Top 10 Drugs: Violence and more Fluoride

This of course to me is no surprise.  I have been writing about this issue since the Columbine shootings where some of these drugs were involved. Chantix has been covered at Natural Health News since 2008.  SSRIs/SNRIs are mentioned in 30+ posts. We're providing this information so you can be aware.

10. Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) An antidepressant which affects both serotonin and noradrenaline, this drug is 7.9 times more likely to be associated with violence than other drugs.
9. Venlafaxine (Effexor) A drug related to Pristiq in the same class of antidepressants, both are also used to treat anxiety disorders. Effexor is 8.3 times more likely than other drugs to be related to violent behavior.

8. Fluvoxamine (Luvox) An antidepressant that affects serotonin (SSRI), Luvox is 8.4 times more likely than other medications to be linked with violence
7. Triazolam (Halcion) A benzodiazepine which can be addictive, used to treat insomnia. Halcion is 8.7 times more likely to be linked with violence than other drugs, according to the study.
6) Atomoxetine (Strattera) Used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Strattera affects the neurotransmitter noradrenaline and is 9 times more likely to be linked with violence compared to the average medication.
5) Mefoquine (Lariam) A treatment for malaria, Lariam has long been linked with reports of bizarre behavior. It is 9.5 times more likely to be linked with violence than other drugs.
4) Amphetamines: (Various) Amphetamines are used to treat ADHD and affect the brain's dopamine and noradrenaline systems. They are 9.6 times more likely to be linked to violence, compared to other drugs.
3) Paroxetine (Paxil) An SSRI antidepressant, Paxil is also linked with more severe withdrawal symptoms and a greater risk of birth defects compared to other medications in that class. It is 10.3 times more likely to be linked with violence compared to other drugs.

2) Fluoxetine (Prozac) The first well-known SSRI antidepressant, Prozac is 10.9 times more likely to be linked with violence in comparison with other medications.
1) Varenicline (Chantix) The anti-smoking medication Chantix affects the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, which helps reduce craving for smoking. Unfortunately, it's 18 times more likely to be linked with violence compared to other drugs — by comparison, that number for Xyban is 3.9 and just 1.9 for nicotine replacement. Because Chantix is slightly superior in terms of quit rates in comparison to other drugs, it shouldn't necessarily be ruled out as an option for those trying to quit, however.

Source: http://healthland.time.com/2011/01/07/top-ten-legal-drugs-linked-to-violence/#ixzz1ApxzCzUg

Related information about fluoride is found here as well, and now you know mainstream media is finally suggesting you have been getting too much.  Here are the 8 top true "conspiracy theories".  It is not just that fluoride harms your teeth, but it is wise to look at all the fluoride dental products you've been using in addition to your fluoridated water, drugs, foods, agriculture, home and garden products...

#1 High Levels Of Fluoride In Our Drinking Water Is Bad - Amazingly, the U.S. federal government has now come out and is lowering the "recommended amount" of fluoride in our drinking water for the first time in 50 years.  Of course it would be great if they just banned fluoride in our drinking water altogether, but for the government to even admit that high levels of fluoride could be a problem is a huge step.  In a recent article on CNN, it was reported that the federal government is now saying that high levels of fluoride in the water has now officially been linked with fluorosis....  Read the complete list here -

Good coverage of the Worst Pills of 2010 include more of the same as in the aforementioned articles.  Many of the drugs on this list have been reported here at Natural Health News in our effort to keep you educated and aware.

Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, SSRIs
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRIs) antidepressants like Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft and Lexapro probably did more to inflate drug industry profits than Viagra. But many say the drugs have also inflated police blotters. In addition to 4,200 published reports of SSRI-related violence, including the Columbine, Red Lake and NIU shootings, SSRIs can cause serotonin syndrome and gastrointestinal bleeding when taken with certain drugs. Paxil is linked to birth defects.
Effexor, Cymbalta, Pristiq, SNRIs
Selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are like their SSRIs chemical cousins except their norepinephrine effects can modulate pain, which has ushered in your-depression-is-really-pain, your-pain-is-really-depression and other crossover marketing. SNRI's are also harder to quit than SSRIs. 739,000 web sites address "Effexor" and "withdrawal." 
Seroquel, Zyprexa, Geodon, atypical antipsychotics
The antipsychotic Seroquel tops 71 drugs on the FDA's January 2010 adverse event report and is linked to unexplained troop deaths and many research scandals. But it's the fifth biggest-selling drug in the world. Atypical antipsychotics cause weight gain and diabetes, the tardive dyskinesia they are marketed to prevent and death in the demented elderly. Yet FDA approved Zyprexa and Seroquel for children last year and the new atypical antipsychotic, Latuda this year. Maybe the FDA is bipolar.
Chantix
After 397 FDA cases of possible psychosis, 227 domestic reports of suicidal behaviors and 28 actual suicides, the government banned pilots, air-traffic controllers and interstate truck and bus drivers from taking the antismoking drug Chantix in 2008. Its neuropsychiatric effects were immortalized when New Bohemians musician Carter Albrecht was shot to death in 2007 in Texas by a neighbor after acting aggressively on the Chantix.

