posted February 20th, 2011 by USNavySeals
In a previous post, we talked about the increased use of psychiatric prescription drugs among troops who fought – and are still fighting – in the Iraqi and Afghan wars. This increase in medications is brought about by the various mental health conditions that service members and combat veterans face.
That being said, however, the same feature on The New York Times shared that the military continues to report a shortage of therapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists. It seems that medications are more readily available, when compared against the medical professionals who have the license to prescribe them.
read more here
Serving the Mental Health Needs of Our Troops
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Telling veterans to only pop pills, nails coffins
by
Chaplain Kathie
The search has been on for so long now that the obvious has been forgotten. Virtual Reality graphics, all over the blog world for the last couple of years, is not the answer to all but can help some. Name the project funded and you'll find something someone wants to do but the bulk of our troops and veterans are given medication and sent on their way.
The obvious is therapy but few end up getting it. I've been reading what the experts have to say for almost 30 years now. Some "experts" have a book to sell or their own program to push. Others have only one agenda and that is to help veterans heal. These experts have said all along that PTSD is an "anxiety disorder" caused by traumatic events. In other words, not something they were born with. PTSD strikes only after traumatic events and all humans are subjected to it. The accepted rate is one out of three but some say "one out of five" for one exposure. Car accidents, natural disasters and crimes can cause PTSD after one exposure.
In New York, there has been an increase of PTSD linked back to September 11th attacks.
Notice that medications are at the bottom of the to do list and therapy is at the top?
Several years later studies came out showing that it was not just the survivors of the Twin Towers, but responders and New Yorkers facing this life altering challenge.
As you can see, the closer they were to the event itself, the more PTSD took hold. You can also see that the responders were changed even though they may not have been there when the Towers were hit or as they came down.
How is it that we can understand someone being forever changed by one event in their lives but cannot understand when they have been exposed to a year of multiple events? How can it be that we expect them to pop some pills and pick up their weapons everyday for the rest of their tour? What's worse is, we seem to expect them to just get over all of it afterwards.
ICasualties.org
When an IED blows up, body parts are disconnected. Some die, some survive. We don't want to think about the rest of the unit seeing all of it any more than we want to think about the people showing up to claim the remains. We sure don't want to think about the fact these men and women can't just go back home, get some rest and take it easy for while. They have to get back into a vehicle and return to duty, facing more and more threats of other bombs planted in the road. Each day increases what PTSD has already begun inside of them but that is just one example. Firefights, suicide bombers, snipers and even some of the locals they are training can and have turned on them. These men and women, when they finally admit they need help, are given medications and sent back to duty. Then the generals wonder why they have such a high suicide rate?
Here is just one example of what life is like after repeated traumatic events and the need for therapy instead of just medication.
Until the experts without connections to products to sell are heard, those supporting therapy will not be paid attention to and the numbers will still go up. The number of suicides continues to go up along with the attempted suicides. The number of veterans involved with SWAT teams and police officers goes up. Giving them pills to pop is more nails in their coffins but providing them with therapy is healing someone willing to die for the sake of this country.
A pill will not help anyone to forgive themselves or others. Therapy helps them work things out until they are able to do it.
Chaplain Kathie
The search has been on for so long now that the obvious has been forgotten. Virtual Reality graphics, all over the blog world for the last couple of years, is not the answer to all but can help some. Name the project funded and you'll find something someone wants to do but the bulk of our troops and veterans are given medication and sent on their way.
The obvious is therapy but few end up getting it. I've been reading what the experts have to say for almost 30 years now. Some "experts" have a book to sell or their own program to push. Others have only one agenda and that is to help veterans heal. These experts have said all along that PTSD is an "anxiety disorder" caused by traumatic events. In other words, not something they were born with. PTSD strikes only after traumatic events and all humans are subjected to it. The accepted rate is one out of three but some say "one out of five" for one exposure. Car accidents, natural disasters and crimes can cause PTSD after one exposure.
In New York, there has been an increase of PTSD linked back to September 11th attacks.
What is the treatment for PTSD
Treatment most often consists of individual and/or family therapy, group meetings with other PTSD sufferers, and sometimes medicines. Medicines used to treat the symptoms of PTSD include antidepressants, lithium, anti-anxiety medicines, beta-blockers, clonidine and others.
What can I do to help get my PTSD under control?
Meet regularly with your therapist and/or support group.
Learn stress management, assertiveness, relaxation and/or self-hypnosis.
Avoid highly stimulating or violent TV, movies, music, videotapes, or situations that increase your anxiety or symptoms.
Since sleep can be a problem with this disorder, learn ways to promote restful sleep.
Eat a healthy diet.
Exercise regularly.
Discuss the social use of alcohol with your therapist or counselor.
Avoid street drugs.
Work at forming and maintaining friendships and a network of support.
Work hard in therapy.
Accept that there may be setbacks.
Take medicines regularly if they have been prescribed for you.
Ask for help when you need it.
Notice that medications are at the bottom of the to do list and therapy is at the top?
Several years later studies came out showing that it was not just the survivors of the Twin Towers, but responders and New Yorkers facing this life altering challenge.
PTSD and September 11
Several studies have been published that examined rates of PTSD as a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. One study of 2,733 people across the United States conducted in October and November of 2001 found that 11.2% of New York City residents had PTSD, and 4% of U.S. residents had PTSD. Another study of 998 adults in New York City five to nine weeks after the attacks found that 7.5% had PTSD.
Distance Made a Difference
As would be expected, people who were in closer proximity to the attacks have been found to have higher rates of PTSD. In particular, 20% of people who lived below Canal Street in New York City (which is close to the World Trade Center) were found to have PTSD following the attacks.
Rates of PTSD in Relief Workers
Another study looked at 109 mental health relief workers who went to Ground Zero for one week during the first 2 months after the 9/11 attacks. This study found that relief workers showed signs of PTSD as a result of direct and indirect exposure to traumatic events at Ground Zero.
Specifically, it was found that 4.6% of relief workers had PTSD as a result of hearing stories from survivors of the attacks. A slightly higher percentage (6.4%) had PTSD as a result of direct exposure to stressors at Ground Zero. However, it is important to point out that 6 to 8 months following the attacks, none of the relief workers were found to have PTSD.
As you can see, the closer they were to the event itself, the more PTSD took hold. You can also see that the responders were changed even though they may not have been there when the Towers were hit or as they came down.
How is it that we can understand someone being forever changed by one event in their lives but cannot understand when they have been exposed to a year of multiple events? How can it be that we expect them to pop some pills and pick up their weapons everyday for the rest of their tour? What's worse is, we seem to expect them to just get over all of it afterwards.
When an IED blows up, body parts are disconnected. Some die, some survive. We don't want to think about the rest of the unit seeing all of it any more than we want to think about the people showing up to claim the remains. We sure don't want to think about the fact these men and women can't just go back home, get some rest and take it easy for while. They have to get back into a vehicle and return to duty, facing more and more threats of other bombs planted in the road. Each day increases what PTSD has already begun inside of them but that is just one example. Firefights, suicide bombers, snipers and even some of the locals they are training can and have turned on them. These men and women, when they finally admit they need help, are given medications and sent back to duty. Then the generals wonder why they have such a high suicide rate?
Here is just one example of what life is like after repeated traumatic events and the need for therapy instead of just medication.
Serbs go from pill poppers to couch therapy
By Aleksandra Niksic (AFP) – 1 day ago
BELGRADE — After decades of widespread use of tranquillisers and antidepressants, readily prescribed by doctors, Serbians have discovered the wonders of couch therapy.
