APRIL held conferences in London and the talks by eminent speakers are as relevant today as when they were given
Click here to view videos on VIMEO
Talks by Professors and Academics which will benefit Prescribers and all medical students.
Qualified doctors, students, nurses and all Health Professionals, plus their patients need to know more about the possible harm from medicines. Age, ethnicity, genetics, gender and other differences are factors that may not have been assessed during Clinical Trials.
1. ADVERSE PSYCHIATRIC REACTIONS TO MEDICATION If you click on this link there is more information to read, including a link to information about the knock on effect of a BBC Panorama programme about the antidepressant Seroxat/ Paxil (paroxetine) and the adverse side-effects including akathisia and the devastating withdrawal effects so many people suffered from.
Thousands contacted the BBC after the first programme, which led to two further investigative Panorama programmes. The eventual outcome was APRIL and others were invited to meetings by the European Medicines Agency and the UK regulator to discuss better warnings on the labels.
Following the Panorama programmes, a review of the way Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) are meant to be reported in the UK, was undertaken by a Professor of Clinical Pharmacology Dr Andrew Herxheimer and scientific researcher and writer Charles Medawar.
Their findings were in a paper they published and remarked upon in the British Medical Journal, click here to read the BMJ comment by Lynn Eaton
However all the above does not address the problem of cover ups by the industry who knew of the addictive nature of SSRI antidepressants and used words to cover up the withdrawal isses - by using the term ' Discontinuation syndrome'. Why was this significant for APRIL ? we were informed by award winning Mental Health journalist Catherine Jackson, the Panorama programmes developed from our conference where the BBC , academics, professors and the public could speak freely without being obviously monitored, as happens in many medical conferences which are mostly totally funded by the pharmaceutical industry to promote their sales.
This conference was to inform that everyday medicines can cause psychiatric Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs). However as most people are misdiagnosed when suffering iatrogenic (treatment induced) symptoms, they are often prescribed SSRI, SNRI and similar antidepessants, as well as sadly the very addictive benzodiazepine tranquiliser drugs. So the disussions went on to the mis treatement due to mis diagnosis of ADRS.
One psychiatrist who attended wrote he was able to reduce (carefully) the tranquilisers his patients in a seniors home were taking and thanked us for the information.
Another psychiatrist complained ands asked for the small fee he paid to be returned. I note the department he became head of has now been closed due to concerns.
My thoughts a and findings above are written here - August 2022 - by Millie Kieve
Conference held in Euston London
The Speakers - November 2001
David Healy MD FRCPsych(UK) Director of Department of Phsychological Medicine, University of Wales
James Wright MD PhD FRCP(C) Canada - Professor Depts of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Director of High Blood Pressure Clinic, Vancouver Hospital (UBC site), Managing Director of the Therapeutics Initiative, University of British Columbia.
Heather Ashton DM, FRCP(UK), Emeritus Professor of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Loren Mosher MD(USA) former member, now resigned from the American Psychiatric Association
Other speakers and guests on our panel and chairing talks included Dr Joanna Moncrieff (Critical Psychiatry Network), Rufus May (Clin.Psychologist), Walter Loebl (retired consultant in rheumatology), Ramo Kabbani (Prozac Survivors), Sue Bibby ( Benzact), Linda Hurcombe (Compassionate Friends), Celia Feetam, chair UKPPG, Janice Hill (Overload Network) and Millie Kieve (founder of Adverse Psychiatric Reactions Information Link (APRIL).
2. ADVERSE PSYCHIATRIC EFFECTS of MEDICINES and ANAESTHETICS...preventing avoidable harm
Conferernce held in Euston London
Speakers included November 2004
Andrew Herxheimer Clinical Pharmacologist who founded the 'Drug & Therapeutics Bulletin" to better educate providers of prescription drugs. An expert in adverse-drug-effects, a consumer advocate.