Drugs Contribute to Dementia, Delirium

I'd like to thank Public Citizen for bringing their report to the attention of Natural Health News.

For Immediate Release: April 1, 2009
Contact: Joe Newman (202) 588-7703, Rick Claypool (202) 588-7742

Drug-Induced Dementia and Delirium Common in Seniors But Often Undetected, Public Citizen Says
Condition Is Usually Reversible, Can Be Caused By 136 Drugs Listed on WorstPills.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Older patients become more susceptible to drug-induced dementia and delirium as they age, but the symptoms are often overlooked by doctors who don’t realize that the condition may be caused by drugs and reversed, Public Citizen writes in a Worst Pills, Best Pills News article released today on WorstPills.org, the organization’s drug safety Web site.

Unlike most forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, which cannot be reversed, dementia caused by prescription drug use may be stopped by discontinuing the offending medication. The drug safety experts at Public Citizen have identified 136 commonly prescribed medications, especially certain antidepressants and pain medications, that can cause difficulty thinking.

Drug-induced dementia and delirium are commonly misattributed to underlying medical illness or merely to “old age.” But by stopping or modifying the dosage of numerous, frequently prescribed drugs, most patients can be restored to a pre-drug state of mental clarity.

Older people are more susceptible to drug-induced delirium and dementia because the body’s ability to rid itself of drugs decreases with age, often because of normal age-related decrease in kidney and liver function. Also, older patients are often prescribed multiple drugs at the same time, resulting in complicated interactions and enhanced side effects. Some research also suggests older patients’ brains may be more sensitive to drugs’ effects on the central nervous system.

“Sadly, doctors don’t always recognize cognitive impairment as a side effect, so many patients needlessly suffer from this debilitating but reversible condition,” said Sidney Wolfe, M.D., director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group and acting Public Citizen president. “After beginning new drugs, doctors, patients and their families should watch for subtle changes in cognition and assume changes may be caused by drug therapy. People already suffering from some cognitive impairment are most susceptible.”

Delirium is a syndrome of changes in vision, hearing and thinking that usually starts abruptly and is commonly seen in the hospital setting or during an acute illness; symptoms typically improve when the cause is treated. Dementia, on the other hand, is a chronic alteration in thinking that progresses slowly. Alzheimer’s disease is dementia’s most common cause, but it also can be caused by strokes and other conditions.

WorstPills.org includes the full list of 136 implicated drugs. Some examples include: widely used antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (Benedryl); a drug widely used for treating urinary incontinence, tolteridine (Detrol); a nausea treatment drug, metoclopramide (Reglan); and drugs in the benzodiazepine category such as popular sleeping pills Ambien (zolpidem) and Lunesta (eszopiclone).

Worst Pills, Best Pills News is a monthly newsletter available in print and electronic formats through Public Citizen’s subscription Web site, WorstPills.org. The article about drug-induced dementia and delirium will be available free for the next seven days. The site has other searchable in formation about the uses, risks and side effects associated with prescription medications.

WorstPills.org is an unbiased analysis of information from a variety of sources, including well-regarded medical journals and unpublished data obtained from the Food and Drug Administration, that allows Public Citizen to sound the alarm about potentially dangerous drugs long before they are banned by the federal government and to recommend safer drugs. For example, Public Citizen warned consumers about the dangers of Vioxx, ephedra, Baycol and Propulsid years before they were pulled from the market.

A partial list of drugs is below. I chose Antihistamines because it is the time of year when people often turn to these products.

Antihistamines (these are OTC meds, and too numerous to list)

Azelastine (ASTELIN)*

Chlorpheniramine injection

Cyproheptadine (PERIACTIN)

Desloratadine (CLARINEX)*

Diphenhydramine injection

Hydroxyzine (ATARAX, HY-PAM, VISTARIL)

Olopatadine (PATANOL)

Many of the drugs on this extensive list are some of the most commonly prescribed for all age groups. They are extremely problematic for the elderly and small-statured persons.

Please make sure to ask your health care provider to tell you of the side effects of any drug prescribed. Double checking with your pharmacist is also worth your trouble.

NB: There are excellent natural remedies for most health concerns; Detrol is one that comes to mind because it is mentioned in this article. Please contact us for more information.