"A Benjo a day takes your troubles away," said a tongue-in-cheek Belgrade graffiti featuring the slang name of a popular antidepressant in the 1990s.
It became a mantra for many trying to escape the gloomy everyday life under the repressive rule of the late communist strongman Slobodan Milosevic.
The wars that led to the bloody dissolution of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, the failing economy with dozens of people losing jobs every day, deteriorating living standards and international isolation pushed many to seek help in the form of a "magic pill".
"I simply could not force myself to get out of bed. Just a glance at the news and everything was falling apart. But with tranquillisers a couple of times a day, everything became bearable," said Darja Tosic, a 52-year mother of two.
It was easy to get the pills legally: they were cheap and a regular family doctor could write a prescription, she said.
Health controls were also more lenient with loose regulations on many drugs imported from China, India and Russia that were sold freely, so popping pills was easy.
But a regime change a decade ago brought new methods into what has traditionally been a conservative, macho society where discussing emotions was not encouraged.
read more here
Serbs go from pill poppers to couch therapy
Until the experts without connections to products to sell are heard, those supporting therapy will not be paid attention to and the numbers will still go up. The number of suicides continues to go up along with the attempted suicides. The number of veterans involved with SWAT teams and police officers goes up. Giving them pills to pop is more nails in their coffins but providing them with therapy is healing someone willing to die for the sake of this country.
A pill will not help anyone to forgive themselves or others. Therapy helps them work things out until they are able to do it.
You caused a death. Can you forgive yourself?
By Todd Leopold, CNN
June 22, 2011 8:44 a.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Darin Strauss recounts hitting a cyclist in memoir "Half a Life"
Forgiving yourself -- especially after blameless incident -- is difficult, say counselors
Key to the process: Talking to others, being honest with self
(CNN) -- Darin Strauss was 18, a month from graduating high school, when he climbed into his father's Oldsmobile and picked up some friends to play miniature golf. He drove in the left lane of a four-lane thoroughfare in Long Island, New York, shooting the breeze, enjoying the watercolored scenery, not a care in the world. Up ahead, on his right, two girls pedaled bicycles on the shoulder.
Suddenly, one of the girls swerved left across the road. Strauss, with no time to react, hit her at 40 miles per hour. The girl -- Celine Zilke, a student at Strauss' high school -- died.
Strauss was exonerated by the legal system. His friends, for the most part, were supportive. But he privately carried around the memory of Celine Zilke's death for decades. After a poor experience with a therapist, who seemed as determined to impress Strauss with his sports car as help him past the guilt, Strauss went off to college and essentially buried the incident except to a few intimates.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Marine died in his sleep; autopsy lists 27 medications
We read stories like this all the time but there is a deeper, darker secret going on here connected to the pills being pushed instead of real therapy. All of this "take a pill and you'll feel better" approach to combat PTSD leaves them with a bitter taste in their mouth. They feel as if they are just being given them to shut up and go away. This is especially hard on them when they are still in combat, given pills and no one is doing any kind of therapy with them. Pills do a good job getting things back into balance when they work but they only hide the symptoms of PTSD, usually numbing them instead of helping them.
Medication is needed most of the time but experts have been working on PTSD for almost 40 years and the good ones all say that therapy is key in healing. This is unique in mental illness because it was not something already there, something they were born with, any more than it is something they had control over. It invaded them. Like an infection, it picked on a sensitive part of their body, hit with force and then tried to claim more territory. It is a wound to the emotional part of the brain after exposure to traumatic events and you don't get much more trauma than combat because as long as they are in it, as many times as they are in it, it feeds PTSD.
The excuse offered in theater is the lack of mental health professionals and the need to keep boots on the ground instead of getting them out of there to heal. So they get pills for every issue and are expected to do their duty. (Snipers are even getting medicated.) So they spend a year with PTSD exposed to more trauma and threats to their lives along with the lives of their "brothers" and then we expect them to just go with the flow back home taking a pill, or in many cases, a handful of them.
One huge issue here is that part of PTSD is short term memory loss. Sometimes they forget if they took their pills or not, so they take them just in case, many times, after they already took their daily dose.
The only way to heal them is to add in therapy plus constant checkups to see how the medications are working and then adjust them depending on how the veterans lives are. Without therapy, you'll find them on heavy medications for the rest of their lives and no real healing happening.
Medication is needed most of the time but experts have been working on PTSD for almost 40 years and the good ones all say that therapy is key in healing. This is unique in mental illness because it was not something already there, something they were born with, any more than it is something they had control over. It invaded them. Like an infection, it picked on a sensitive part of their body, hit with force and then tried to claim more territory. It is a wound to the emotional part of the brain after exposure to traumatic events and you don't get much more trauma than combat because as long as they are in it, as many times as they are in it, it feeds PTSD.
The excuse offered in theater is the lack of mental health professionals and the need to keep boots on the ground instead of getting them out of there to heal. So they get pills for every issue and are expected to do their duty. (Snipers are even getting medicated.) So they spend a year with PTSD exposed to more trauma and threats to their lives along with the lives of their "brothers" and then we expect them to just go with the flow back home taking a pill, or in many cases, a handful of them.
One huge issue here is that part of PTSD is short term memory loss. Sometimes they forget if they took their pills or not, so they take them just in case, many times, after they already took their daily dose.
The only way to heal them is to add in therapy plus constant checkups to see how the medications are working and then adjust them depending on how the veterans lives are. Without therapy, you'll find them on heavy medications for the rest of their lives and no real healing happening.
After decade of war, concerns about over-medicated military
From Charley Keyes, CNN Senior National Security Producer
June 3, 2011 8:00 p.m. EDT
John Keith suffered blackouts taking his medication. He once threw furniture off a balcony and had no recollection of it."After I was taking the 10 pills and it wasn't working, I went back to the VA, and they prescribed me five more pills on top of everything else," Keith said.STORY HIGHLIGHTS
One Navy veteran says he took 15 medications a day
Marine died in his sleep; autopsy lists 27 medications
General says Army has new rules on prescriptions
Washington (CNN) -- John Keith rattles each pill bottle and raps it down on the table, 15 in all. "That's what they had me on right there, every day," the former sailor says of the prescriptions he received from Veterans Affairs doctors.
Keith, who lives in California, says his case is an example of how government doctors over-prescribe for active-duty and retired military, with often disastrous results.
On the other side of the country, the Ohio family of Chris Bachus, a decorated Marine who died in his sleep from an accidental drug overdose, also says military doctors are writing too many prescriptions.
"How could a team of doctors, allegedly working together, prescribe all those things together?" Jerry Bachus asks of the doctors who treated his brother with dozens of separate medications.
And the military itself is struggling with demands of its personnel returning from multiple warzone deployments and seeking treatment for a variety of injuries and mental issues.
Navy veteran Keith blames multiple tours in the Persian Gulf, on board the USS Kitty Hawk, for a variety of ailments including post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.
The cover letter on the official military autopsy for Chris Bachus strongly recommends that family members not read it alone, but with a family friend or minister.read more here
It spells out the 27 prescriptions found near the body in March 2008, at Camp Geiger in North Carolina. The death was ruled accidental, blamed on "multi-drug toxicity."
The list of 27 prescription bottles found at the scene of death takes up most of a page of the autopsy, from topiramate to oxycodone to lorazepam.
After decade of war, concerns about over-medicated military
Monday, March 7, 2011
Army's burgeoning suicide rate and in fatal accidents
PTSD death sends family on search for answers
By: CHARLES D. BRUNT 03/07/11 3:01 AM
Albuquerque Journal
Senior Airman Anthony "Tony" Mena managed to dodge bullets, rocket-propelled grenades and roadside bombs during two tours in Iraq.
