Grassley cites Harvard research in Paxil probe
US Senator Charles Grassley has been in the news this week for his investigation into three Harvard psychiatrists' payments from drug companies. On Wednesday he referred on the Senate floor to another Harvard psychiatrist, but this time the Iowa Republican was using his scholarly work as ammunition against the makers of Paxil.
The Wall Street Journal's Health Blog says Grassley cited work by Dr. Joseph Glenmullen of Harvard Medical School suggesting that when GlaxoSmithKline was testing the blockbuster antidepressant, it shunted people who had attempted suicide into a placebo group. Since people who try to commit suicide once are more likely than others to do so again, putting them in the group not taking the drug could skew comparisons with the group taking Paxil. Paxil has come under scrutiny for its association with a higher risk of suicidal behavior.
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Elizabeth Cooney covers health for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. She
previously reported on business and was an editor at the paper. Earlier in
her career, she edited medical books and journals at Little, Brown, and
worked for Boston magazine.Boston Globe Health and Science staff:
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I would like to tell everyone about my experience with taking Paxil. I am doing this so that you may make an informed decision should you decide to take this drug. I was not given that option because certain side effects, though known, have not been disclosed to the FDA, physicians, or consumers.
I was prescribed Paxil by my doctor during an especially stressful time in my life. I had no history of mental illness nor was I diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. I took this medicine, actually a very low dose, from 2001 – 2005. When I decided to stop taking it, I cut my dose back gradually and weaned myself off of it entirely.
I began having gastric distress. This began as I was cutting back on the Paxil and continued long after I quit taking it. I had diarrhea every day for 2-1/2 years. Just about everything I ate went right through me. This lasted all day long, every day. From my research, I have since learned that most of the serotonin in your body is located in your intestines, so it makes sense that if you take something that adjusts that serotonin level, then your intestines would be affected.
I will try to tell you how this has changed my life. It affects everything that I do, from what kind of job I have, where I go, vacations, where and what I can eat. I have had many tests run by specialists and there is no other cause for the diarrhea. I can also tell you that there have been some very embarrassing moments because of this.
About 2 months ago, as an experiment, I started taking the Paxil again. And guess what? The diarrhea stopped almost immediately. I found a blog called Paxil Progress, which is a blog for people who are trying to wean off of Paxil and it seems that my story is not unique at all. This drug causes bowel incontinence, bloating, horrible gas and pain along with the chronic diarrhea.
I wish I had known what this drug would do to me before I started taking it. Please do your homework. The doctors will not tell you about the side effects and withdrawal symptoms, nor will GlaxoSmithKline, the makers of Paxil. Can you guess why they don’t tell you? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$