Charles Medawar Author, consumer and patient advocate. Founded Social Audit and made the case for antidepressant dependence and harm in the face of huge opposition from the medicines regulators. A remarkable individual who did much to create awareness of iatrogenic harm.
Saad Shakir Director of the Drug Safety Research Unit (DSRU)
Keith Altman US lawyer and ADR statistics analyst
Leonard Gorodkin Manchester City Coroner
Dorothy Rowe Clinical Psychologist & author
John Halliday Pharmacology & Therapeutics sub Dean Basic Medical Science King's college London
Steve Mott Director of Datapharm ABPI Data Sheet Compendium publisher (Electronic Medicines Compendium) www.medicines.org.uk
Anita Holdcroft Reader in Anaesthesia & Hon. Consultant Anaesthetist Chelsea & Westiminster Hospital faculty of Imperial College, London
On our panel and Chairing the talks were Angela Clow Professor of Psychophysiology, University of Westminster, Martin Seager Psychologist, Diane Samways formerly medical now holistic doctor and Walter Loebl retired Consultant Rheumatologist.
3. ADVERSE PSYCHIATRIC SIDE EFFECTS OF MEDICINES: What's our responsibility?
REVIEWS OF THE CONFERENCE -
CLICK HERE: Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 2811 November 29 2008
In the Pharmaceutical Journal the reviewer ued a double page spread which she titled:
BEWARE OF HOW SIDE EFFECTS ARE MASKED
" Not all healthcare professionals are as informed about side effects as they could be. At a conference on adverse psychiatric reactions the underlying message was that greater awareness, in both healthcare professionals and patients, about drug side effects is needed.
you can read about talks by:
Dr Anita Holdcroft (Professor of anaethesiology) - 'Adverse effects of Drugs used in anaesthesia '-
Professor Simon Maxwell (Clinical Pharmacologist) - 'Are changes to presciber education needed?'
Professor David Healy ( Psychiatrist) ' Put little weigh on evidence showing that there are no risks'
Nigel Meadows (Coroner - Manchester City) 'Yellow Card system far from perfect' (Nigel Meadows believes in the previous 2 years he had seen 25 to 30 deaths linked to a pharmaceutical drug - but having no expert witness or enough evidence, could not persue this cause of death.
Dr Ben Goldacre - about clinical trials and ways to bury bad data.
Conference held in Euston London Link to Vimeo for talks by speakers at our 2008 conference held in Euston London at the Friend's House.
List of speakers November 2008 including our 'Coming off Medicines outreach session'
Munir Pirmohamed Professor of Pharmacogenetics, Liverpool University, leader in ADR research
David Healy Professor of Psychological Medicine, University of Wales, Author of The Antidepressant Era and other books
Charles Medawar Founder of Social Audit, Specialist Medicines Policy & Drug Safety, co-author Medicines out of Control
Anita Holdcroft Emeritus Professor of Anaesthesia Imperial College London author of Anaesthesia ADR Analysis
Heather Ashton Emeritus Professor Clinical Psychopharmacology, Newcastle University, author of The Ashton Manual for benzo withdrawal
Joanna Moncrieff Sen.Lecturer/Hon Consultant Psychiatrist, Author of The Myth of the Chemical Cure
Simon Maxwell Professor Clin.Pharmacology, Edinburgh Uni. British Pharmacological Soc. Safe Prescribing Working Grp /MedSchoolCouncil
Andrew Herxheimer Clinical Pharmacologist, co-author Seroxat ADR Review in International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicine
Noge Meadows HM Coroner, Manchester City District
Bob Johnson Psychiatrist, author of Emotional Health, believes in alleviating distress without drugs
Ben Goldacre Medical doctor, author of Bad Science and Guardian coumnist
John Halliday Pharmacology & Theapeutics Sub Dean, Kings College London
Clare Milford-Haven Mother bereaved by suicide of son just 10 days after anaesthesia for surgery
Millie Kieve Founder of APRIL and organiser of conferences