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16
Media Stories / Understanding Paxil, Alcohol, and Abuse
« on: July 23, 2017, 09:21:02 am »
http://www.healthline.com/health/depression/paxil-alcohol#overview1


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Understanding Paxil, Alcohol, and Abuse
Paxil and alcohol Effect on alcohol abuse Other interactions Takeaway
Overview
Paroxetine (Paxil) is an antidepressant. It’s used to treat many conditions, including:

depression
generalized anxiety disorder
social anxiety disorder
panic disorder
post-traumatic stress disorder
obsessive-compulsive disorder
Paxil is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). It helps increase the levels of serotoninin, a chemical messenger that affects your mood. Mixing alcohol with Paxil can lead to some unwanted side effects. Paxil may also affect alcohol cravings, though findings on this influence are still unclear.

Read more: What to know about SSRIs »

PAXIL AND ALCOHOL

Risks of mixing Paxil and alcohol
Increased symptoms
Alcohol can make the symptoms of depression worse. It may also make Paxil less effective at treating depression. If the drug doesn’t work as well, your symptoms may come back. Because of these factors, people should avoid drinking alcohol while they take Paxil.

Increased side effects
Alcohol also can increase some of Paxil’s side effects, especially dizziness, sleepiness, and trouble concentrating. Other side effects of Paxil that alcohol can increase include:

agitation
changes in vision
hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t real)
high or low blood pressure
decreased sex drive
mood swings
irregular heart rhythm
joint pain
loss of emotional feeling
nausea
vomiting
diarrhea
paranoia
mania (racing thoughts or excess energy)
rigid muscles, poor muscle control, or uncontrolled muscle movements
suicidal thoughts or actions
unintentional weight gain
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EFFECT ON ALCOHOL ABUSE

Paxil’s relationship to alcohol abuse
The relationship between Paxil and alcohol misuse is unclear. Some information seems to indicate that Paxil use helps curb the reliance on alcohol in people with anxiety disorders, while other information has indicated just the opposite.

A study in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research investigated the relationship between social anxiety and alcohol use disorders. For people with social anxiety disorders who misused alcohol to make them feel more comfortable in social settings, the results suggest taking Paxil allowed them to engage more easily without drinking alcohol. In other words, Paxil reduced their need for alcohol to ease discomfort in social situations. This effect may have reduced alcohol dependence and misuse in these people.

On the other hand, some research has linked the use of SSRIs like Paxil to increased alcohol cravings and misuse. In a review of studies on SSRIs and alcohol dependence, researchers found that SSRIs actually led to an increase in alcohol consumption in some groups. This risk might be higher in people who have certain genes that already make them more prone to alcohol misuse.

OTHER INTERACTIONS

Other interactions
Paxil can also interact with a number of drugs. While you’re taking Paxil, you should avoid taking MAO inhibitors and the antipsychotic thioridazine (Mellaril). You should also avoid the antipsychotic drug pimozide (Orap). All of these drugs can cause severe side effects when you take them with Paxil.

Other drugs that can cause problems if you take them with Paxil include:

cimetadine (Tagamet), used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
fentanyl, an opioid pain reliever
drugs that thin the blood such as warfarin, rivaroxaban, and apixaban
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and ibuprofen
epilepsy medications
drugs used to treat irregular heartbeats, schizophrenia, and HIV infection
metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL), a blood pressure lowering drug
other antidepressants such as tricyclics, lithium, SNRIs, or SSRIs
procyclidine (Kemadrin), a drug used to treat Parkinson’s disease
tamoxifen, a breast cancer drug
triptans, used to treat migraine headaches
You should let your doctor know about all drugs you take, including over-the-counter drugs as well as herbal remedies, vitamins, and supplements.

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TAKEAWAY

Talk to your doctor
If your doctor has prescribed Paxil or another antidepressant, ask about all the possible side effects and interactions it can cause. Be careful about using alcohol or drugs that might interact with your antidepressant.

If you think that Paxil is increasing your alcohol use, talk about it with your doctor. They may be able to recommend a drug that is better suited for you.

17

Could SSRIs Lead To Increased Alcohol Consumption In Some Populations?
Kenneth Anderson
The New School for Social Research

http://hams.cc/ssris.pdf

18
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/acer.12802/abstract

Original Article
Poorer Drinking Outcomes with Citalopram Treatment for Alcohol Dependence: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
Dara A. Charney1,2, Laura M. Heath1, Eugenia Zikos2, Jorge Palacios-Boix1,2 andKathryn J. Gill1,2,*
Version of Record online: 24 JUL 2015
DOI: 10.1111/acer.12802
Copyright © 2015 by the Research Society on Alcoholism
Issue

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research
Volume 39, Issue 9, pages 1756–1765, September 2015
 
Abstract
Article
References
Cited By
View Full Article (HTML) Enhanced Article (HTML) Get PDF (257K)
Keywords:
Alcohol Dependence;Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors;Citalopram;Treatment Outcome;Depression
Background
Previous research on the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) as a treatment for alcohol dependence has yielded mixed results. Depression has been shown to be a predictor of relapse and poor outcome following treatment, and it has been hypothesized that SSRIs would be beneficial in reducing drinking in depressed alcohol-dependent individuals. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was designed to test the effects of citalopram on treatment outcomes among alcohol-dependent individuals with and without depression.
Methods
Two hundred and sixty-five patients meeting criteria for a DSM-IV diagnosis of alcohol abuse or dependence were randomly assigned to receive placebo or citalopram 20 mg per day for the first week, followed by 40 mg per day from weeks 2 through 12. All patients received a standard course of treatment consisting of weekly individual and group psychotherapy. Participants were reassessed at 12 weeks, including dropouts from both treatment groups to determine rates of abstinence, changes in alcohol use, addiction severity, depressive symptoms, and psychiatric status.
Results
Citalopram provided no advantage over placebo in terms of treatment outcomes, and for some measures, citalopram produced poorer outcomes. Patients in the citalopram group had a higher number of heavy drinking days throughout the trial, and smaller changes in frequency and amount of alcohol consumption at 12 weeks. There was no influence of depression severity on outcomes in either medication group. Survival analyses also indicated no differences between depressed and nondepressed patients in the citalopram group for time to first slip or relapse. A diagnosis of personality disorder was associated with poorer treatment responses overall, regardless of treatment condition.
Conclusions
This trial does not support the use of citalopram in the treatment of alcohol dependence. The results suggest that the use of SSRIs among depressed and nondepressed alcohol-dependent individuals early in recovery, prior to the onset of abstinence, may be contraindicated.

19
Media Stories / Man killed, cousin injured by suspected drunk driver
« on: July 23, 2017, 05:35:39 am »
http://www.kiro7.com/news/1-critical-injury-after-pedestrians-hit-vehicle-tu/19115357

Man killed, cousin injured by suspected drunk driver
by: Natasha Chen Updated: Dec 28, 2015 - 5:36 PM

1 of 4
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TUKWILA, Wash. - Police said a driver suspected of hitting and killing a pedestrian Monday night may have been drunk and on antidepressants.

