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Dr Ann Blake Tracy, Ph.D.,
Executive Director, International Coalition For Drug Awareness
Website: www.
drugawareness.org
& www.
ssristories.com
Author: Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? - Our Serotonin Nightmare
& CD or audio tape on safe withdrawal: "Help! I Can't Get
Off My Antidepressant!"
Order Number: 800-280-0730
E-mail:
atracyphd1@aol.com
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Dr. Ann Blake Tracy's September 13, 2004 to the FDA
I am Ann Blake Tracy, PhD, head of the International Coalition for
Drug Awareness. I am the author of Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? - Our
Serotonin Nightmare and have testified in court cases involving
antidepressants for 12 1/2 years. The last 15 years of my life have
been devoted full time to researching and writing about SSRI
antidepressants.
Research on serotonin has been clear from the very beginning that the
most damaging thing that could be done to the serotonin system would
be to impair one?s ability to metabolize serotonin. Yet that is
exactly how SSRI antidepressants exert their effects.
For decades research has shown that impairing serotonin metabolism
will produce migraines, hot flashes, pains around the heart,
difficulty breathing, a worsening of bronchial complaints, tension and
anxiety which appear from out of nowhere, depression, suicide -
especially very violent suicide, hostility, violent crime, arson,
substance abuse, psychosis, mania, organic brain disease, autism,
anorexia, reckless driving, Alzheimer?s, impulsive behavior with no
concern for punishment, and argumentative behavior.
How anyone ever thought it would be "therapeutic" to chemically induce
these reactions is beyond me. Yet, these reactions are exactly what we
have witnessed in our society over the past decade and a half as a
result of the widespread use of these drugs.
In fact we even have a whole new vocabulary as a result with terms
such as "road rage," "suicide by cop," "murder/suicide," "going
postal," "false memory syndrome," "school shooting," "bi-polar" -
every third person you meet anymore - along with the skyrocketing
rates of antidepressant-induced diabetes and hypoglycemia.
Can you remember two decades ago when depressed people used to slip
away quietly to kill themselves rather than killing everyone around
them and then themselves as they do while taking SSRI antidepressants?
A study out of the University of Southern California in 1996 looked at
a group of mutant mice in an experiment that had gone terribly wrong.
These genetically engineered mice were the most violent creatures they
had ever witnessed. They were born lacking the MAO-A enzyme which
metabolizes serotonin. As a result their brains were awash in
serotonin. This excess serotonin is what the researchers determined
was the cause for this extreme violence. Antidepressants produce the
same end result as they inhibit the metabolism of serotonin.
These are extremely dangerous drugs that should be banned as similar
drugs have been banned in the past.
As a society we once thought LSD and PCP to be miracle medications
with large margins of safety in humans. We have never seen drugs so
similar to LSD and PCP as these SSRI antidepressants. All of these
drugs produce dreaming during periods of wakefulness. It is believed
that the high serotonin levels over stimulate the brain stem leading
to a lack of muscle paralysis during sleep thus allowing the patient
to act out the dreams or nightmares they are having. The world
witnessed that clearly in the Zoloft-induced murder-suicide of
comedian Phil Hartman and his wife, Brynn.
Connecticut witnessed the Prozac-induced case of Kelly Silk several
years ago. This young mother attacked her family with a knife, then
set the house on fire killing all but her 8 year old daughter who ran
to the neighbors. As she stood bleeding and screaming for help she
explained, "Help! My mommy is having a nightmare!"
Out of the mouths of babes we will understand these nightmares for
what they are. She understood that this was something her mother would
do ONLY in a nightmare, never in reality.
This is known as a REM Sleep Behavior Disorder. In the past it was
known mainly as a drug withdrawal state, but the largest sleep
facility in the country has reported that 86% of the cases they are
diagnosing are patients on antidepressants.
Because this was known in the past as a condition manifesting mainly
in drug withdrawal you should see how dangerous the withdrawal state
from these drugs will prove to be. That is why it is so critical to
make sure patients are weaned EXTREMELY slowly so as to avoid ANY
chance of going into a withdrawal state
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Dr. Ann Blake Tracy's December 13, 2006 to the FDA
Ann Blake-Tracy, PhD, head of the International Coalition for Drug
Awareness, author of Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? & Our Serotonin
Nightmare. For 15 years I have testified in court cases involving
antidepressants. The last 17 years of my life have been devoted to
researching, writing, and lecturing about these drugs.
Two of my nieces in their early 20's, a decade apart, attempted
suicide on antidepressants, the first on Prozac, the second just a
month ago on Wellbutrin.
Due to time constraints I refer you to my September, 2004 testimony on
the damaging effects of inhibiting serotonin metabolism - the very
mode of action of antidepressants. Impairing serotonin metabolism
results in a multitude of symptoms including suicide, violent crime,
mania and psychosis. Suicidal ideation is, without question,
associated with these drugs.
Rosie Meysenburg, Sara Bostock and I have collected and posted 1200
news articles documenting many exaggerated acts of violence against
self or others at
www.drugawareness.org with a direct link to
www.ssristories.com
Beyond suicidal ideation we have mania/bipolar increasing
dramatically. Antidepressants have always been known to trigger both.
According to the Pharmaceutical Business Review in the last 11 years
alone, the number of people in the U.S. with "bipolar" disorder has
increased by 4.8 million.
Dr. Malcolm Bowers of Yale, found in the late 90's over 200,000 people
yearly are hospitalized with antidepressant-induced manic psychosis.
They also point out that most go unrecognized as medication-induced,
remain un hospitalized, and a threat to themselves and others.
What types of threats from manias?
Pyromania: A compulsion to start fires
Kleptomania: A compulsion to embezzle, shoplift, commit robberies
Dipsomania: An uncontrollable urge to drink alcohol
Nymphomania and erotomania: Sexual compulsions - a pathologic
preoccupation with sexual fantasies or activities
Child sex abuse has increased dramatically with even female teachers
going manic on these drugs and seducing students. The head of the sex
abuse treatment program for Utah estimated 80% of sex crime
perpetrators were on antidepressants at the time of the crime. While
Karl Von Kleist, an ex-LAPD officer and leading polygraph expert
estimated 90% - strong evidence of manic sexual compulsions that
demand attention.
Diabetes has skyrocketed, has been linked to antidepressants, and
blood sugar imbalances have long been suspected as the cause of mania
or bipolar. Anyone who has witnessed someone in insulin shock would
see the striking similarity to a violent reaction to an
antidepressant.
If there has been any increase in suicide since the black box warning
it is due to doctors not knowing how to get patients off these drugs
safely.
Clearly far too many lives are being destroyed in various ways by these
drugs
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