November 16, 2009

Researchers Ignore Problems With Meds In Early Deaths, Blame Smoking, No Exercise

A new study out in General Hospital Psychiatry blames smoking and inactivity for heart disease related deaths among people with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. No mention is made of the role of antipsychotics and other medications in this dynamic. From Medicalnewstoday.com:

"A large new study confirms that people with severe mental disorders - such as schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders - are 25 percent to 40 percent more prone to die from heart disease than people without mental illness are.

"Moreover, smoking and physical inactivity - behaviors that individuals potentially can change - significantly contribute to this increased risk of death, found researchers led by Amy Kilbourne, Ph.D."

The study was among people in the VA system.

Interestingly, inactivity was a greater risk factor (66 percent higher risk) of a heart disease death than was smoking (32 percent higher risk). The study calls for smoking cessation programs and promotion of physical activity among veterans with psychotic disorders. How they plan on getting veterans zonked on Zyprexa to exercise is beyond me.

There is no mention in the study of the role antipsychotics may be playing in all of this even though antipsychotics are well-known to boost blood lipids and cholesterol as well as to cause diabetes and weight gain--all risk factors for heart disease. What's odder about the omission is that atypical antipsychotics carry warnings of diabetes and cardiac problems, so why would researchers ignore the hazards presented by these medications?

Oh, we know why. These are doctors in denial much as with this study from earlier this year which claimed that people diagnosed with bipolar disorder died early, but barely mentioned any connection to chronic use of medications. I'm not excusing smoking or inactivity, but for this current study to ignore meds altogether is inexcusable.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at November 16, 2009 12:05 AM
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To:Amy M. Kilbourne Ph.D., M.P.H.a, b, Corresponding Author Contact Information, E-mail The Corresponding Author, Nancy E. Morden M.D., M.P.H.c, Karen Austin M.P.H.a, Mark Ilgen Ph.D.a, b, John F. McCarthy Ph.D.a, b, Gregory Dalack M.D.b and Frederic C. Blow Ph.D.a, b

RE:Smoking and inactivity related to Excess heart-disease-related mortality in people with mental disorders.

Smoking and inactivity all you can do on the drugs, you F-ing IDIOTS.
The drugs stop the brain from fully working and stop the person from having the energy to have unwanted "mental illness" .

That is the purpose and intent of the antipsychotics drugs (damaging the brain and reducing motivation), for there is no psychosis molecule, bacteria or virus.

Posted by: mark p.s.2 at November 16, 2009 04:52 AM

Philip, I thought you might like to see this article about drugs prices and health care reform. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33959759/ns/health-the_new_york_times

Posted by: Anon at November 16, 2009 06:05 AM

How scientific!
If this is science I don't know what science really means.

I'm appalled with all that is going on. Things are getting worse and worse.
The sad is that public opinion are being very well indoctrinated at a degree that makes me in alarm state.
I try to talk about it but people trust their physicians and magazines and newspapers and all these "researches".
Seriously, I'm giving up.
It's too much.
Unfortunately mainstream media is really the forth power.
The End

But I'll never stop coming here and leave my two cents.
I stopped blogging because one voice cannot make a difference.
I'm very sorry but I don't agree that a voice blah blah blah....
Union and working together is one of the ways for me.
I love your work Philip and I rather help you spreading the truth than going by myself.
We have already voices that are powerful but we don't know how to unite and I believe that together we could maybe have a much stronger chorus.
We already are but I think something has to be done but I don't know what.
hey are publishing the same research over and over again with different make-ups.
Yak!
Shame on journalists that help this consortium, shame on media... blah blah blah...

Posted by: Ana at November 16, 2009 07:24 AM

This study was obviously paid for by pharma.

It would be interesting to know how many deaths have been reported to the FDA in regard to these antipsychotics. Somebody needs to go through Freedom of Information and get the stats.

Here is a report from the FDA involving the antidepressant Wellbutrin which lists 468 deaths from Nov. 1997 through Feb. 2003. The FDA estimates that between 1% and 10% of all adverse reactions are reported.

http://www.ssristories.com/show.php?item=950

Paragraphs 10 and 11 read: "Debby Painter and I have since requested certain FDA documents through the “Freedom of Information It’s OK For You to Have Act”. We eventually received the FDA’s MedWatch data on Wellbutrin from 11/01/97 through some unspecified time up until February 2003 (the date on the attached letter). The FDA makes every attempt to avoid being specific. They also chose not to specify which formulations of Wellbutrin these reports referred to. The report I received listed 37,822 total adverse reactions and “total death outcomes” were 468, which I’m assuming included my personal favorite: 16 reports of “pulse absent”. There were 202 reports of “completed suicide” and 152 suicide attempts listed as such, although others were given more euphemistic designations like the 216 “non-accidental” overdoses. Other unusual adverse reactions were “murderer (2 reports), “rapist”, “incest” and “divorce”.