A King County judge set a $50,000 bail for Katherine Ferguson on Tuesday.

<hr>

Key developments:

Two men hit by SUV
One man has died
Cousin injured, expected to be OK
Driver arrested, suspected drunk & on antidepressants
<hr>

Police said that at the scene of the accident, Ferguson’s breath smelled of intoxicants and her eyes were bloodshot and watery.

Police also stated in court documents that Ferguson took a preliminary breath test two hours after the incident, when she blew a 0.054, which is under the legal limit.

She told police she did not see the two victims, who witnesses said were standing in the middle of the poorly lighted road.

Family members said the man who died was 65-year-old Abdule Mohamed.

Mohamed’s cousin, also hit by the suspected drunken driver, was released from Harborview Medical Center Monday night.

Witnesses said both men are well-known members of the area’s Somali community.

<center>https://twitter.com/NickKIRO7/status/681669780944769028<center/>

KIRO 7 was there as the suspected drunken driver was handcuffed and taken away in a squad car.

Witnesses said the suspect drove her SUV around a car that was stopped in the road to make a right turn.

“One of them got dropped there. The other one, she dragged him on the hood all the way there. Everybody was saying 'stop.' If she would have stopped right there, it would have been better,” said Ahmed Yusuf, who rushed to help.

Mohamed’s family gathered outside the hospital last night, stating their shock.

“I feel so bad when they told me she was drunk,” said Amino Ali, the victim’s daughter.

Mohamed’s nephew, Aiderus Mohamud, warned others not to drink and drive.

“It's going to be something they regret the rest of their life,” he said.

There are no crosswalks where Abdule Mohamed and his cousin were standing.

There are no traditional sidewalks in the area either, but rather striped lanes in the road for pedestrians.

Susan Santiago, the driver’s sister, said Ferguson “told me a lot of times, 'I can't see down there, Susan. It's really hard.'”

Santiago said her sister drove through that area weekly and was likely getting dinner at Taco Time.

She said they saw each other Monday night, and Ferguson did not seem to be inebriated.

She’s concerned that Ferguson may have been affected by her new medication, prescribed just last week.

“I said ‘Kathy, why are you on these pills?’ She told me they made her feel not very good,” Santiago said.

Want to talk about the news of the day? Watch free streaming video on the KIRO 7 mobile app and iPad app, and join us here on Facebook.

20

http://wpri.com/2017/03/21/hearing-to-determine-expert-testimony-in-texting-suicide-case/

Psychiatrist: Antidepressants altered Michelle Carter’s brain in texting suicide case

By Nancy Krause and Steph Machado
Published: March 21, 2017, 11:54 am  Updated: March 21, 2017, 8:58 pm
Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window) 321Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)321 Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Related Coverage

Trial date delayed in Michelle Carter case
Judge denies funds for drug expert in texting suicide case
Attorney: Michelle Carter’s statements to police not admissible
TAUNTON, Mass. (WPRI) — A psychiatrist hired by Michelle Carter’s defense team testified Tuesday that the 20-year-old Plainville woman was “intoxicated” by antidepressants when she encouraged her friend to kill himself in 2014.

A judge is trying to determine if expert testimony from Dr. Peter Breggin will be admissible when the trial gets underway in June.

Carter, who was 17 at the time, is charged with manslaughter in the death of Conrad Roy III.

Roy took his own life. The prosecution argues Carter is criminally responsible for his death because she encouraged him to kill himself through a series of text messages.

The case drew national attention after transcripts of the messages were released publicly.

PDF: Read the full conversation »
In-Depth Coverage: Michelle Carter case »
Dr. Breggin testified that Carter was prescribed both Prozac and Celexa as a teenager and the drugs altered her developing brain, causing impulsivity and “hypomania” that she otherwise would not have experienced.

“She had no notion of wrongfulness on what she was doing,” said Breggin. He also said Celexa is not recommend for patients under 18 because of the possible effects on the brain.

Carter is accused, in part, of texting Roy to follow through with his suicide plans, even convincing him to get back in a car that was filling up with carbon monoxide.

“The impairment of being on the drugs while you are growing up – while you’re brain is maturing, while your frontal lobes are developing – you’re talking about being inundated with neurotoxic effects,” Breggin explained.

During cross-examination, Assistant District Attorney Katie Rayburn doubted Breggin’s claims, sounding almost incredulous when Breggin mentioned “irritability” as one of the effects of the antidepressants.

“You’re saying she was irritable at him because she was getting angry at him that he wouldn’t kill himself? That’s her irritability?” Rayburn asked.

“Yes,” Breggin responded. “Isn’t that crazy?”

Rayburn attempted to expose some of Breggin’s less-than-mainstream views of psychiatric syndromes and his doubts about the effectiveness of medications to treat mental health problems. She also got him to admit that he never interviewed Carter or her parents while conducting his evaluation, although he did meet with them once.

The judge will ultimately decide whether Breggin’s testimony will be admitted in the trial, which is slated to begin June 5.


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21
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/crime-courts/2017/06/20/charges-suspect-in-anchorage-collisions-involving-8-vehicles-was-driving-drunk

Crime & Courts
Charges: Suspect in Anchorage collisions involving 8 vehicles was driving drunk
pencil Author: Chris Klint  clock Updated: June 20  calendar Published June 20
 The Glenn Highway was closed inbound Friday, June 9, 2017 by an injury collision near Airport Heights Drive. (Marc Lester / Alaska Dispatch News)
The Glenn Highway was closed inbound Friday, June 9, 2017 by an injury collision near Airport Heights Drive. (Marc Lester / Alaska Dispatch News)

 
Decrease Article Font Size
The driver Anchorage police say caused a crash that injured four people on the Glenn Highway near Northway Mall this month had massive amounts of alcohol in his system at the time, according to charging documents.

Court records show Jake Sundog Rotzler-Martus, 31, charged with DUI, reckless driving, failing to give immediate notice of an accident and three counts of assault in the June 9 series of collisions on the Glenn Highway from Muldoon Road to Airport Heights Drive. The wreck closed the busy Airport Heights intersection for about two hours.

A criminal complaint against Rotzler-Martus, written by Officer Alan Rydberg, said police responded just after 10 a.m. to a collision inbound on the Glenn near Muldoon Road. Officers found a semi tractor-trailer that Rotzler-Martus had rear-ended in a maroon 2002 Chevrolet Suburban.

"Investigation revealed that (Rotzler-Martus) had hit-and-run the semi and then continued driving inbound with a flattened (right front) tire," Rydberg wrote. "The hood was damaged in a manner that it impeded the driver's view, so he stuck his head out of the driver's-side window and continued to accelerate until he crashed into seven other vehicles that had been stopped at the red light to Airport Heights."

[Seward Highway head-on crash leads to DUI and assault charges]

Three people from the struck vehicles at Airport Heights were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from a broken bone to a concussion and cuts to a hand. Medics also hospitalized Rotzler-Martus after he was extricated from the Suburban.

"During contact at the hospital, officers smelled the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Rotzler-Martus' breath, as he spoke with them," Rydberg wrote. "His speech was extremely slurred."