But he couldn't survive the onslaught of medications that military, Veterans Affairs and civilian doctors prescribed to treat his resulting post-traumatic stress disorder and back pain.
Five months after being medically discharged, the former member of Kirtland Air Force Base's 377th Security Forces Squadron died in his sleep — the result of a lethal mix of nine prescribed medications, including antidepressants, pain killers, tranquilizers and muscle relaxers.
The medical examiner ruled the 23-year-old's death an accident: Mena had not taken more medicine than prescribed.
His July 21, 2009, death set his family on a quest to force changes in PTSD treatment.
"I trusted the doctors," his mother, Pat Mena, said from her El Paso, Texas, home. "I really thought they had a list of everything my son was taking."
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that produces psychological symptoms that can occur after a traumatic event. It can cause flashbacks, nightmares, depression, anxiety, edginess, substance abuse and other symptoms, and can surface years after the event.
Some studies indicate 20 percent of returning Iraq and Afghanistan troops have PTSD.
Cases like Mena's have prompted the military to revise its policies on polypharmacy, the use of combinations of multiple medications. Military studies have cited polypharmacy as a factor in the Army's burgeoning suicide rate and in fatal accidents.
Read more at the Washington Examiner:
PTSD death sends family on search for answers
By: CHARLES D. BRUNT 03/07/11 3:01 AM
Albuquerque Journal
Senior Airman Anthony "Tony" Mena managed to dodge bullets, rocket-propelled grenades and roadside bombs during two tours in Iraq.
But he couldn't survive the onslaught of medications that military, Veterans Affairs and civilian doctors prescribed to treat his resulting post-traumatic stress disorder and back pain.
Five months after being medically discharged, the former member of Kirtland Air Force Base's 377th Security Forces Squadron died in his sleep — the result of a lethal mix of nine prescribed medications, including antidepressants, pain killers, tranquilizers and muscle relaxers.
The medical examiner ruled the 23-year-old's death an accident: Mena had not taken more medicine than prescribed.
His July 21, 2009, death set his family on a quest to force changes in PTSD treatment.
"I trusted the doctors," his mother, Pat Mena, said from her El Paso, Texas, home. "I really thought they had a list of everything my son was taking."
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that produces psychological symptoms that can occur after a traumatic event. It can cause flashbacks, nightmares, depression, anxiety, edginess, substance abuse and other symptoms, and can surface years after the event.
Some studies indicate 20 percent of returning Iraq and Afghanistan troops have PTSD.
Cases like Mena's have prompted the military to revise its policies on polypharmacy, the use of combinations of multiple medications. Military studies have cited polypharmacy as a factor in the Army's burgeoning suicide rate and in fatal accidents.
Read more at the Washington Examiner:
PTSD death sends family on search for answers
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Powerful Drug Cocktails Have Deadly Results For Some Troops
For Some Troops, Powerful Drug Cocktails Have Deadly Results
Psychiatrists still do not have good medications for the social withdrawal, nightmares and irritability that often accompany post-traumatic stress, so they mix and match drugs, trying to relieve symptoms.
This article was reported by James Dao, Benedict Carey and Dan Frosch and written by Mr. Dao.
In his last months alive, Senior Airman Anthony Mena rarely left home without a backpack filled with medications.
He returned from his second deployment to Iraq complaining of back pain, insomnia, anxiety and nightmares. Doctors diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder and prescribed powerful cocktails of psychiatric drugs and narcotics.
Yet his pain only deepened, as did his depression. “I have almost given up hope,” he told a doctor in 2008, medical records show. “I should have died in Iraq.”
Airman Mena died instead in his Albuquerque apartment, on July 21, 2009, five months after leaving the Air Force on a medical discharge. A toxicologist found eight prescription medications in his blood, including three antidepressants, a sedative, a sleeping pill and two potent painkillers.
Yet his death was no suicide, the medical examiner concluded. What killed Airman Mena was not an overdose of any one drug, but the interaction of many. He was 23.
After a decade of treating thousands of wounded troops, the military’s medical system is awash in prescription drugs — and the results have sometimes been deadly.
By some estimates, well over 300,000 troops have returned from Iraq or Afghanistan with P.T.S.D., depression, traumatic brain injury or some combination of those. The Pentagon has looked to pharmacology to treat those complex problems, following the lead of civilian medicine. As a result, psychiatric drugs have been used more widely across the military than in any previous war.
But those medications, along with narcotic painkillers, are being increasingly linked to a rising tide of other problems, among them drug dependency, suicide and fatal accidents — sometimes from the interaction of the drugs themselves. An Army report on suicide released last year documented the problem, saying one-third of the force was on at least one prescription medication.
“Prescription drug use is on the rise,” the report said, noting that medications were involved in one-third of the record 162 suicides by active-duty soldiers in 2009. An additional 101 soldiers died accidentally from the toxic mixing of prescription drugs from 2006 to 2009.
On Jan. 29, 2008, Corporal Endicott was found dead in his room at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where he had checked himself in for anger management after another car accident. He was 26.read more here
A toxicologist detected at least nine prescription drugs in his system, including five different benzodiazepines, drugs used to reduce anxiety or improve sleep. Small amounts of marijuana and methadone — a narcotic that is particularly dangerous when mixed with benzodiazepines — were also found in his body.
His death prompted Marine Corps officials at Bethesda and Walter Reed Army Medical Center to initiate new procedures to keep Marines from inappropriately mixing medications, including assigning case managers to oversee patients, records show.
Whether Corporal Endicott used methadone to get high or to relieve pain remains unclear. The Marine Corps concluded that his death was not due to misconduct.
“He survived over there,” his father said. “Coming home and dying in a hospital? It’s a disgrace.”
Powerful Drug Cocktails Have Deadly Results
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Seroquel fine to be paid but what about the rest of the story?
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals took advantage of the government and has agreed to pay a fine. The problem is, the FDA, another branch of the government, did not approve Seroquel for "uses that were not approved by the FDA as safe and effective (including aggression, Alzheimer’s disease, anger management, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar maintenance, dementia, depression, mood disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and sleeplessness)." Why isn't anyone asking the VA why they used them without checking to see if the company was telling them the truth or not? It's great to hold the companies accountable, but who is holding the VA and other agencies accountable?
Pharmaceutical Giant AstraZeneca to Pay $520 Million for Off-label Drug Marketing
AstraZeneca LP and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP will pay $520 million to resolve allegations that AstraZeneca illegally marketed the anti-psychotic drug Seroquel for uses not approved as safe and effective by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services’ Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) announced today. Such unapproved uses are also known as "off-label" uses because they are not included in the drug’s FDA approved product label.
The Wilmington, Del.-based company signed a civil settlement to resolve allegations that by marketing Seroquel for unapproved uses, the company caused false claims for payment to be submitted to federal insurance programs including Medicaid, Medicare and TRICARE programs, and to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program and the Bureau of Prisons.The United States alleges that AstraZeneca illegally marketed Seroquel for uses never approved by the FDA. Specifically, between January 2001 through December 2006, AstraZeneca promoted Seroquel to psychiatrists and other physicians for certain uses that were not approved by the FDA as safe and effective (including aggression, Alzheimer’s disease, anger management, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bipolar maintenance, dementia, depression, mood disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and sleeplessness). These unapproved uses were not medically accepted indications for which the United States and the state Medicaid programs provided coverage for Seroquel.
read more here
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Medicating the military
The saying goes, give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day but teach him how to fish and he'll eat everyday, or words like it but they are from a wise person looking past the need of the moment toward the need of the tomorrows.