Paragraph 12 reads: "Debby and I also eventually received very abbreviated and much redacted copies of portions of the NDAs (New Drug Applications) for all Wellbutrin formulations, the last one arriving over a year after the FDA received the request. The Wellbutrin IR (immediate release) NDA documented 14 deaths, including 9 suicides, in the initial clinical trials. There were also 14 suicide attempts. Glaxo reported to the FDA that these “adverse events” were “not attributable to the study drug” and that was good enough for the FDA. Somehow these “events”, or what is known in English as “deaths”, never appeared in the Product Information Guides (PIGs) or the PDR (Physician’s Desk Reference) under “warnings and precautions” or “adverse reactions” which is supposed to include ALL ADVERSE EVENTS OBSERVED during clinical trials, not just those that the company decides that it’s OK for us to know about. However, being masters in the art of covering their corporate butt, Glaxo nonchalantly tossed this disclaimer into the PIG: “all treatment emergent adverse events are included except...those events not reasonably associated with the use of the drug...” So, you have 23 non-suicidal people (suicidal people were excluded from participating in these antidepressant drug tests) who COINCIDENTALLY take the same experimental drug and COINCIDENTALLY wind up wanting to kill themselves.

http://www.forces.org/evidence/kill/cintorrino.htm
SMOKE AND MIRRORS;
How Glaxo's Zyban [Wellbutrin] can help you stop smoking if you're willing to stop breathing

Posted by: Rosie at November 16, 2009 07:44 AM

It seems to me that almost every person I've ever known with schizophrenia has smoked like a chimney and none of them exercised much. This should make it kind of easy to see if the death rate has gone up over the years. If it has...then don't blame the smoking and inactivity for that change. If it hasn't, well, you'll never know that unless you look for it.

It would be interesting to see someone display a modicum of interest in the reasons behind the high rate of smoking in that population (if, indeed, my observation is correct). Seems other people get labeled rather quickly as being of low moral turpitude for smoking. My guess, of course, is there's a whole lot more going on there.

Posted by: Sherry at November 16, 2009 08:01 AM

The death rate has gone up for Schizophrenia. Since the rise of the new "safer" antipsychotics, it's estimated that people with Schizophrenia have lost TEN YEARS of life, on average. These "scientists" are skirting the issue.

Posted by: kimbriel at November 16, 2009 09:39 AM

Smoking improves cognition, shown in research studies. With APDs, the dopamine activity is so low that there is no motivation, reward, pleasure, anticipation. Nicotine activates the nicotinic receptors and perks up the brain. Another drug-induced adverse effect of antipsychotic drugs. Of course, the blame is on the person to just stop smoking.

Posted by: Eileen at November 16, 2009 09:49 AM

"We have already voices that are powerful but we don't know how to unite and I believe that together we could maybe have a much stronger chorus." - I say we organize a day and gather up anyone pissed off at the drug companies, etc.. and just have a massive riot. Maybe storm Lily and throw some executives out their plush 30 floor up office windows. That would send a message.. haha

Posted by: Scott at November 16, 2009 01:24 PM

Dear Scott:

Not that I personally believe in inciting any kind of violence against these evil corporate entities; but where, when, how, and what should I wear; when we stage this invasion lol................

Posted by: MsPiggy at November 16, 2009 02:42 PM

Scott,
Lol!

they would think that we are a bunch of crazy people and lock us up maybe in a mental institution.
hehe

I just did a post.
lol

This thing is under my skin and in my blood, and it's not a metaphor... hehe

Let's keep going...
I'll visit Stephany now.
Difficult times for my friend and she is so elegant writing about too many sad events.
Thank you Stephany for the inspiration you give to all of us.

Posted by: Ana at November 16, 2009 03:01 PM

I say we dress up as Indians and have ourselves a little tea party; instead of throwing tea over the railing of a ship, we toss drug company execs out windows. The power/money these drug companies have within this country and the influence they have over congress is pretty f'ing scary, and it seems to me to be a far bigger threat than Great Britain was prior to the start of the Revolutionary War. So I'm all for tossing these greedy pricks overboard AKA out of a 50 story window.. haha. They've raped us enough. While we're at it, I think tarring and feathering those drug sales douches in charge of coming up with the off label marketing scheme sh*t that's killing thousands of innocents per year would be entertaining to perform as well. Or maybe just bring back the guillotine? Well, that's about it from me. I'm going to have sweet dreams tonight.. haha

Posted by: Scott at November 16, 2009 07:25 PM
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