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Rotzler-Martus' medical records indicated his blood-alcohol content less than half an hour after the crash was at .385, Rydberg wrote, more than four times Alaska's legal limit for driving of .08. Cannabinoids from marijuana were also found in his system.

An overview of drinking effects from the National Institutes of Health labels blood-alcohol content levels at .31 or higher as generating "life-threatening" levels of impairment, noting that symptoms include loss of consciousness.

Officers conducting a search on the Suburban found a partially empty 1.75-liter bottle of whiskey, according to Rydberg. They also discovered bottles of an antidepressant and prescription-strength acetaminophen painkillers prescribed to another person.

An arrest warrant for Rotzler-Martus was issued Thursday and served Saturday, court records showed. He remained in custody Tuesday morning at the Anchorage Correctional Complex, according to a statewide inmate database.

A judge appointed a public defender to represent Rotzler-Martus during a Saturday arraignment listed in court records. His bail was set at a total of $20,000, with a court-approved third-party custodian required for his release.

22
http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-litchfield-fatal-dui-crash-20170227-story.html

'Bodies Flying, Bike Parts Flying' — Woman Charged With Manslaughter, DUI
 
Daniel DePaolo, president of the Brotherhood of United Bikers, reacts during the arraignment of Elizabeth Waterbury. Waterbury was arrested following an accident that left a mother of three dead and five morotcyclists injured.
David Owens   David OwensContact Reporter
 
A woman charged with vehicular manslaughter, assault and driving under the influence in connection with an October wreck that left a mother of three dead and five motorcyclists injured was ordered held on $800,000 bail Monday after her arraignment at Superior Court in the Bantam section of Litchfield.

Elizabeth Waterbury, 57, of Goshen Road, Litchfield, was a driver in a collision that killed Aislinn Kern, 33, of Harwinton, a passenger on a motorcycle, and seriously injured bikers Edmond Kern — Aislinn's husband — Daniel DePaolo, Jason Spielman and Vincent Anderson on Oct. 23, according to state police. Cynthia Spielman also suffered minor injuries.

Waterbury was charged Friday and appeared in court Monday, where her bail was reduced from $1 million.

Litchfield State's Attorney David Shepack urged Judge Paul Matasavage to leave Waterbury's bail at $1 million, arguing that the allegations against her were serious and that there was reason to believe Waterbury has continued to drink and drive since the collision that devastated members of the Brotherhood of United Bikers motorcycle club.

When state police took Waterbury into custody Friday state troopers reported that she was staggering, her eyes were blood shot and that she smelled of alcohol, Shepack told the judge.

"She's a danger to herself and the community," Shepack said.

Manslaughter, DUI Charges Filed In Fatal Litchfield Wreck
Waterbury's defense attorney, Bill Ward of Litchfield, told the judge that he met with Waterbury Friday evening and he did not detect the smell of alcohol, and Waterbury did not appear to be impaired.

The small Bantam courtroom was filled with Aislinn Kern's family and her friends from the motorcycle club, several of whom suffered severe physical injuries.

Waterbury completed 18 months of probation shortly before the crash for a conviction on a charge of criminal mischief. Before that, according to the warrant for her arrest, she was arrested twice for drunken driving, on Oct. 9, 2007, in New York, and on June 28, 2013, in Connecticut. There is no record of the Connecticut arrest on the state judicial website, which means the case was likely dismissed after Waterbury completed a pretrial diversionary program.

According to the warrant for Waterbury's arrest, the state police investigation into the case revealed that Waterbury veered from the northbound lane of Route 63 in Litchfield into a group of 18 motorcyclists who were driving south on Route 63. She claimed in a statement to police that she drove into the southbound lane to avoid a bike that drove into her lane, but the investigation revealed no motorcycles had crossed the center line, according to the warrant.

In addition to statements from several witnesses that tell the same story, state police recovered video of the crash from the nearby Forman School. Another motorcyclist who was ahead of the group Waterbury struck told state police he saw her reach for something in her Ford Escape SUV and take her eyes off the road.

Testing of Waterbury's blood after the crash revealed blood alcohol levels of .09 and .08. In Connecticut, .08 is considered legally drunk.

After the crash, according to the warrant, Waterbury tried to hide a bag containing two bottles of wine and a prescription bottle with Waterbury's name on it containing the antianxiety drug lorazepam. Lorazepam and the antidepressant citalopram were also detected in Waterbury's blood, according to the warrant.

State police also obtained medical records for the motorcyclists injured in the crash. Toxicology tests showed that none had consumed alcohol or drugs that were not prescribed to them.

The charges against Waterbury include second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, four counts of second-degree assault with a motor vehicle, third-degree assault, interfering with an officer, tampering with evidence, driving under the influence and failure to drive in the proper lane.

Aislinn Kern, a mother of three who owned a photography business and home-schooled her children, was a passenger on a motorcycle driven by her husband, Edmond Kern. Aislinn Kern was thrown from the motorcycle during the crash and badly injured. She died later at Hartford Hospital.

"She always had a smile on her face," said Vincent Anderson of Bristol, who suffered severe head and facial injuries in the crash and did not regain consciousness for a day and a half.

Dan DePaolo, the president of the motorcycle club, lost his left leg in the crash and just two weeks ago received a prosthetic leg. He has already undergone seven surgeries.

DePaolo has been out of work since since the crash, and is unable to ride, but he said he hopes to get back to both soon.

The events of Oct. 23 are fresh in his and other club members' minds.

"We were out for a foliage ride," he said. "It was the end of October, the colors were changing." DePaolo's club had joined with another club from Thomaston. They met that morning for coffee, then took to their Harley Davidsons and rode throughout Litchfield County.

"We were on our way back down to Thomaston," he said. "It was a laid-back, relaxing ride."

"And then carnage hit," said club member Chris DeLeon. "When we took the right onto 63, I was right behind Eddie and Aislinn. It was an implosion of motorcycles and people — bodies flying, bike parts flying."

The physical injuries are still evident. Anderson and Jason Spielman both wear their arms in slings. Those injuries will heal, Jason Spielman said, but the psychological injuries endure.

His wife, Cynthia Spielman, undergoes counseling for treatment of post traumatic stress disorder. "You open your eyes to the image of your husband lying on the ground looking like he's dead," she said. The wreck haunts her, makes it difficult to sleep and causes her to cry.

She said she'll never ride a motorcycle again.

"That might not seem like a big deal to some," Jason Spielman said, "but riding is a big part of our life."

DePaolo and his friends wore leather vests with their club logo to Waterbury's arraignment. Affixed to each is a patch with the date of the crash, 10.23.2016. Some also have tattoos of the date.

The crash took a valued friend and hurt some members badly, but DePaolo said the group continues to ride. "This is who we are," he said. "It slows you down and it sets you back. Setting us back is not stopping us."

And now that Waterbury has been charged, DePaolo said, "Hopefully it can start to come to an end now."