Teach a man to medicate, he'll cope for a day. Teach him to heal and he'll live to an old age when you think about what needs to be done at the same time we see what is not being done now. They are given medications with no therapy and very little monitoring by a doctor. How do they expect to treat wounds with masking the pain? They are teaching them that no matter what pain they feel, they can kill it off with medications instead of addressing the cause of the pain in the first place.
Teach a man to medicate, he'll cope for a day. Teach him to heal and he'll live to an old age when you think about what needs to be done at the same time we see what is not being done now. They are given medications with no therapy and very little monitoring by a doctor. How do they expect to treat wounds with masking the pain? They are teaching them that no matter what pain they feel, they can kill it off with medications instead of addressing the cause of the pain in the first place.
Medicating the military
Use of psychiatric drugs has spiked; concerns surface about suicide, other dangers
By Andrew Tilghman and Brendan McGarry - Staff writers
Posted : Wednesday Mar 17, 2010 12:18:59 EDT
At least one in six service members is on some form of psychiatric drug.
And many troops are taking more than one kind, mixing several pills in daily “cocktails” — for example, an antidepressant with an antipsychotic to prevent nightmares, plus an anti-epileptic to reduce headaches — despite minimal clinical research testing such combinations.
The drugs come with serious side effects: They can impair motor skills, reduce reaction times and generally make a war fighter less effective. Some double the risk for suicide, prompting doctors — and Congress — to question whether these drugs are connected to the rising rate of military suicides.
“It’s really a large-scale experiment. We are experimenting with changing people’s cognition and behavior,” said Dr. Grace Jackson, a former Navy psychiatrist.
A Military Times investigation of electronic records obtained from the Defense Logistics Agency shows DLA spent $1.1 billion on common psychiatric and pain medications from 2001 to 2009. It also shows that use of psychiatric medications has increased dramatically — about 76 percent overall, with some drug types more than doubling — since the start of the current wars.
read more here
Medicating the military
Monday, March 8, 2010
PTSD drugs curing or killing?
Are Veterans Being Given Deadly Cocktails to Treat PTSD?
A potentially deadly drug manufactured by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has been linked to the deaths of soldiers returning from war. Yet the FDA continues to approve it.
AlterNet / By Martha Rosenberg
March 6, 2010
Sgt. Eric Layne's death was not pretty.
A few months after starting a drug regimen combining the antidepressant Paxil, the mood stabilizer Klonopin and a controversial anti-psychotic drug manufactured by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, Seroquel, the Iraq war veteran was "suffering from incontinence, severe depression [and] continuous headaches," according to his widow, Janette Layne.
Soon he had tremors. " … [H]is breathing was labored [and] he had developed sleep apnea," Layne said.
Janette Layne, who served in the National Guard during Operation Iraqi Freedom along with her husband, told the story of his decline last year, at official FDA hearings on new approvals for Seroquel. On the last day of his life, she testified, Eric stayed in the bathroom nearly all night battling acute urinary retention (an inability to urinate). He died while his family slept.
Sgt. Layne had just returned from a seven-week inpatient program at the VA Medical Center in Cincinnati where he was being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A video shot during that time, played by his wife at the FDA hearings, shows a dangerously sedated figure barely able to talk.
Sgt. Layne was not the first veteran to die after being prescribed medical cocktails including Seroquel for PTSD.
read more here
Are Veterans Being Given Deadly Cocktails to Treat PTSD
A potentially deadly drug manufactured by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has been linked to the deaths of soldiers returning from war. Yet the FDA continues to approve it.
AlterNet / By Martha Rosenberg
March 6, 2010
Sgt. Eric Layne's death was not pretty.
A few months after starting a drug regimen combining the antidepressant Paxil, the mood stabilizer Klonopin and a controversial anti-psychotic drug manufactured by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, Seroquel, the Iraq war veteran was "suffering from incontinence, severe depression [and] continuous headaches," according to his widow, Janette Layne.
Soon he had tremors. " … [H]is breathing was labored [and] he had developed sleep apnea," Layne said.
Janette Layne, who served in the National Guard during Operation Iraqi Freedom along with her husband, told the story of his decline last year, at official FDA hearings on new approvals for Seroquel. On the last day of his life, she testified, Eric stayed in the bathroom nearly all night battling acute urinary retention (an inability to urinate). He died while his family slept.
Sgt. Layne had just returned from a seven-week inpatient program at the VA Medical Center in Cincinnati where he was being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A video shot during that time, played by his wife at the FDA hearings, shows a dangerously sedated figure barely able to talk.
Sgt. Layne was not the first veteran to die after being prescribed medical cocktails including Seroquel for PTSD.
read more here
Are Veterans Being Given Deadly Cocktails to Treat PTSD
Friday, February 12, 2010
Nevada Soldier With PTSD Prescribed 14 Drugs Before Police Shootout
Nevada Soldier With PTSD Prescribed 14 Drugs Before Police Shootout
Tim King Salem-News.com
"We can offer jail diversion programs to drug addicts - but we can't offer jail diversion programs to Veterans who are first time offenders" - Sue Lamoureux, wife of decorated Combat Vet
Pat and Sue Lamoureux in happier times
(LAS VEGAS, Nv.) - Sue Lamoureux's dedication to her husband Pat, an Iraq combat veteran incarcerated for a shooting that happened Sept. 19, 2008, in Pahrump, Nevada, is more than steadfast. He has been locked down since that fateful night.
Pat survived really awful circumstances while serving in Iraq. He's haunted by the memory of a girl in her early teens who blew herself up near his heavy equipment transport truck. He said she, "came out of nowhere."
He talked about a firefight near the airport in Baghdad. Staff Sergeant Robert J. Brown, Lamoureux's convoy commander on the majority of his missions, talked about how the convoys were shot at "day and night." "If you stopped, you got shot. We were sitting ducks outside of that wall, wire, perimeter or sand berm."
read more here
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/february112010/lamoureux_ptsd_tk.php
Tim King Salem-News.com
"We can offer jail diversion programs to drug addicts - but we can't offer jail diversion programs to Veterans who are first time offenders" - Sue Lamoureux, wife of decorated Combat Vet
Pat and Sue Lamoureux in happier times
(LAS VEGAS, Nv.) - Sue Lamoureux's dedication to her husband Pat, an Iraq combat veteran incarcerated for a shooting that happened Sept. 19, 2008, in Pahrump, Nevada, is more than steadfast. He has been locked down since that fateful night.
Pat survived really awful circumstances while serving in Iraq. He's haunted by the memory of a girl in her early teens who blew herself up near his heavy equipment transport truck. He said she, "came out of nowhere."
He talked about a firefight near the airport in Baghdad. Staff Sergeant Robert J. Brown, Lamoureux's convoy commander on the majority of his missions, talked about how the convoys were shot at "day and night." "If you stopped, you got shot. We were sitting ducks outside of that wall, wire, perimeter or sand berm."
read more here
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/february112010/lamoureux_ptsd_tk.php
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Need for face to face counseling made clear in Texas
When you read this, consider how many are deployed with medication and no therapy at all, then you may be a bit closer to what we've been screaming about since the Hartford Courant did the report years ago.
Maybe they should have paid attention in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, or maybe in 2007 when I posted how if we thought PTSD was bad, it was going to get a lot worse?
