PROZAC: PANACEA OR POISON?

PROZAC: PANACEA OR POISON?
by: Ann Blake Tracy, PhD

As the executive director of the International Coalition for Drug Awareness, Dr. Tracy is the leading expert in the world on serotonergic medications and their adverse reactions (Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Celexa, Sarafem, Fen-Phen, Redux, Meridia, Effexor, Serzone, Wellbutrin, Zyban and other antidepressants). She has testified as an expert witness in court cases involving these drugs for nine years, including the Columbine High School shooting. Dr. Tracy has worked for ten years to develop a safe method for helping patients withdraw from antidepressants and rebuild their bodies and brains after using them. She has followed Gary Young's work closely, and recommends the use of his oils for repairing damage and adverse effects caused by these drugs. According to Dr. Tracy, nothing reaches the brain faster and begins the body's own healing process faster than essential oils. The adverse effects of increased serotonin can be dealt with effectively by using essential oils. She is the author of Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? Dr. Tracy has appeared on television shows such as 20/20, Dateline, Leeza Gibbons, Geraldo and 60 Minutes. Cover stories about her work have been published in US News and World Report and Insight Magazine. See www.drugawareness.org

Serotonin levels are high in schizophrenia, autism, mania, mood disorders including depression and anxiety, organic brain disease, mental retardation, Alzheimer's and anorexia.

DRUG EFFECTS AND REACTIONS:

An antidepressant is the opposite of a depressant. Therefore it is a stimulant. That is what cocaine is. These serotonergic medications do the same thing as illegal drugs. They force the body to perform beyond its own energy capacity and have a very adverse impact upon the body's ability to metabolize your nutrients. They slowly deplete the body of vitamins and minerals, nutrients you need for your energy supply.

Serzone has just been found to causeliver damage. My first concern with these medications was the damage to the liver and pancreas. There is a 700% increase in breast cancer with Paxil. A friend of mine on Paxil died just two years ago of cancer. She was on Paxil and she could not get off.

MENTAL ILLNESS AND BLOOD SUGAR

A study in the September 1999 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry indicated a high rate of diabetes in patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It states that scientists have known since the turn of the century that mental illnesses are blood sugar related. Certainly the public does not know this and doctors don't seem to be aware either. Anything that increases serotonin drops blood sugar levels. These antidepressants do it and various foods like white sugar and Nutrasweet also do it.

COURT CASES I've testified in court cases involving these drugs for the last ten years. Every one of these cases and many more were induced by one of these antidepressants and they have all been taken to court. I was one of the consultants on the Andrea Yates case. Andrea was on two of these antidepressants at maximum dosage. They had adjusted her medication two days before this happened, and this adjustment alone was enough to cause what happened in this family. Del Shannon, the singer from the 60s committed suicide after being on Prozac for three weeks. Joseph Wesbecker went on a shooting rampage in Kentucky killing eight people in total. In the Donald Shell case two years ago, a jury ruled that two Paxil pills resulted in the shooting of his wife, daughter, baby granddaughter and then himself. A case in which a man drowned himself and two children was settled in January by the Paxil company. I was an expert witness in the Phil Hartman case which was again settled by the drug company. The Columbine case, which is ongoing, resulted in the drug company pulling Luvox from the American market. Eric Harris was on Luvox when he went psychotic and went on a shooting spree.

ADVERSE EFFECTS OF WITHDRAWAL

The most commonly reported effects of withdrawal are insomnia, rebound depression worse than prior to taking the drug, exhaustion, irritability leading to rage, electric shock throughout the extremities, seizures and the mild seizure activity of the REM sleep behaviour disorder which leads to psychotic breaks - the most dangerous withdrawal effect. It occurs because the REM sleep, the Dream State has been repressed for so long that the brain forces you into a dream while you are awake. This is a sleep walk state where you begin to act out dreams or nightmares. This REM sleep behaviour disorder will often be labelled mania or psychosis. The potential for this disorder is high both while using these drugs and while coming off of them. So we want to avoid withdrawal effects.

GUIDELINES FOR SAFE WITHDRAWAL

These guidelines will work with all mind-altering medications: antipsychotics, bipolar medications, the Valium family of drugs, as well as seizure medications such as Depakote and Dilantin because these are all mainly serotonergic medications.

Gradual withdrawal Patients must withdraw very very slowly over a period of many months depending how long you have been on the medication.Generally patients find that if they've been on the drug for a year, they require five to six months to slowly wean themselves off the medication.

" Eat nutritious foods to produce the energy needed to overcome the drug-induced malnourishment.
" Take a good vitamin-mineral supplement. Food form is always preferred because they are much easier to digest and assimilate.
" Juicing is a good way to rebuild your body but work at it gradually. Eat more fruits and veggies. Start with cooked foods and slowly go to more and more raw because the raw foods have the enzymes to help make them easier to digest.
" Almonds: Eating six to twelve almonds is an excellent way to keep the blood sugar low.
" Remove stimulants and chemicals from your daily diet. This includes caffeine and nicotine.
" Avoid meat or eat smaller amounts because it has a stimulant effect due to adrenaline released at the time of the animal's death.
" Cranial massage is helpful and it will release a lot of pressure if there is swelling in the head. Edema is a common problem with these drugs.
" Acupuncture has been known for decades to be beneficial in the withdrawal from any drug.
" Negative ions help to reduce serotonin levels.
" Chamomile is a wonderful, soothing and calming herbal tea that I highly recommend to restore sleep patterns.
" Go to bed early. We know that going to bed earlier can get rid of depression quickly. Going to bed early resets the internal clock and going to bed early for a week will knock depression for six months at a time.