23
http://newjersey.news12.com/story/35686463/tiger-woods-arrest-highlights-the-dangers-of-drugged-driving

Tiger Woods Arrest Highlights The Dangers Of Drugged Driving
Posted: Jun 17, 2017 6:55 AM GST
Updated: Jun 19, 2017 11:57 AM GST
New Jersey, 06/16/2017

The May 2017 arrest of Tiger Woods for impaired driving shines an important spotlight on a growing problem — drugged driving.

According to media reports, Woods was arrested near his home for driving under the influence of prescription medication. Police documents show he blew a .000 breathalyzer (meaning he had no alcohol in his system) and had fallen asleep in his stopped car. The vehicle was pulled to the side of the road and the engine was running at the time police approached Woods.

Police also stated that Woods’ vehicle showed signs of damage. Both drivers’ side tires were flat, and there was damage to the front and rear bumpers. The rear passenger tail light was also out, and the tire rims had sustained damage.

Woods claimed that his impairment was due to “an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications.”

Safety Report Says Drugged Driving Is Now More Common Than Drunk Driving

A recent report from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) found that more fatal car accidents are caused by drugged driving than drunk driving. In about 43 percent of fatal car accidents, drivers tested positive for illegal or prescription drugs. By contrast, just 37 percent of fatal accidents involved a drunk driver.

This is a reversal of statistics in 2005, when 41 percent of fatal accidents were caused by drunk drivers and 28 percent were caused by drivers with drugs in their system.

A separate study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs revealed that 20 percent of drivers had taken a prescription drug within the past two days, with most of the drugs including sedatives, antidepressants, and painkillers.

A survey conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that stats for illegal drug use are rising. The number of weekend, nighttime illegal drug use behind the wheel increased from 12.4 percent in 2007 to 15.1 percent in 2013. Drivers using prescription drugs rose from 3.9 percent to 4.9 percent.

A police spokesperson told the media that motorists don’t view prescription medication the same way they do alcohol when it comes to impaired driving. He stated that people assume a medication is safe because their doctor gave it to them. Most people are well aware that drinking and driving is dangerous. However, they don’t often realize that prescription drugs and even over-the-counter medications can cause severe impairment.

If you are taking any kind of prescription drug, it’s important to discuss it thoroughly with your doctor. Make sure your doctor knows every kind of medication you’re taking, as certain drugs can interact with others in a dangerous way.

About Summit Behavioral Health

New Jersey & Massachusetts based  Summit Behavioral Health offers both inpatient and outpatient programs to help people overcome prescription and illegal drug addiction. Our programs are personalized and medically supervised.

Get Local Treatment – Call Now

1-844-643-3869

New Jersey – Massachusetts – Pennsylvania

Sources:

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/05/tiger-woods-is-the-new-face-of-americas-drugged-driving-problem/528525/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2017/05/30/tiger-woods-had-to-be-woken-up-police/102305228/
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/drugged-driving
http://www.ghsa.org/sites/default/files/2017-04/GHSA_DruggedDriving2017_FINAL.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27936362
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/812118-roadside_survey_2014.pdf

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24

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3235530/Could-Prozac-make-violent-People-antidepressants-50-likely-convicted-assault-murder.html

Could antidepressants make you violent? Young people who take drugs including Prozac are '50% more likely to be convicted of assault and murder'
Those in late teens and early 20s 50% more likely to commit violent crime
SSRI drugs include Prozac, Seroxat, Lustral, Cipralex and Cipramil
Experts believe adolescent brains are more sensitive to drug interference
And less likely to take their pills allowing symptoms to boil over to violence
By Fiona Macrae Science Editor For The Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 19:00, 15 September 2015 | UPDATED: 07:38, 17 September 2015
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Popular antidepressant pills make young people violent, it is feared.

An Oxford University study found that men – and women – in their late teens and early 20s – were almost 50 per cent more likely to be convicted of offences from assault to murder when taking SSRI drugs.

This family of anti-depressants includes Prozac, as well as Seroxat, Lustral, Cipralex and Cipramil, the most commonly prescribed of the pills.

One in eight Britons takes SSRIs each year – and the number of prescription has doubled in the last decade.

Meanwhile in the US around 11 per cent of people aged 12 and over take antidepressants, including SSRIs, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. 


Men and women in their late teens and early 20s were almost 50 per cent more likely to be convicted of offences from assault to murder when they were taking SSRI drugs, new research has found (file image)    +2
Men and women in their late teens and early 20s were almost 50 per cent more likely to be convicted of offences from assault to murder when they were taking SSRI drugs, new research has found (file image)

The tablets already carry a warning that the drugs are linked to suicidal thoughts in young people and it was suspected they were also linked to violence but evidence was sparse until now.

The researchers said the risk in 15 to 24 year olds is ‘not insignificant’ and that the public health implications ‘require careful consideration’.

These include adding a warning to packets.

Oxford psychiatrist Senna Faze used official records to analyse the behaviour of more than 800,000 Swedes aged 15-plus who had been prescribed SSRIs.

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Tracking them for four years allowed him to compare their behaviour when they were on the pills to when they were off them.

Professor Fazel, who researches the links between mental illness and violent crime, said: ‘People who were aged between 15 and 24 had a 43 per cent higher risk of committing a violent crime when medicating compared to when not medicating.

‘Among the other age groups we didn’t see any associations that were significant at all.’

The professor isn’t sure what’s behind the link but one possibility is that the drugs act differently on developing brains.

The adolescent brain may be particularly sensitive to pharmacological interference
Professor Senna Faze
SSRIs are already associated with a higher risk of suicide attempts in the young.

Writing in the journal PLOS Medicine, he said: ‘The adolescent brain may be particularly sensitive to pharmacological interference.’

Other possible reasons include young people being less likely to take their pills, allowing hostility, impulsivity and other symptoms of depression to boil over into violence.

The young people studied were more likely to get drunk when on antidepressants and it may be that the booze drove them to violence.

It is also possible that they were more severely ill when they were given the drugs.

Interestingly, only the youngsters taking low doses of SSRIs were more prone to violence.

It isn’t known why this is but one possibility is that those taking high doses are so ill that they are effectively housebound.

This family of antidepressants includes Prozac, as well as Seroxat, Lustral, Cipralex and Cipramil, the most commonly prescribed of the pills. One in eight Britons takes SSRIs each year – and the number of prescription has doubled in the last decade   +2
This family of antidepressants includes Prozac, as well as Seroxat, Lustral, Cipralex and Cipramil, the most commonly prescribed of the pills. One in eight Britons takes SSRIs each year – and the number of prescription has doubled in the last decade

Professor Fazel, who collaborated with Swedish researchers, said more research is needed to confirm the link.

If it is proven, any decision to stop prescribing the drugs to young people would have to be weighed up against the good that they do.

He advises those already taking the pills to keep taking them.

Professor Fazel said: ‘Adherence is important. If you are recommended to take this medication, follow the course of treatment.

‘The other thing is, this important association with higher alcohol problems. I think that is something people should be aware of, that there is this link with alcohol misuse.’

Finally, if young people on SSRIs start to feel aggressive or have violent thoughts, they should speak to their GP.