But why would they listen when they wanted to focus on the "mission" and getting them into Iraq and Afghanistan instead of caring about what comes after? They are not listening still. They give them pills to calm the nerves and flashbacks, pills to sleep and more to stay awake. These pills also come with warnings about being under the supervision of a doctor but they deploy for a year or more and don't have anyone watching over them. They come home and again, they are given more pills but no counseling. Most end up without a clue what PTSD is but they are told there is a pill for it. Just keeps getting worse for them at the same time the military keep telling us they get the message.
Potent Mixture: Zoloft & A Rifle
LISA CHEDEKEL And MATTHEW KAUFFMAN
Hartford Courant
May 17, 2006
When Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark C. Warren was diagnosed with depression soon after his deployment to Iraq, a military doctor handed him a supply of the mood-altering drug Effexor.
Marine Pfc. Robert Allen Guy was given Zoloft to relieve the depression he developed in Iraq.
And Army Pfc. Melissa Hobart was dutifully taking the Celexa she was prescribed to ease the anxiety of being separated from her young daughter while in Baghdad.
All three were given antidepressants to help them make it through their tours of duty in Iraq - and all came home in coffins.
Potent Mixture: Zoloft and A Rifle
Maybe they should have paid attention in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, or maybe in 2007 when I posted how if we thought PTSD was bad, it was going to get a lot worse?
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Combat PTSD and the blissful ignorance of the nation
This is why I do what I do and the thousands of others around the world do the work we do. Yes, I said around the world. Trauma does not stop at the edge of a nation. It is a human illness and does not distinguish between social classes any more than it separates people by color. As bad as we think this is right now, we are not even close to reaching everyone needing help. Over thirty years later, we are still in the beginning stages of trying.
Sickening when you think of the research around the world going into PTSD and the dedication involved.I came late into working with veterans with PTSD. I've only been at this twenty five years. By the time I started the service organizations had published their research, the DOD was getting up to speed and the VA was recognizing they had a very serious problem on their hands. In all of this I've written many times of the frustration I feel seeing that we have not accomplished very much.All these years later, all the work being done to inform the public and attempt to end the stigma, the issues of PTSD are still strongly a deterrent.
People still to this day have no clue what PTSD is. The families don't and a lot of the GIs don't. Some think they will just get over it as time goes by. Too many are seeking help only to be trapped in long lines and then redeployed before their healing even comes close to beginning. They face the most horrible futures there is without help.Families to this day are falling apart as marriage collapse and children blame themselves for the way their parents are acting. Extended families repeat the same mistakes other generations of them made when it came to veterans being wounded. They support the end of a marriage instead of supporting the family as they try to cope with the combat wound. All this out of ignorance.
Now we see spouses taking on the battles of the combat veteran because they can no longer advocate for themselves. We see them having to cope with dealing with the effects of PTSD on their lives, fighting the government and then trying to find support for what they are going through. There is not enough available in terms of information and in terms of qualified councilors, psychologist and psychiatrists.Hiring more becomes a problem because of the lack of space and all of this is due to the lack of planning for the hundreds of thousands they should have known would come.We see them facing life after the combat veteran commits suicide.
After Vietnam, they had ignorance as an excuse. Over thirty years later, this is no longer acceptable. We already knew too much to have failed so miserably.
Civilian mental health workers are inexperienced dealing with PTSD because no one ever pushed for them to focus on Post Traumatic Stress. The sense of urgency is not there because you do not hear reporters talking about this every night of the week any more than you hear them talking about Iraq or Afghanistan.As the media fought over who would have the first interview with Paris Hilton following her release from jail, none of them even bothered to interview the families or the veterans dealing with this silent killer. Just goes to show where the priorities of this nation are when ignorance is bliss to the population and deadly to those who serve the nation.
Combat PTSD and the blissful ignorance of the nation
But why would they listen when they wanted to focus on the "mission" and getting them into Iraq and Afghanistan instead of caring about what comes after? They are not listening still. They give them pills to calm the nerves and flashbacks, pills to sleep and more to stay awake. These pills also come with warnings about being under the supervision of a doctor but they deploy for a year or more and don't have anyone watching over them. They come home and again, they are given more pills but no counseling. Most end up without a clue what PTSD is but they are told there is a pill for it. Just keeps getting worse for them at the same time the military keep telling us they get the message.
The former Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Dr. S. Ward Casscells, said, "It's the face-to-face counseling that's so important for preventing and treating PTSD."
North Texas Family Feeling The Effects Of PTSD
By Melissa Newton
NORTH TEXAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21)
Joel McCartney is a proud and patriotic father. But when his 22-year-old son, Joel Jr., returned home from Iraq this summer, McCartney realized something had changed.
"He has nightmares, he'll break out in a cold sweat," McCartney explained.
Army counselors diagnosed the North Texas soldier with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The anxiety disorder is triggered by being involved in or witness to a traumatic event and can have long-lasting effects.
"Intrusive memories of the event, whatever the trauma was, hyper arousal, always being on edge. If someone comes up behind you, you jump," psychologist Alina Suris said of PTSD symptoms. The doctor at the Dallas VA Hospital and UT Southwestern went on to say, "Nightmares are another common symptom of PTSD."
The disorder has become almost commonplace in our nation's military. "Folks are getting redeployed over and over and over," Suris said. "Research shows the more exposure you have to trauma; the more likely you are to get PTSD."
As a concerned father McCartney said, "When they [service people] come back, I don't think there is adequate care for our military personnel."
read more here
http://cbs11tv.com/health/post.traumatic.stress.2.1308792.html
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Sen. Benjamin Cardin wants study on prescriptions-suicide link
Senator: Study prescriptions-suicide link
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jul 23, 2009 11:32:42 EDT
The Senate on Wednesday ordered an independent study to determine whether an increase in military suicides could be the result of sending troops into combat while they are taking antidepressants or sleeping pills.
Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., who pushed for the study, said he does not know whether there is a link, but he believes prescription drug use, especially when it is not closely supervised by medical personnel, needs a closer look.
“One thing we should all be concerned about is that there are more and more of our soldiers who are using prescription antidepressant drugs ... and we are not clear as to whether they are under appropriate medical supervision,” Cardin said.
read more hereStudy prescriptions suicide link
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jul 23, 2009 11:32:42 EDT
The Senate on Wednesday ordered an independent study to determine whether an increase in military suicides could be the result of sending troops into combat while they are taking antidepressants or sleeping pills.
Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., who pushed for the study, said he does not know whether there is a link, but he believes prescription drug use, especially when it is not closely supervised by medical personnel, needs a closer look.
“One thing we should all be concerned about is that there are more and more of our soldiers who are using prescription antidepressant drugs ... and we are not clear as to whether they are under appropriate medical supervision,” Cardin said.
read more hereStudy prescriptions suicide link
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Veterans' families question cause of deaths
Veterans' families question cause of deaths
Post-traumatic stress syndrome treatment cited
By Julie Robinson
Staff writer
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Stan and Shirley White's son Andrew, a Marine reservist, died at home 2 1/2 years after he returned from Iraq. Janette Layne lost her husband, Eric, in similar circumstances after his return from Iraq.
More than a year later, they still don't know if the medication their loved ones were taking for post-traumatic stress disorder contributed to their deaths.
Andrew White and Eric Layne were taking Seroquel, Klonopin and Paxil, along with prescription painkillers.
Three other West Virginia servicemen have died in their sleep while undergoing PTSD treatment after returning from Iraq.
Investigators from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs looked into the deaths. Stan White, who actively researches similar deaths and PTSD-related medications, contacted Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who requested the investigation.
go here for more
http://wvgazette.com/News/200902280644
Post-traumatic stress syndrome treatment cited
By Julie Robinson
Staff writer
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Stan and Shirley White's son Andrew, a Marine reservist, died at home 2 1/2 years after he returned from Iraq. Janette Layne lost her husband, Eric, in similar circumstances after his return from Iraq.
