The mass murderer in Illinois last week, the media said he'd gone off his meds.

[raccoon]

Anybody know if he was taking anti-depressants, such as Prozac, Paxil? Those have a mofo of a withdrawal.

**Note: I refuse to call him by name because I think it encourages copy cats to do the same thing. They'd rather be notorious than not get their 15 minutes of fame.

[Crabby Appleton]

1. I heard on the news it was Prozac. nt

[RainDog]

2. here's a thread about this

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2873905&mesg_id=2873905

I won't go into all of it all over again, except to say it is ridiculous to blame medications when someone GOES OFF medications that they need to function in society when that person does something psychotic. Considering all the people who have gone on and off SSRIs over at least a decade, compared to the number who go on killing sprees... such logic "the meds did it" is unsupportable.

However, by constantly making such a illogical claim, you might dissuade someone who needs help and who could benefit from medication from seeking help. This is irresponsible. I have lots of experience with and acquaintance with people who are mentally ill and on or off meds and such an assumption is simply bullshit.

If someone is forcibly hospitalized, (his situation at one point) this is because they are a danger to themselves or others. At that point, they are not taking meds like SSRIs. They are then stabilized and released. If they go off the meds, and they have a history of being deemed a danger to themselves or others... how in the hell can any reasonable person think medications that alleviated the situation created it??

I really get sick of hearing this. some people are able to function and have lived b/c of medicinal help. John Nash, the schizo math genius? He could function on meds. Off them, he thought people were out to get him, was suspicious of everyone, could not work...

[raccoon]

3. thanks for the link. nt

[fed-up]

4. adverse effects from stopping abruptly DO include VIOLENCE in a small portion of those that take

anti-depressants and bipolar meds

I have started and stopped both remerson and lamictal in the past few months due to adverse reactions to both. I had only taken them for a week or two.

BOTH times I had more and much depper, darker suicidal thoughts and irritability than before taking them.

READ the black box labels on these meds

They also HAVE NO f*cking CLUE about how many of these drugs work.

I am not saying that they don't work for many people, but for a small minority they trigger violent or suicidal or manic episodes. Everybody's biochemisty is unique, so what may calm one person may trigger an outburst in another.


Of course these results are not tallied because when they do the initial studies the sample poulation is only a few thousand. Those results are submitted to the FDA. But if the adverse effects only affect one in 100K or 1Million the results may NOT show up in the trial.

After the drugs get FDA approval any adverse affect reporting is VOLUNTARY.

Go to any of the online forums where people post their reactions to the various meds they are taking and you will be sickened at how many have horrible side effects and the profound personality changes they have triggered. Heck there was a thread here on DU a few days ago about how some people had reacted badly to their meds.


But heck, the drugs make tons of money so who cares if it causes a few folks to flip out and go on mass killing sprees?


I am scared to death to try another med as given my nondisclosed former meth house situation there are plenty of people/agencies that I am disgusted with. I have never been a violent person, just suffer from depression and hypomania. I would really, really hate to have medication flip me out.

[TZ]

5. More bullshit

No when a drug goes on the market adverse side effect reporting is NOT voluntary. Its called Phase 4 of the clinical trials and does goe indefinitely.
If you look at various studies, when people go off anti-depressants, suicide rates go up. When schizophrenics go off their meds, thats when they become violent
As for all the horrible side effects..I have very few from the meds I take (vivid dreams perhaps)
Its the mentally ill people who refuse to take the meds who are the dangerous ones. And actually, SSRI's are well understood on how they work (or do you not know what serotonin and dopamine are?) what they can't do is predict (yet) who will react with what medication.

It isn't meds, that make people flip out! Its the MENTAL ILLNESS!!
STOP THIS BLAME THE MEDICATION BULLSHIT!!!:nuke:

[Mugu]

6. raccoon, you and I have disagreed on many issues.

But, I agree with you completely about not ever uttering the name of the perpetrator. I have always believed that infamy or notoriety is the main motivator for these sickos and the writings of some of these monsters supports the theory.

Report on the tragedy and victims, but no hint as to the perpetrator's name, ever. Make them disappear from all records like they never existed. As long as their names become more well known around the world than that of the PM of Canada these tragedies will continue with each trying to outdo the last.

Many think that simply outlawing guns will curtail these attacks. I fear the day when one of these devils figures out what many of us already know.

Regards, Mugu