Others said that that while interesting, the study does not prove that SSRIs fuel aggression and it is already known that violent criminals are more likely to have psychiatric problems than other people.

The medicines’ watchdog said SSRIs are already linked to an increased risk of anger and aggression in under-18s.

A Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency spokesman added: ‘As with all medicines we will continue to monitor emerging evidence and issue updated advice where necessary.’

 

 

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25
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/solihull-woman-who-crashed-car-126061

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Solihull woman who crashed car after drinking binge could face jail
A WOMAN motorist who had been on a drinking binge could face jail after crashing her car in Birmingham and barely being able to stand when asked to get out of it.

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BYBIRMINGHAM MAIL
08:40, 4 JUN 2010UPDATED11:30, 24 OCT 2012
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A WOMAN motorist who had been on a drinking binge could face jail after crashing her car in Birmingham and barely being able to stand when asked to get out of it.

And when later breathalysed Lindsey McCarthy, of Elmdon Park Road, Solihull, was more than three times over the alcohol limit for driving, city magistrates heard.

The 25-year-old admitted driving with excess alcohol.

Magistrates adjourned the case for reports to be prepared and warned her that all sentencing options were open, including custody.

They also made an interim driving ban.

Colette Orton, prosecuting, said early on the morning of May 23 police driving along Bordesley Green East, in Bordesley Green approached the junction with Church Road.

Officers saw a gold-coloured Audi swerve, mount the kerb going onto a pedestrian refuge before crashing into a no-entry sign.

There were two occupants and when police went to check on their condition they saw McCarthy holding the steering wheel with her head hung down.

She was asked to get out of the vehicle as her face was flushed, her eyes were glazed and she smelt of alcohol.

“She stumbled out of the vehicle and could barely stand. She was dropping various items and could not speak coherently,” Miss Orton said.

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/solihull-woman-who-crashed-car-126061

She said McCarthy was later breathalysed at a police station and that the lower reading was 152 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

When questioned McCarthy said she had started drinking from the previous day when she drank six pints of lager and had some vodka shots.

McCarthy said she then went to a friend’s house where she drank a quarter of a bottle of vodka and had more shots.

She said she had become extremely drunk and could not recall a lot of what happened.

Amarjit Sanghara, defending, said McCarthy was on antidepressants, receiving help from a psychologist and added that she was a woman of relatively good character

26
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/drunk-driver-who-ploughed-parked-13183354

NewsGreater Manchester NewsStockport
Drunk driver who ploughed into parked car while surrounded by empty bottles was FOUR times over limit
Rachel Wills, 27, has been banned from driving for 32 months and ordered to carry out unpaid work

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BYANDREW BARDSLEY
12:34, 14 JUN 2017
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Rachel Wills outside Manchester Magistrates' Court (Image: Manchester Evening News)
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A woman who drove into a parked car was four times over the limit and had empty bottles of alcohol in her vehicle.

Rachel Wills, 27, was involved in a collision with a parked car on Oakway, in Manchester, on May 24, while driving a Fiat Punto, Manchester Magistrates' Court heard.

Members of the public heard a loud bang and rushed out to see what had happened.

They say the car reversed and drove forward a number of times, but stayed at the scene.

They called the police, and reported there were bottles of alcohol in the car itself.

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Woman in tears as she is charged with murder over tram death
Wills, of Lingard Street, Reddish, Stockport , was found to have 132 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, nearly four times the legal limit of 35 microgrammes.

She pleaded guilty to drink driving, as well as two counts of failing to update her driving licence and was banned from driving for 32 months and ordered to carry out unpaid work.


Rachel Wills (Image: Manchester Evening News)
Wills, who is married, had been drinking to excess on a regular basis as a way of dealing with emotional problems, according to a probation report read out in court.

She had recently tied the knot and struggled following the recent loss of her mother-in-law, the court heard.

The court was told she has been on anti-depressants and has not drank alcohol since the incident.

But Wills, who works as a customer liaison officer, is now feeling more positive, the court heard.

READ MORE
Moment girl appears to steal kitten from pet shop - and walks out with it in her handbag
District Judge Sam Goozee said the incident was serious and that he was sentencing her to a high level, 12-month community order.

Wills must complete 260 hours of unpaid work and enrol on a drink drive rehabilitation course.

She must also pay costs of £85 and a surcharge of £85.

The judge said: “I am satisfied that you are getting some support with your mental health problems, which contributed to you behaving in the way that you did.

“I am persuaded that a custodial sentence is not necessary.”

27
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3438731/Drunk-passenger-mixed-alcohol-anti-depressants-struggling-

Drunk passenger who mixed alcohol with anti-depressants while struggling to cope with relationship break up 'threatened to open plane's emergency exit'
Danny Golden was travelling on Ryanair flights from Brussels to Dublin
Bought cans of beer in Belgium and proceeded to drink them on board
On landing in Ireland, police were called to deal with disruptive passenger
The 29-year-old says he has been left 'absolutely ashamed' by incident
By John Hutchinson for MailOnline
PUBLISHED: 13:46, 9 February 2016 | UPDATED: 10:04, 11 February 2016
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A drunk passenger allegedly threatened to open a plane's emergency exit after he mixed alcohol with anti-depressants.

Danny Golden, 29, had arrived back into Dublin Airport from Brussels to visit family at the weekend.

He works as a software developer in France.

Police were called when the Ryanair flight from Brussels landed in Dublin, and a drunk Danny Golden was led off the aircraft (file photo)   +2
Police were called when the Ryanair flight from Brussels landed in Dublin, and a drunk Danny Golden was led off the aircraft (file photo)

Swords District Court heard how Mr Golden was prescribed anti-depressants following the break-up of a long-term relationship.

He admitted being drunk on the Ryanair flight, with the court hearing he had brought cans of beer on board from Belgium, and despite being told not to, he continued to drink them in the cabin.

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Officers were called once the plane landed in Ireland to deal with a disruptive passenger, and Mr Golden was escorted off the aircraft, reports the Herald.

Mr Golden has said he is 'absolutely ashamed' by the incident when he drank alcohol on the flight despite being on medication   +2
Mr Golden has said he is 'absolutely ashamed' by the incident when he drank alcohol on the flight despite being on medication

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF SOMEONE OPENED THE EMERGENCY EXIT MID-FLIGHT?
British Airways' head of flight and technical training Captain Dave Thomas explains that it would not be possible to open the door mid-flight.

'The exits on modern aircraft are normally referred to as 'plug doors',' he explains.

'That means that with the use of clever door mechanisms, the doors themselves, when closed, are tapered like a bath plug so in effect they are bigger than the openings in which they sit.

'This stops them opening outwards and the pressure inside the cabin is equivalent to between two to three tons of pressure, which stops them opening inwards.'

Garda Tom Doherty told the court that as well as being drunk, Golden 'claimed he was a dangerous man and threatened to open an emergency door.'

These claims were discounted by the defendant, who said that he can't have been perceived as a threat as he was seated near the door anyway.