More than a year later, they still don't know if the medication their loved ones were taking for post-traumatic stress disorder contributed to their deaths.
Andrew White and Eric Layne were taking Seroquel, Klonopin and Paxil, along with prescription painkillers.
Three other West Virginia servicemen have died in their sleep while undergoing PTSD treatment after returning from Iraq.
Investigators from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs looked into the deaths. Stan White, who actively researches similar deaths and PTSD-related medications, contacted Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who requested the investigation.
go here for more
http://wvgazette.com/News/200902280644
Monday, December 15, 2008
PTSD Veterans:Are antidepressants killing your sex life?
Given the choice of you being so depressed you don't want to get up out of bed, or having you not do something in bed besides sleep, your spouse would rather have you on medication. The problem is, if you are having a problem with your medication, there are other medications they can give you for both conditions. This is a problem for a lot of people on antidepressants, not just veterans. You need to talk to your doctor and be totally honest with them about your life so they know how to take care of you properly.
Blog: When antidepressants kill your sex life
December 15, 2008
What to do when antidepressants kill your sex life
Posted: 08:44 AM ET
Joanne, a 26-year-old nurse at the Cleveland Clinic, felt no sex drive for eight years. Nothing, nada, zilch. She wasn’t happy, and neither was her boyfriend.
At first she wasn’t quite sure what was to blame for this sudden change, but her psychiatrist knew instantly. Her antidepressants were the culprit, he told her. Studies show antidepressants cause a decrease in sex drive in about one out of three people who take them.
But she says her doctor didn’t give her any advice about what to do. “My psychiatrist just kind of shrugged her shoulders,” Joann says. “It was just like, well, that’s a side effect of the drug. That’s just the way it is.”
Some 118 million prescriptions for antidepressants are written each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and studies show about one in three people who take these drugs experience a decrease in libido. Here are some tips from experts on what to do if it happens to you, whether you’re male or female.
click above for more
Thursday, November 13, 2008
PTSD:After death of son, dad takes cases to Capitol Hill
Veteran's kin demands answers on PTSD drugs
Washington Times - Washington,DC,USA
After death of son, dad takes cases to Capitol Hill
Andrea Billups and Audrey Hudson
Thursday, November 13, 2008
EXCLUSIVE:
HURRICANE, W.Va.
A West Virginia man whose son survived the battlefields of Iraq only to die in his sleep at home is crusading to find other military families whose loved ones also have died after taking drugs prescribed for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Stan White's son Andrew, who was found dead in bed at the family's Cross Lanes, W.Va., home on Feb. 12, 2007, is one among a cluster of young veterans in the state who have died in their sleep with little explanation. Now Mr. White wants the federal government to monitor the drugs it prescribes to some 375,000 soldiers who have been diagnosed with mental trauma.
Shirley White of Cross Lanes, Andrew's mother, says she and her husband want an investigation into the medications prescribed to their son and other veterans who died.
So far, he has identified nine veterans across the country - including four in West Virginia - who have died in their sleep after taking antidepressant and antipsychotic medications.
Mr. White has met with members of Congress and asked for Capitol Hill hearings to investigate the deaths. His research prompted a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) investigation into Andrew's and one other death, which were found to have been caused by "combined drug intoxication." But the investigation could not determine whether the prescribed medications were at fault.
click link for more and video
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
PTSD UK:Medication nightmare at the wheel
Medication nightmare at the wheel
Perthshire Advertiser - Perth,UK
A FORMER Black Watch soldier, stopped by police in his car in the early hours of the morning, was smelling of drink, his speech was slurred and he was unsteady on his feet.
But his solicitor told Perth Sheriff Court that he had only drank two pints – and his condition was caused by a cocktail of prescription drugs he takes to combat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Pat Clements (24), Room 1, The Star Hotel, High Street, Auchterarder, was fined £260 and banned for a year after pleading guilty to driving while unfit through drink or drugs.
He also admitted having no insurance. The offences took place in Western Road, Auchterarder, on October 2.
Depute fiscal Stuart Richardson said that two police officers were on duty at 2.20am when they heard the sound of what seemed like a car crash.
“He’s on a variety of prescribed medications as heis suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“He was a member of the 1st battalion The Black Watch but recent service has caused significant mental health problems for him.”
click link for more
Sunday, June 15, 2008
PTSD: Cpl. Chad Oligschlaeger didn't get proper care
Before one of his two deployments to Iraq, Cpl. Chad Oligschlaeger showed the sly, mischievous smile he was known for.
Dead Marine's family says he didn't get proper care
Austin American-Statesman - Austin,TX,USA
Chad Oligschlaeger was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder when he was found in barracks, parents say.
By Marty Toohey
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Cpl. Chad Oligschlaeger returned from Iraq in early 2006 haunted by the memory of a fellow Marine he thought he should have saved.
He began drinking himself to sleep to dull the flashbacks and the nightmares, friends and family say. He told them he was accused by a superior of faking to avoid his next deployment.
After a second tour in Iraq, Oligschlaeger came home to Round Rock on leave and slept for days, a shell of the McNeil High School student who had pushed his friends into every kind of mischief imaginable, giggling all the way. He told his family the dead Marine was talking to him.
In the spring, two years after the nightmares began, he told his family that doctors had diagnosed him with post-traumatic stress disorder and put him on at least six types of medication. The Marines sent him to alcohol rehab and were arranging treatment at a mental health clinic.
But weeks before his death, Oligschlaeger declined to re-enlist, and his unit left him with no supervision and nothing to do for days on end, according to family and friends, who say he called them at all hours, slurring his speech, unable to recall what medications he had taken.
He was found dead in his room at the Twentynine Palms Marine base in California on May 20. He was 21.
go here for more
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/06/15/0615marine.html
Friday, June 6, 2008
Prozac Platoon America's Medicated Army
America's Medicated Army
Thursday, Jun. 05, 2008 By MARK THOMPSON
Seven months after Sergeant Christopher LeJeune started scouting Baghdad's dangerous roads — acting as bait to lure insurgents into the open so his Army unit could kill them — he found himself growing increasingly despondent. "We'd been doing some heavy missions, and things were starting to bother me," LeJeune says. His unit had been protecting Iraqi police stations targeted by rocket-propelled grenades, hunting down mortars hidden in dark Baghdad basements and cleaning up its own messes.
He recalls the order his unit got after a nighttime firefight to roll back out and collect the enemy dead. When LeJeune and his buddies arrived, they discovered that some of the bodies were still alive. "You don't always know who the bad guys are," he says. "When you search someone's house, you have it built up in your mind that these guys are terrorists, but when you go in, there's little bitty tiny shoes and toys on the floor — things like that started affecting me a lot more than I thought they would."
So LeJeune visited a military doctor in Iraq, who, after a quick session, diagnosed depression. The doctor sent him back to war armed with the antidepressant Zoloft and the antianxiety drug clonazepam. "It's not easy for soldiers to admit the problems that they're having over there for a variety of reasons," LeJeune says. "If they do admit it, then the only solution given is pills."
While the headline-grabbing weapons in this war have been high-tech wonders, like unmanned drones that drop Hellfire missiles on the enemy below, troops like LeJeune are going into battle with a different kind of weapon, one so stealthy that few Americans even know of its deployment. For the first time in history, a sizable and growing number of U.S. combat troops are taking daily doses of antidepressants to calm nerves strained by repeated and lengthy tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The medicines are intended not only to help troops keep their cool but also to enable the already strapped Army to preserve its most precious resource: soldiers on the front lines.
