"doctor ups the Seroquel dosage to 600 mgs. a day--yes, in a 3-year-old, 37 pound girl"

This is not medicine, just murder. This so called doctor should be ---------

This story, is so alarming, it breaks my heart.

Lithium is associated with ileus, where the small intestine shuts down. It is life-threatening. It is supposed to be very rare. Few know about it. I had it twice. The first time, I just kept taking things for constipation which do not work. If you see a doc, they just think you are crazy, and tell you to go home. Of course, I was taking lots of other drugs at the time too (Seroquel, Lamictal, Ativan, maybe Depakote, who remembers) so maybe it was the combination. I had to figure it out myself (like everything else) because of the basic denial in psychiatry. Of course, I am not sure if this is what this child had, but it is possible.

Extremely sad. And as noted in other comments - the docs can get away with this stuff because you can always blame the patient. Including when you are wrong, and you hurt someone thru poor care - you simply claim that oh it is so difficult to treat these pts since mental illness symptoms are hard to tell from physical symptoms or - yes, dare we say it - malingering - wink, nod.

Here, the doc can also pin blame on the parents. The one thing that is for sure: any doc involved got his or her money, and the drug company made their money.

Who knows what kind of wonderful life that girl might have had if we were taking these children seriously, instead of just trying to use pharmaceuticals to get them to shut up. Same sad story with the cough medicine. Simply used to make kids shut up because we think we are entitled to our glorious lives of pleasure.

I'm beyond words.

Not a single physician has determined this child's death to be from Seroquel or Geodon.

And yet the witch hunt is on for the doctor who prescribed them.

Philip Dawdy responds: you may want to go reread the linked article. an autopsy id'd the antipsychotics in relation to the fecal impactation.

Heartbreaking

David Smallwood you are a complete twit, and a defender of worst this world has to offer. Have you renewed your Biederman fan club membership yet?

FACT: a grown adult would be knocked into a stupor on 600mg of seroquel; let alone adding geodon into the mix for complete brain numbing and total sedation. For a small child this is nothing short of out and out torture.

I have to imagine you would call this therapeutic and a treatment also. Or are you just going to blame the parents this time too?

You should apply for a job at the FDA; Big Pharma is always looking for another whipping boy to push around, while looking for the next child to kill with their latest money maker poison.

I'll just repost what I posted at the Kansas article:

"I cannot believe this story. And once AGAIN the psychiatrist gets away with literal murder, where the parents' histories are scrutinized. 600 mg of Seroquel??? HTF is that a reasonable standard of care for a 3 year old child? Seroquel is practically an elephant tranquilizer and 600 mg is AN ADULT LEVEL DOSE. This stuff is not even LEGAL in EUROPE. And yet the parents are blamed. I will never understand what leads some parents to blindly follow someone with an MD in Psychiatry, but HE/SHE had the responsibility here. And HE/SHE needs to have their license pulled. This is even worse than the Rebecca Riley case, as there is NO DOUBT they were following the psych's instructions to the letter. To read more, go here: http://www.psychcrime.org/articles/Suit_Proceed_Against_Psychiatrist_Pre...

Parents, PLEASE do a lot of research BEFORE you decide to medicate your children with psychotropic drugs. Psychiatry is not as scientific as it purports itself to be-- and these drugs are dangerous."

F**{)@Q{WR* there are no words to describe how pissed I am about this.

I have to agree with Witch Hunt here. Um, hello, since WHEN is 600mg of SEROQUEL a REASONABLE STANDARD OF CARE for a 3 YEAR OLD????? And if you think it's reasonable, I hope to god you don't practice psychiatry. And if it WOULD be considered reasonable, we have serious problems in the field of psychiatry.

Calling calling other posters here "twits," Witch Hunt, is rather uncalled for.

And also ...

Philip Dawdy responds: you may want to go reread the linked article. an autopsy id'd the antipsychotics in relation to the fecal impactation."

I'd suggest you rereading the article. It states "... followed autopsy confirmation that Destiny died of fecal impaction and had “antipsychotic drugs present in concentrations considered therapeutic in adults.”

It doesn't say the antipsychotic drugs caused the fecal impact. The autopsy results do not make a cause and effect statement, just a statement of facts. Big difference.

The article clearly states which doctor prescribed the drugs and there were other children harmed by this doctor as well.

I suggest reading the original article for the facts "David Smallwood".

This is a reckless endangerment of a child, disregard for human life and quite frankly, this doctor killed this child by giving Destiny lethal doses of highly toxic chemicals not proven to be safe in children her age AT ALL.