However he did describe how he was 'absolutely ashamed' by the incident.

The defence agreed that Mr Golden should not have mixed anti-depressants with alcohol, and accepted that following the break-up of his relationship, he had 'struggled to cope.'

Judge Dermot Dempsey decided not to impose a criminal conviction after Mr Golden donated €500 to the Boyne Fishermen's Rescue and Recovery Service.

A spokesperson for Ryanair told MailOnline Travel: 'We will not tolerate unruly or disruptive behaviour at any time and the safety and comfort of our customers, crew and aircraft is our number one priority.

'This is now a matter for local police.'



Read more:
Passenger 'threatened to open flight exit door' - Herald.ie


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3438731/Drunk-passenger-mixed-alcohol-anti-depressants-struggling-cope-relationship-break-threatened-open-plane-s-emergency-exit.html#ixzz4ne7R8JqQ
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28
Media Stories / Mark Saunders' final hours: reconstruction
« on: July 23, 2017, 04:32:54 am »
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8015018/Mark-Saunders-final-hours-reconstruction.html

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Sunday 23 July 2017

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Mark Saunders' final hours: reconstruction
Mark Saunders was in a playful mood when he rang his wife Elizabeth on May 6, 2008, for what would prove to be the couple’s last conversation.
Mark Saunders' behaviour altered dramatically during the day
Mark Saunders' behaviour altered dramatically during the day Photo: PA
By John Bingham and Gordon Rayner11:00AM BST 21 Sep 2010
Having dropped off his mother-in-law at King’s Cross station in London he joked about how loquacious she had been, describing her conversation as “hilarious”. Nothing in his upbeat manner suggested anything was amiss.
Yet within hours, Mr Saunders, 32, had transformed into a violent maniac, firing shotguns from the window of the couple’s flat and sporadically sending messages which suggested he was preparing to die.
Whether it was necessary for the police to use lethal force to end the five-hour siege which followed is a matter for an inquest jury, but for the first time yesterday, the potential reasons for the barrister’s sudden and dramatic personality change began to emerge.
Despite managing to hold down a responsible, highly-paid career as a divorce barrister, Mr Saunders was privately battling alcoholism, depression and drug abuse, and as evidence of his final hours was laid out at Westminster Coroner’s Court yesterday it seemed that all three might have come together with catastrophic consequences on the day he was shot dead.
Elizabeth Saunders, 40, spoke with tears in her eyes as she told the jury of her love for her husband of two years; a “very sensitive and caring man” with “huge energy and love for life”.
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The day before his death, the couple had spent the evening booking hotels for a planned holiday in India. They rose the following morning at six, as they always did.
“We left the house at a quarter to seven and drove to where we both worked at Temple,” she recalled. “Mark had a client dinner that evening and was talking about dinner, and we were talking about our holiday that we had been organising the day before.
“Mark was happy and positive and we were looking forward to the various things that we were discussing.”
Mr Saunders, a graduate of Christ Church College, Oxford, picked up some papers he was going to work on at home in preparation for a case the following day, then drove home to pick up his wife’s mother, Margaret Clarke, who had been staying with the couple.
“Everything was normal,” said Mrs Saunders. “I had the car keys in my handbag, he came to collect the keys from me, shortly before nine o’clock.
“That was the last I physically saw him.”
Their final conversation was at 10.25am, when Mr Saunders phoned to say his mother-in-law had got her train.
“He said she was hilarious on the way to the station and wouldn’t stop talking,” Mrs Saunders recalled.
After he took Mrs Clarke to the station, Mr Saunders collected a picture he had left for framing, then at 11.15 he called a legal executive to discuss an upcoming case, when he “seemed very happy”.
The barrister exchanged several text messages with his wife between then and 1.30pm, but at around 2.30 Mrs Saunders could not raise her husband, and began to worry.
“He wasn’t picking up his telephone and wasn’t responding to texts, which experience told me meant that probably something had gone wrong,” she said.
Mrs Saunders disclosed that behind the couple’s outward contentment was a constant battle to prevent Mr Saunders sliding back into an alcohol habit that had blighted their marriage.
They had banned alcohol from their £2.2 million home in Chelsea, west London, but Mr Saunders would still periodically have “blips” when he would get drunk and stay out until 2am.
“He always knew that I was there at the end of the phone,” said Mrs Saunders. “After a couple of hours Mark would contact me…he needed to hear my voice and be reassured that it was OK…I would say 'It’s going to be all right darling, you just need to come home’.”
Alex Booth, his best friend, said in a statement that Mr Saunders would sometimes get so drunk that he would “injure himself or do things like losing his phone”. He had ended up in casualty on several occasions, and in drink he would be “in a fantasy world, he wouldn’t respond or engage with you”.
He had been cautioned for being drunk and disorderly in 2005, when he admitted his drinking was “out of control” and at one stage drank up to 120 units per week – the equivalent of four bottles of spirits.
Having briefly attended Alcoholics Anonymous, he sought psychiatric help for his self-destructive binges, which left him anxious and paranoid.
A psychiatrist who examined him in 2006 warned that if he did not “abstain completely from all mind-altering substances” he risked being killed in a pub fight. Doctors were also concerned he would commit suicide if a period of depression and an alcohol binge coincided. To stabilise his mood swings, he was prescribed the antidepressant Prozac.
Despite the warnings, Mr Saunders had started taking ****, the inquest heard.
His sudden downward spiral on May 6, 2008 appeared to begin at around 1.30pm, when he withdrew money from a cashpoint in Chelsea before travelling to Kensington in West London.
Analysis of his mobile phone showed both the location he had been in, and the fact that he phoned escort agencies, though no witnesses had come forward to verify whether he had met an escort.
He began leaving a series of bizarre phone messages, including one to a solicitors’ firm which consisted only of the words “ha ha” repeated 22 times, and a text sent at 4.02pm to Mr Booth, quoting a lyric from a song by The Doors saying: “This is the end my only friend, the end. X”
By now, according to witnesses, it was clear that Mr Saunders was either drunk or high on drugs.
David Hay, a taxi driver who picked him up at around 4.10pm on Cromwell Road, heard him leaving a phone message saying: “Make sure you’ve got 10 ha has” and said that when he dropped him off in Chelsea “he swung around and looked up the King’s Road and said 'Ha, ha, ha’”.
“At that point he turned back round and I gave him his change and he was looking straight at me and just said: 'I’m going to die’.
“When he looked at me his eyes were large and bulging. I could see the terror in his eyes. He looked like he was on drugs or something.”
Mr Saunders, a former Territorial Army volunteer, made his way home to Markham Square, where he quickly loaded two legally-held shotguns and began his shooting spree.
By 4.40pm he was on the phone to Michael Bradley, a barrister friend, and during the call he fired the first shot out of the kitchen window of the second-floor flat, smashing the bedroom window of a neighbouring property.
Moments later he phoned Ivor Treherne, the senior clerk at QEB Chambers, where he worked.
“It was obvious he had been drinking,” said Mr Treherne. “I reminded him he was supposed to be going out to supper, and to get sober.
“He said: 'I’ve got my gun and I’ve already shot it’. He said 'listen’ and he fired the gun. I said 'stop being stupid, put the gun down’.
“He said: 'It’s too late, I’ve already fired the gun and the police are here already’.”
As police marksmen rushed to the square, Mrs Saunders, alerted by Mr Treherne, hailed a taxi and went home to find the area cordoned off.
She spoke to an officer and was taken to a temporary operations base in a bank, where she answered questions about the weapons her husband held, ammunition and his problem with alcohol as she “apologised for the fact he had caused this trouble”.
She added that she felt “surplus to requirements” after being told to turn off her mobile phone so police could control communication with her husband.
At around 7pm Mr Saunders wrote his last note, on the side of a cardboard box, which said: “I love my wife dearly xxx,” and which he threw out of the window. He repeatedly asked police negotiators if he could speak to his wife, but his requests were turned down.
At 9.32pm, almost five hours after the first shot was fired, seven police officers opened fire, killing him with five bullets that hit him in the head and chest.
CS gas canisters were fired into the flat and police stormed in to find Mr Saunders beyond help.
Mrs Saunders said that, although she heard a “lot of commotion”, including shots and helicopters, she did not know her husband was dead until police told her at 10.30pm.
She found a blank text message from him when she switched her phone back on and told the inquest it was painful to know she did not call him back.
She said: “That would have been the only time in our relationship that he sent me a text message and he did not get an immediate call from me saying 'Darling, I am here’.
“That is very difficult for me, but there it is. I did not know he had called.”
The inquest continues.