Data contained in the Army's fifth Mental Health Advisory Team report indicate that, according to an anonymous survey of U.S. troops taken last fall, about 12% of combat troops in Iraq and 17% of those in Afghanistan are taking prescription antidepressants or sleeping pills to help them cope. Escalating violence in Afghanistan and the more isolated mission have driven troops to rely more on medication there than in Iraq, military officials say.
But if the Army numbers reflect those of other services — the Army has by far the most troops deployed to the war zones — about 20,000 troops in Afghanistan and Iraq were on such medications last fall. The Army estimates that authorized drug use splits roughly fifty-fifty between troops taking antidepressants — largely the class of drugs that includes Prozac and Zoloft — and those taking prescription sleeping pills like Ambien.
Medication helps but it is not the answer. All psychiatric medications come with them a requirement the patient is monitored. Medication alone cannot and should not be expected to treat PTSD. If you go to the link of the video below, you will hear how talk therapy works best when addressing PTSD and how the brain manages to learn how to reprocess the events.
Ambien itself is a danger
U.S. Food and Drug Administration urged sleep drug manufacturers Wednesday to strengthen their package labeling to include warnings of sleep walking, "sleep driving" and other behaviors.
A class action lawsuit against Sanofi-Aventis, the maker of Ambien, was filed on March 6, 2006, by those claiming that they engaged in a bizarre variety of activities while asleep after taking the drug -- from binge eating to driving their cars while asleep.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Story?id=2952054&page=1
When it comes to fighting wars, though, troops have historically been barred from using such drugs in combat. And soldiers — who are younger and healthier on average than the general population — have been prescreened for mental illnesses before enlisting.
Here is just one more example of how any kind of non-sense of a preexisting personality disorder is not possible. Unless the tests given are flawed, there is no way a soldier can have a mental disorder and be enlisted in service and given a weapon.
Medication for a wound of the mind and a weapon is not a good idea. It is not only giving the soldier a means to end their suffering, it puts the rest of the platoon in danger.
The symptoms often continue back home, playing a key role in broken marriages, suicides and psychiatric breakdowns. The mental trauma has become so common that the Pentagon may expand the list of "qualifying wounds" for a Purple Heart — historically limited to those physically injured on the battlefield — to include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on May 2 that it's "clearly something" that needs to be considered, and the Pentagon is weighing the change.
The Army says half of the suicides among the troops happen after a breakup. While some want to dismiss this percentage of suicides as "just another breakup" the soldier couldn't deal with, they do not look at the root cause of the breakup. Extended deployments and redeployments play a role in this however we do a disservice to the soldiers when we leave it at that. People do get depressed when they breakup with someone they love in normal life. Divorce is stressful. A serious relationship ending is stressful, however, we do not see anything near this rate in "normal" life. What we do see is that when PTSD is alive in a relationship, the relationship itself becomes stressful. (More on this below) What needs to be addressed is why there are so many divorces and breakups instead of just leaving it at that.
Which means that any drug that keeps a soldier deployed and fighting also saves money on training and deploying replacements. But there is a downside: the number of soldiers requiring long-term mental-health services soars with repeated deployments and lengthy combat tours. If troops do not get sufficient time away from combat — both while in theater and during the "dwell time" at home before they go back to war — it's possible that antidepressants and sleeping aids will be used to stretch an already taut force even tighter. "This is what happens when you try to fight a long war with an army that wasn't designed for a long war," says Lawrence Korb, Pentagon personnel chief during the Reagan Administration.
go here for more
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1811858,00.html
While the Army can come out with all kinds of studies showing the harm being done to the soldiers with the extended deployments and redeployments, the DOD is not considering any of the studies. They just do it because they can. Imagine being at the end of your part of the deal with the DOD that tells your brain your time is over and you get to go back to civilian life in a manner of weeks only to discover that you have been "stop-loss" and extended with or without your agreement. This is not just a let down but an attack on the brain. It is not just a matter of sending them home to "rest" because they cannot when they know they will have to go back into Iraq and Afghanistan and the danger to their lives is not over but in a truce instead.
Many spouses are not able to cope with the stress of the redeployments and extended tours of duty. No matter how much support they receive from friends and families, it is nearly impossible to stay in the marriage when PTSD is added into the stress they have to endure. Give the fact that there are still too many military spouses unaware of what PTSD is, they lack the tools to cope with the emotional changes on the relationship.
In order to retain a trained force and save money, the price is being paid by the soldiers as well as their families. It is an outrageous ambivalence toward all of them when the quality of their lives falls so low in the concern of the command.
The PTSD part of this interview begins about 20 minutes into the program. Dennis Charney MD, Bruce McEwen Ph.D, and Joe LaDeoux Ph.D are interviewed by Charlie Rose.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2325225245580975678&q=+fear+brain&ei=RBlISPfAEYa4igLpgr3NDA
While medications work well, the combination of them, no therapy, no one checking on the patient, a well trained soldier with a weapon, it is a dangerous combination and must end.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Links to medications suspected with non-combat deaths
This is a reposting to go with the Ambien post. We need to consider all of these as well.
Suspected Lariam links
Suspected Seroquel
Taking SEROQUEL
A bipolar disorder treatment, SEROQUEL for the treatment of depressive episodes and acute manic episodes in bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder
Suspected Lariam links
April 27, 2004DoD, VA to study malaria drug’s side effectsAssociated Press
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.
The Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs will study the side effects of Lariam, a drug given to servicemen to prevent malaria, Pentagon spokesman Jim Turner said.
The use of Lariam came up in investigations of murders and murder-suicides involving Fort Bragg soldiers in the summer of 2002, when four soldiers were accused of killing their wives. Two of those soldiers committed suicide immediately and a third killed himself in jail.
The three soldiers who killed themselves had served in Afghanistan, where Lariam is routinely used by U.S. troops. The fourth, who is still awaiting trial, did not serve there.
A November 2002 report by the office of the Army Surgeon General said two of the four soldiers had taken Lariam, but the Army would not say which. The report said Lariam probably did not factor in the killings.
Turner said a subcommittee of the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board met two weeks ago to consider ways to study the use of Lariam among service members. A Veterans Affairs spokeswoman said the VA will review the issue but has not issued a report on the study.
Lariam, which is also known as mefloquine, is routinely prescribed to soldiers working in countries where malaria is a problem. Some people have blamed it for causing psychotic reactions, including depression, hallucinations and thoughts of suicide.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/1-292925-2862062.php
Doctor: Anti-malarial drug may be harmful
In the past six weeks, Dr. Michael Hoffer has treated nine service members who returned from Iraq or Afghanistan unable to walk a straight line or stand still without staggering. Some said objects appeared to spin around them for more than an hour at a time.
A Navy commander and director of the Department of Defense Spatial Orientation Center at Naval Medical Center, San Diego, Hoffer believes the problems are linked to a drug called Lariam "known generically as mefloquine" that the military gives to troops to prevent malaria.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has urged the Pentagon to set a timeline for a Defense Department study, announced in March, of negative effects from Lariam and other anti-malarial drugs.
http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/0-ARMYPAPER-2980109.php
Suspected Seroquel
According to the AP, Private First Class Steven Green told military
psychiatrists he was angry about the war, desperate to avenge the death of
comrades and driven to kill Iraqi citizens. The AP reports medical records show Pentagon doctors prescribed Green several small doses of Seroquel – a drug to regulate his mood – and directed him to get some sleep. One month after the examination, Green reportedly again told his battalion commander that he hated all Iraqis. He also allegedly threw a puppy from the roof of a building and then set the animal on fire while on patrol. But through it all, he was kept on duty manning a checkpoint in one of the most dangerous areas of Iraq. Through it all, the U.S. military kept him in combat
http://www.antiwar.com/glantz/?articleid=10313
Taking SEROQUEL
A bipolar disorder treatment, SEROQUEL for the treatment of depressive episodes and acute manic episodes in bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder
What is Seroquel?