There ARE NO reasonable doses, and any other doctor quoted in the article that believes in that treatment is a complete quack!

My GOD how anyone can promote the drugging of kids is beyond belief. How did this get this far? Since when do we, as a society just sit back and watch the approval of drugs such as Seroquel for use in children?

Why is the FDA approving Seroquel right and left while the company is in litigation for body damages the drug inflicts?

It is our moral obligation to warn people about Seroquel being an antipsychotic and the people who have taken/used it need to continue to speak out for the benefit of children.

There is so much emphasis placed on kids being overweight, school lunches being trimmed of fats, fast food chains having to display calories...hell giving the kids Happy Meals is far safer than these drugs, and yet look how they are being dosed out!

I hoped Rebecca Riley age 4 dead would be an eye opener for this outrage to stop and now Destiny is proof that drug companies are lethal profit makers at the cost of human lives. It's all about money and no one seems to get that.

God bless the children. That's all I can say right now after reading this. And to hell with these so called "doctors".

I suggest reading the original article for the facts ...

Hmm ...

I've done so, Stephany, and more than a few times, and nowhere in the article does it state the medications caused her death

I think we're just getting played by the author. You know, getting us to think with our hearts rather than our heads.

That's just my take on it. Of course, every one can draw their own conclusions. Fair enough. We're all entitled that way.

David Smallwood, no author anywhere has played me, I have witnessed the first hand suffering of my daughter on these meds and it is my duty as a parent to warn parents of an outcome less than best: DEAD children or like mine: DISABLED by age 21.

Did you read about Rebecca Riley? the meds caused her death, and she was 4 years old. If the Destiny story doesn't seem to prove enough for you fact wise, I suggest watching the PBS (available online for viewing)documentary "The Medicated Child".

Whether or not you believe the medications killed Destiny or not, the fact remains that these drugs have not had long term trials done for safety and efficacy for children and most importantly per this story for children at age 3.

As you stated, we are all entitled to our own opinions, and yes mine is based on a heartbreaking story which I wish was not my own daughter's.

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2009/06/fda-psychopharmacologic-drugs-advisory.html

Alliance for Human Research Protection

http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/605/9/

X-ray revealed the child's colon was blocked - a known side effect of Seroquel and Geodon

An autopsy confirmed that the child died of fecal impaction and had "antipsychotic drugs present in concentrations considered therapeutic in adults." Destiny Hager weighed 38 lbs.

This week, on June 9-10, an FDA advisory panel will be considering applications for expanded approval of highly toxic antipsychotics for use in children aged 10 to 17. The drugs under consideration are: Seroquel (AstraZeneca), Zyprexa (Eli Lilly) and Geodon (Pfizer).

Rather than focus on protecting children's safety, FDA officials are doing their utmost to legitimize irresponsible, off-label prescribing of exceedingly toxic antipsychotics for children--thereby ensuring that far greater numbers of children will be victimized and die.

I have taken this medication before. It is certainly not suitable for a 4 year old.

I am her mother and let me reassure you that "her parents" were clean and sober at the time of her death. WE had not been using for quite some time. Yes, I am still a RECOVERING drug addict. None the less, my child is dead. The awareness I wanted to bring must have a done a great job. I am not offended by this article Mr.Smallwood, but in fact just wanted to correct some of your statements. Thank you all for your concern.

Angela, I'm very sorry about the death of your little daughter, and thank you for bringing her story to attention for others to learn from, considering psych med use in children.

I was never so emotionally torn apart when I watched PBS program Medicated Child. I'm a 50 yr
old Bi-Polar male my daily medication is 1200mg of Lithium and very small dosage of Quetiapine
Fumarate 50mg at bedtime. This medication has worked well for me I know if I lower my Lithium by
one pill 300mg in 3-4 days I would rapid cycle into Mania. The illness is on both the parents and Doctor. The parents must aquire all information about their child's illness but how can the child possibly convey their symptom's and what they are feeling to their parents or even the doctor they are just to young. Most anti-psychotic drug trials are short term 4-6 wks.
The Doctor that thinks more is better often discover's he's DEAD WRONG! I personally know how powerful and the many side effects of Seroquel
I know 50mg at bedtime works fine for me but a 37lb child 600mg is a death sentence.I'm so
disappointed and outraged that both parents and Doctors decisions concerning a childs welfare
physically but mostly emotionally ends with these
tragic child deaths.I know this would never happen but before you prescribe 600mg to your child or patient both Parents and Doctor you trial said 600mg let everyone know how you make out.