29
Media Stories / Jury clears diplomat of being drunk on flight
« on: July 23, 2017, 04:23:22 am »
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/jan/25/politics.foreignpolicy

Jury clears diplomat of being drunk on flight
· Alcohol and drug blamed for 'disgraceful' behaviour
· Colonel was depressed by aftermath of tsunami
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Mark Honigsbaum
Wednesday 25 January 2006 02.05 GMT First published on Wednesday 25 January 2006 02.05 GMT
A senior British diplomat who went berserk on a flight from Abu Dhabi to London was yesterday found not guilty of being drunk on an aircraft after saying his behaviour was caused by an antidepressant he was taking to deal with the stress of the Asian tsunami.
Colonel Peter Roberts MBE, the defence attache to Thailand, was said to have hurled a stream of abuse at crew and passengers on board an Etihad flight to Heathrow last February after drinking a cocktail of wine, whisky and port. At one point, referring to the king of Thailand and the country's national religion, he shouted: "**** this country, **** the king, **** the Buddha."

Col Roberts, 51, from Passfield, Hampshire, had to be restrained by five passengers and handcuffed with plastic ties. But after hearing that he had no recollection of his behaviour and was being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing scenes after the tsunami in southern Thailand, the jury cleared him of the charges.


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Speaking outside court after the verdict, his lawyer, Look Chih Wang, said: "Colonel Roberts has been found not guilty of this offence because he was not in fact drunk. His behaviour was due to a temporary abnormality of function caused by long-term chronic stress, tsunami-related post-traumatic stress, sleep deprivation and a combination of the anti-depressant Seroxat and alcohol.

"Colonel Roberts has been advised by his doctor that he could drink in moderation whilst taking Seroxat and has maintained his innocence throughout these proceedings. The Crown Prosecution Service have been in possession of the defence expert's reports in this case for many months. It is therefore perhaps surprising that this matter was ever brought to trial."

But he said his client wanted to apologise for his behaviour and the alleged remarks and stress that they were in no way representative of his views or beliefs.

Col Roberts, who helped identify British victims of the tsunami, had been on his way back to London to brief colleagues when the incident occurred. The court heard the former army helicopter pilot had been seen drinking whisky at the airport and had gone on to consume at least two small bottles of wine, three Black Label whiskies and port on the plane.

When the crew and passengers tried to restrain him he allegedly threatened to kill them and shouted: "You are a **** ****, you're **** dead. Do you know who I am? I'm the head of the British government in Thailand and you're treating me like this."

In his defence, Col Roberts said he began suffering from depression after the death of close friends in the Chinook helicopter crash on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994. Nine days before the flight on February 17 2005, he began suffering vivid "daymares" and his doctor had upped his dosage of Seroxat. But Col Roberts said he miscalculated the dose. He blacked out as the flight passed over Vienna and remembered nothing until he came to in a police cell.

He said he been "shocked and amazed" when police described his behaviour. "It was extraordinarily disgraceful and must have been hugely upsetting to passengers. I can't offer any explanation for this at all, I'm absolutely shocked, I honestly don't remember any of that at all."

He said he had since learned that Seroxat could result in a "hyper-manic state" and was no longer taking it.

After hearing that Col Roberts had suffered adverse effects when mixing alcohol with antidepressants on a previous occasion, Judge Usha Karu rejected a defence application for costs.

The judge said the diplomat had "brought the matter on himself".

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30
Personal Stories / Out of my mind driven to drink
« on: July 23, 2017, 04:07:57 am »
Before my problems began I had been working as a health care assistant at my local hospital in Surrey for five years. I enjoyed my job. I had a stable life. I owned my own home and car.

Following the sudden and devastating death of my father I became anxious and over a period of a year developed a fear of choking which got worse to the point that I was avoiding food and losing weight. I realized I needed help.

I went to my GP and was prescribed paroxetine 20mg in liquid form because I couldn’t swallow the tablets. I had nausea, dizziness, felt spaced out and detached but was assured by my doctor that these symptoms would settle down.

After a few months things did start to improve. I noticed my eating had returned to normal. I felt much more energized and more confident and was able to complete a day’s work without feeling drained and exhausted. I started socializing again.

The warning reassured me it was safe enough to have a few drinks with friends
To begin with I was concerned about drinking alcohol on the medication. I checked the patient information leaflet which gave, what seemed to me, to be a mild warning that “although it is always advisable to avoid alcohol whilst taking medication there is no known interactions with Paroxetine and alcohol”. This reassured me that it was safe enough to have a few drinks with friends.

At first I was only having a few glasses of wine but slowly over time I drank more and more. I began saying and doing things I had no memory of later. I got banned from restaurants and bars in my local town and became an embarrassment to my friends. Eventually some of my close friends and family distanced themselves from me. I was losing everyone around me and losing control of my life but I just didn’t care. I felt like I was in a dream and that none of this was real.

I became verbally aggressive and my behavior was reckless. On one occasion I climbed out of a velux window and onto my roof. I was not trying to kill myself. I didn’t even consider the dangers of what I was doing.

I began to get into trouble with the police, in the main for continual nuisance phone calls to the police station. This happened on a regular basis when I was drinking. Sometimes I would ring them 20 to 30 times a night on their non-emergency number with only a very vague memory of doing so. It resulted in me getting arrested on numerous occasions.

I began to feel that something was very wrong
After getting arrested several times I began to feel that something was wrong. I started taking time off work. I got cravings for alcohol that were so intense I felt I was possessed. I would start drinking and couldn’t stop. I’d continue until I was either arrested or I collapsed into a coma. Things were getting very out of hand. I felt alone with my problem and couldn’t understand why I was behaving like this. I felt that no one understood what was happening to me or cared.