Seroquel is an antipsychotic medication. It works by changing the actions of chemicals in the brain.
Seroquel is used to treat the symptoms of psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (manic depression).
Seroquel may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide
Important information about Seroquel
Seroquel is not for use in psychotic conditions that are related to dementia. Seroquel has caused fatal pneumonia or heart failure in older adults with dementia-related conditions.
Stop using Seroquel and call your doctor at once if you have the following symptoms: fever, stiff muscles, confusion, sweating, fast or uneven heartbeats, uncontrolled muscle movements, symptoms that come on suddenly such as numbness or weakness, severe headache, and problems with vision, speech, or balance.
You may have thoughts about suicide when you first start taking an antidepressant, especially if you are younger than 24 years old. Your doctor will need to check you at regular visits for at least the first 12 weeks of treatment.
Call your doctor at once if you have any new or worsening symptoms such as: mood or behavior changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), more depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself.
If you have any of these conditions, you may not be able to use Seroquel, or you may need a dosage adjustment or special tests during treatment.
Seroquel may cause you to have high blood sugar (hyperglycemia). Talk to your doctor if you have any signs of hyperglycemia such as increased thirst or urination, excessive hunger, or weakness. If you are diabetic, check your blood sugar levels on a regular basis while you are taking Seroquel.
You may have thoughts about suicide when you first start taking an antidepressant, especially if you are younger than 24 years old. Tell your doctor if you have worsening symptoms of depression or suicidal thoughts during the first several weeks of treatment, or whenever your dose is changed.
http://www.drugs.com/seroquel.html
Pfc. Robert A. Guy 26 Company I, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Willards, Maryland Died due to a non-hostile incident near Karma, Iraq, on April 21, 2005 "Any little thing they do is a help," said Ann Guy of Willards, Md., whose son, Marine Pfc. Robert A. Guy, killed himself in Iraq on April 21, 2005 - a month after he was prescribed the antidepressant Zoloft with no monitoring.http://www.optruth.org/index.php/images/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=2232&Itemid=116
Melissa Hobart, the East Haven native who collapsed and died in June 2004, had enlisted in the Army in early 2003 after attending nursing school, and initially was told she would be stationed in Alaska, her mother, Connie Hobart, said. When her orders were changed to Iraq, Melissa, the mother of a 3-year-old daughter, fell into a depression and sought help at Fort Hood, Texas, according to her mother. "Just before she got deployed, she said she was getting really depressed, so I told her to go talk to somebody," Connie Hobart recalled. "She said they put her on an antidepressant." Melissa, a medic, accepted her obligation to serve, even as her mother urged her to "go AWOL" and come home to Ladson, S.C., where the family had moved. But three months into her tour in Baghdad - and a week before she died - she told Connie she was feeling lost. "She wanted out of there. She said everybody's morale was low," Connie recalled. "She said the people over there would throw rocks at them, that they didn't want them there. It was making her sad." Around the same time, Melissa fainted and fell in her room, she told Connie in an e-mail. She said she had been checked out by a military doctor. The next week, while serving on guard duty in Baghdad, Melissa collapsed and died of what the Army has labeled "natural" causes. The autopsy report lists the cause of death as "undetermined."
Sgt. 1st Class Mark C. Warren 44 Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Armor Cavalry Regiment, 116th Brigade Combat Team, Oregon Army National Guard La Grande, Oregon Died of non-combat related injuries at Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq, on January 31, 2005 suicide When Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark C. Warren was diagnosed with depression soon after his deployment to Iraq, a military doctor handed him a supply of the mood-altering drug Effexor.
All three were given antidepressants to help them make it through their tours of duty in Iraq - and all came home in coffins.Warren,44, and Guy, 26, committed suicide last year, according to the military; Hobart, 22, collapsed in June 2004, of a still-undetermined cause.The three are among a growing number of mentally troubled service members who are being kept in combat and treated with potent psychotropic medications - a little-examined practice driven in part by a need to maintain troop strength.Interviews with troops, families and medical experts, as well as autopsy and investigative reports obtained by The Courant, reveal that the emphasis on retention has had dangerous, and sometimes tragic, consequences
On Aug. 7, Robert Ziarnick, 25, was accused of shooting at Greenwood Village police and carjacking a 2005 Acura before fleeing to Cherry Creek State Park. Seven months earlier, Ziarnick used a knife to cut the words "kill me" into his abdomen. His wife told police he had served in Iraq and was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
http://www.democraticwarrior.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2798
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Prozasin studied to treat PTSD
High Blood Pressure Medicine Helps PTSD. Can it Help Alzheimer's Disease, Depression and Schizophrenia?
Could medicine currently used to treat high blood pressure protect the brain from Alzheimer's disease, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia? Even though this sounds impossible, researchers think it's possible, and very likely, probable, according to a recent press release.
Researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center are focusing on the drug, Prazosin. At the present time, it's frequently used as an antipsychotic medication. Prazosin is under investigation to treat Alzheimer's disease, depression, PTSD, and schizophrenia because of how it works. Prozasin is already used to treat high blood pressure, and has been helpful in improving sleep and reducing the incidence of nightmares for military veterans who have been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
click post title for the rest
I had a check up this morning. For the most part, it went fine but two things popped up. I've gained weight, which made no sense to me at all since I do not eat very much. I asked if stress could cause weight gain. Bingo! It can. It can also cause hair loss. That for me is not that big of a deal since I'm normally loaded with hair. The other problem is for the first time in my life my blood pressure was high enough that I now have to be on medication for it. Again the doctor said stress could be the reason.
He asked me what kind of stress I had going on now other than before. I told him that because of the outreach work I do, it's been taking a toll on my health, my sleep and my stress level. Giving up this work at a time when PTSD is exploding is not an option for me. I believe with all my heart this is what I was meant to do. Had I not fallen in love with my husband 25 years ago, I wouldn't have a clue what was going on with any of our veterans. This may cause me to cut back on the hours I spend but I can assure all of you that you won't really notice the difference on the blogs or in the email help. I just have to cut back on the research end.
The point to this disclosure is that stress can and does hit all parts of the body. I don't have PTSD, but I live with someone who does. It is very stressful for a long list of reasons mentioned often here. It is also very stressful to have PTSD. It does not end with the problems directly associated with PTSD but often causes problems with blood pressure, the heart, overall health as well as the health of those you have relationships with. I don't know if Prozasin will prove effective in treating PTSD but some treatments have been stumbled on. It is however essential that if you have PTSD, your blood pressure be monitored.
You need to go to a doctor for checkups often and at least disclose your PTSD to your doctor if you are not in treatment for PTSD. You know how I feel about treatment for PTSD. I've been preaching about getting help as soon as possible, but this is something I do not address often enough. Your health, all parts of it need to be taken care of. If I can get high blood pressure, anyone can. Stop and think about what you deal with in your life and then make the phone call to your doctor about getting a check up.
Kathie Costos
Namguardianangel@aol.com
http://www.namguardianangel.org/
http://www.namguardianangel.blogspot.com/
http://www.woundedtimes.blogspot.com/
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." - George Washington
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