Did intense adverse media publicity impact on prescribing of paroxetine and the notification of suspected adverse drug reactions? Analysis of routine databases, 20012004     http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118552517/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0   Richard M. Martin ¹ , Margaret May ¹ & David Gunnell ^{1   1} Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK Correspondence to  Richard Martin, Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2PR, UK. Tel: + 117 928 7321 Fax: + 117 928 7236 E-mail: richard.martin@... Copyright 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd KEYWORDS adverse events media paroxetine selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors time trends

ABSTRACT

 

Aim

To document the impact on clinical practice in England of media attention around possible adverse effects of paroxetine.

 

Design

Analysis of national selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) prescribing trends and yellow-card adverse drug reaction reports, 20012004.

 

Results

From a steady state in 2001, paroxetine prescribing declined sharply from April 2002, coinciding with a USA regulatory action; the subsequent decline in paroxetine prescribing was 1.87% per month (95% confidence interval â' 2.06, â'1.68). Other SSRI prescribing increased by 1% per month until a major UK review of SSRIs in children in December 2003, after which prescribing plateaued. Media publicity was associated with short-term peaks in yellow-card reports related to paroxetine.

 

Conclusion

Falls in paroxetine and other SSRI prescribing in the UK coincided, respectively, with regulatory communications from the USA and the UK, but associations may have noncausal or other explanations. Reports of adverse reactions to paroxetine appeared to increase after adverse media publicity about the drug.

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Received 29 June 2005 Accepted 15 August 2005

DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER (DOI)10.1111/j.1365-2125.2005.02527.x About DOI

 

 

 

Results

From a steady state in 2001, paroxetine prescribing declined sharply from April 2002, coinciding with a USA regulatory action; the subsequent decline in paroxetine prescribing was 1.87% per month (95% confidence interval â' 2.06, â'1.68). Other SSRI prescribing increased by 1% per month until a major UK review of SSRIs in children in December 2003, after which prescribing plateaued. Media publicity was associated with short-term peaks in yellow-card reports related to paroxetine.

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118552517/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

 

 

The Decline of use of Paroxetine in England

http://www.ahrp.org/COI/PaxilDeclineUK.pdf

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/3707900.stm

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Rhona Aldred

Graham Aldred reassured his wife that Seroxat was safe

Graham Aldred's wife Rhona was prescribed Seroxat for depression in 2001. She was depressed and anxious but not suicidal.

She wasn't keen to take it at first, but her husband reassured her.

He said: "When Rhona brought the drug home she said to me she had some reservations about it and I said, 'don't be silly, this is England, this is a country where you can trust medical regulation'.

"Now she was right and I was wrong."

However, shortly after starting on Seroxat, Rhona became very restless, agitated and had terrible nightmares. After 11 days on the drug, she drove to a secluded country lane, and killed herself.

Graham told the programme: "This is what the Regulator doesn't seem to understand - that there are people on the end of all this."

Chart 5 demonstrates the immense value to Society of free and independent Public ServiceBroadcasting and Internet communication. This combination has triggered the growth ofawareness of SSRI danger. It has united the many thousands of victims of SSRIs across theworld with some professionals who have laboured so long in a cause for saving lives, seekingjustice and exposing dysfunctional drug regulation. Chart 5 shows that the tide has turned inthe UK. Great encouragement should be taken from this life saving victory. However effortsmust continue both to expose the known risks of paroxetine (Seroxat, Paxil) and all the other illvalidated SSRIs and to call for the establishment an effective independent Drug SafetyRegulator in every country, the absence of which is the root cause of this ongoing officiallysupported tragedy

 

Increase In Long-term Antidepressant Drug Use, UK Study Reveals

ScienceDaily (Oct. 23, 2009) A dramatic rise in antidepressant prescriptions issued by GPs has been caused by a year on year increase in the number of people taking antidepressant drugs on a long-term basis, according to researchers from the University of Southampton.

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In a paper, published in the printed edition of British Medical Journal (BMJ), scientists found that despite a drop in the number of new patients diagnosed with depression over 11 years, the number of prescriptions doubled.

"We estimate that more than 2 million people are now taking antidepressants long-term over several years, in particular women aged between 18 and 30," comments Tony Kendrick, a professor in Primary Medical Care of the University's School of Medicine, who led the study.

The number of prescriptions issued per patient rose from 2.8 in 1993 to 5.6 in 2004.

Prescription Pricing Authority data shows that more than 30 million prescriptions for SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) such as Prozac and Seroxat, are now issued per year, twice as many as the early 1990s. Researchers at the University of Southampton found 90 per cent of people diagnosed with depression are now taking SSRIs either continuously or as repeated courses over several years.

Professor Kendrick adds: "Our previous research found that although these drugs are said not to be addictive, many patients found it difficult to come off them, due to withdrawal symptoms including anxiety. Many wanted more help from their GP to come off the drugs. We don't know how many really need them and whether long-term use is harmful. This has similarities to the situation with Valium in the past."

The research team analysed all new cases of depression between 1993 and 2005 from anonymous computerised general practice records covering 170 GP surgeries and 1.7 million registered patients.

to download or view a transcript - BBC NEWS | News Front Page JOFRE: When Graham Aldred's wife was prescribed Seroxat 3 years ago she was depressed and anxious but not suicidal. Rhona Aldred was initially worried about ...
news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/.../takenontrust.txt     JOFRE:  When Graham Aldred's wife was prescribed Seroxat 3 years ago she was depressed and anxious
but not suicidal.  Rhona Aldred was initially worried about taking an antidepressant.  Her husband reassured
her.

GRAHAM ALDRED
When Rhona brought the drug home, she said to me she had some reservations about it, and I said "Dont
be silly, this is England, this is a country where you can trust medical regulation."  Now she was right and I
was wrong.

JOFRE:  Shortly after starting on Seroxat Rhona became very restless, agitated and had terrible nightmares. 
After 11 days of mental turmoil she drove to a secluded country lane and killed herself.

ALDRED:  This is what the regulator doesn't seem to understand, that there are people on the end of all
this, there are people who's lives should have continued, there are people whose wife, whose sister, whose
mother, whose children even, should be alive now and happily functioning in the family.