I began to research on the internet to find an answer and I found other people reporting cravings for alcohol on SSRI medication on many websites. This really shocked me. Yet no one in the medical profession seemed to be taking any notice of it. Why? The first time I saw a psychiatrist I was told that it was due to my drinking problem.

Terrible overwhelming uncontrollable cravings
I knew I was drinking too much but I also had terrible overwhelming uncontrollable cravings for alcohol. I printed some of the information from the internet out and gave this to my doctor and tried to explain that I thought the medication was giving me intense cravings for alcohol.

My doctor was very sympathetic but not convinced. Again I was told that I had a drink problem and was in denial. He did however agree to change my medication and prescribed me 20mg of citalopram. I was referred to my local drug and alcohol clinic.

Following the switch to citalopram over the course of a couple of months, I felt less aggressive. However my cravings for alcohol were as strong as ever and I still couldn’t stop drinking. Things spiraled further out of control. I spent time in prison, was suspended and eventually sacked from the job I loved. Even a couple of alcohol free months in rehab, where I was provided with overwhelming help and support, wasn’t enough to stop the pattern continuing as soon as I returned home.

By now I had given up on the experts… who accused me of denial
By now I had given up on trying to tell my medical team that I thought it was my medication that was causing the problems. I was accused of being in denial over the alcoholism but I was certain that these intense cravings for alcohol were being induced by the SSRI.

Before I had searched for others with similar problems, now I began searching for answers. First I googled alcohol cravings induced by paroxetine and then by citalopram. The first web pages I came across were from the depression forums and similar websites where people where sharing their stories about the same alcohol cravings and looking for answers. I came across the International Coalition for Drug Awareness, the Seroxat Users Support Group and the Seroxat Secrets website where many people were reporting the same thing.

I decided to start looking at research papers but I couldn’t find any on SSRIs and alcohol cravings. I then read a message on one of the forums that mentioned a Yale study from 1994 that had a link to serotonin. This pointed me toward reading about alcoholism and the serotonin system.

There were no easy answers to this
I read many papers that I only vaguely understood. I had to learn all about serotonin receptors, transporters and neurons to understand the research papers I was reading. I had to leave it several times and go back to it as my head was hurting trying to understand it. I nearly gave up looking several times but couldn’t because I knew the answer was there somewhere. I learnt that there were seven serotonin receptors and was very disappointed to learn that there were even more receptors connected to these receptors. There was also only one receptor though that had a gateway to dopamine which was the S-3 receptor. I now needed to learn what all these different receptors did and to see if any were connected to cravings for alcohol. There were no easy answers to this.

Had I really been like this for ten years?
I wanted to wean myself off citalopram. I knew it was ruining my life. In the first month I couldn’t believe the change in me. I felt as if I had been given back my sight and hearing again. I felt in awe of everything around me. Had I really been like this for ten years and hadn’t realized it? Almost immediately the cravings for alcohol reduced by about 50%.

But withdrawal wasn’t easy and I went through two months of distress with extreme mood swings, panic attacks, sensitivity to noise, feeling like I had the flu with aches and pains. I couldn’t cope with this so went back to my GP and was put on mirtazapine 15mg, which was later upped to 30mg as I was experiencing restless leg syndrome at the lower dose. (I had seen on the internet that another woman had a similar experience as me on 15mg mirtazapine which disappeared at 30mg).

I realized that mirtazapine may have the answer
My cravings went completely. I realized that mirtazapine may have the answer. I knew it worked differently to the SSRIs.

I looked up medications for alcoholism and came across a drug called ondansetron, which works by blocking the S3 receptor and eliminating cravings. I discovered that mirtazapine also blocked S3 receptors.

I searched for alcoholism and S3 receptors and found that the S3 was the only serotonin receptor that had a gateway to dopamine and a paper ‘Functional Genetic Variants That Increase Synaptic Serotonin And 5HT3 Receptor Sensitivity Predict Alcohol And Drug Dependence’. I was amazed. It makes sense that if some people have a genetic link to alcoholism mediated through the serotonin system that SSRIs might increase this sensitivity and mirtazapine block it.

I have also just found another research article that was carried out on mice back in 1990’s that also found that if S3 was blocked in mice it stopped the mice from drinking alcohol.

I now know what happened to me
It’s taken me a lot of time, reading and learning but I now have understanding of why I had such intense cravings for alcohol whilst taking SSRIs.

It makes me angry that we never had warnings like they do in the United States. Why were we not being protected here in the UK with appropriate warnings in the same way? If my GP had known that SSRIs could cause cravings for alcohol in some people he would have taken me off these drugs at the very first signs of drinking.

This would have saved me years of suffering and maybe helped many other people too. I’m sure that this is a problem that is more common than people realize. In addition to all the people I have come across reporting these effects on various internet websites, I have met many people who have had similar problems or who know of people who have also had problems on these drugs.

People on these drugs are vulnerable anyway and it is worrying to think how many could be drinking to excess across the country because of a craving for alcohol caused by treatment. It’s absurd to give the impression these drugs are relatively safe with alcohol if the tablets cause some people to experience intense cravings. It’s worrying also that both the drug and alcohol can independently cause confusion, disorientation, hypomania, aggression, and obsessional and bizarre thoughts and behaviors and that the combination in some people can make this much worse.

It has now made me look to other people’s experiences for information regarding drugs as they seem to be more accurate and honest in their findings than companies, regulators or doctors.
It’s crazy that patients have to get together on the internet to compare their side effects and discuss their problems because there is nowhere else to go. It has made me look to other people’s experiences for information now regarding drugs as they seem to be more accurate and honest in their findings than companies, regulators or doctors.

I didn’t realize until I came off the medication how bad I was. I feel ashamed and guilty for what I put people through. I have lost my job, had to move home, have a criminal record and lost the respect of family and friends. This could all have been avoided if there had been proper warnings in place and effective communications between different authorities.

I saw my retired GP in Asda recently and he asked me if I was back in Nursing. I told him no, I will never be able to go back now after what has happened to me. He said nothing and walked off. I didn’t mean to sound as if I was blaming him but I think he felt that was what I was doing. I felt guilty afterwards. I don’t blame my GP at all, I blame the drug companies and MHRA. What annoys me is that even the Department of Health wrote back to my MP basically laying the blame on the GP who they said should have noticed any changes in my behavior.

I want to tell my story as a warning to anyone who may be craving alcohol on SSRIs. I also want to tell people that sometimes it’s a mistake to leave it to the experts. And finally I want to tell doctors that your patients can often see that the information you are getting is wrong — we don’t blame you for this, we just want you to listen to us.

(The extraordinary twist in the tail here is how the regulator manages both to deny the existence of this problem and blame the doctor at the same time. This is becoming ever more common in modern healthcare systems — DH).

Since posting this it has become clear there are hundreds of people who have experienced something similar – if you have been one of them could you add your experience to this thread.



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