Archive for February, 2012

Anti Depressants During Pregnancy

Thursday, February 23rd, 2012

Natural News is stating that Even though Big Pharma and other mainstream medicine continue to advocate antidepressants like Paxil and Prozac the documented side effects and risks of these drugs are often not looked at.  We do know that the FDA finally acknowledged SSRIs as being linked to suicide and violence in young people; other problems like the risk of sudden death in women are very seldom mentioned.  There is also mounting evidence that SSRIs does pose a serious threat to unborn babies.

We visited the Mayo Clinic’s official web site and it claims, “Depression is such a horrible disease that depression treatment during pregnancy is essential.  If you have untreated depression, you might not have the energy to take good care of yourself.  You might not seek optimal prenatal care or eat the healthy foods your baby needs to thrive.  You might turn to smoking or drinking alcohol.”

I don’t know about you but I certainly noticed all the “might’s” in that explanation for antidepressants during pregnancy.  The site also states that the risks for using antidepressants are low.

There is evidence that has been accumulated in the past year that antidepressants can in fact cause very serious and deadly birth defects.  Last July there was a Finnish study published and this study gave us evidence that taking SSRIs in the first trimester of pregnancy increases the risk for major congenital anomalies, particularly heart problems.  The use of Prozac was connected to a twofold risk for isolated ventricular sepal defects.  Paxil was associated with more than a four-fold increased risk for heart problems in newborn babies.

A report from the CDC states that at least one in ten Americans are now taking SSRIs and that includes a large number of pregnant women.  The British Medical Journal just published a new study revealing that women who take SSRIs while pregnant are more likely to give birth to a child with persistent pulmonary hypertension which is high blood pressure in the lungs.  That leads to shortness of breath and other breathing difficulties.  It is a severe disease with strong links to heart failure.

SSRIs are given to a person if they have depression.  At this day and age doctors are diagnosing most anyone with this condition.  SSRIs are in the hands of many people and they have these drugs in their cabinets and their children see them taking drugs so they think that is the answer to life’s problems.  Get help if you are depressed but try not to take SSRIs.

If you or someone you loved is addicted to depressants or needs help with benzos addiction, call our hotline now at 1-877-340-3602.

Benzos

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

Benzodiazepines commonly known as Benzos have the distinction of being among the most commonly prescribed depressant medications in the U.S.  There are more than 15 different types of benzos to treat many different psychological and physical illnesses.  Each one of these 15 different benzos produce in a person anxiety relief, hypnotic, muscle relaxant, anti-convulsants or mild memory loss inducers.  Many people who have taken them say that benzos have a high potential for abuse especially when they are used with alcohol or opiates.  I know they are being used in that fashion at any given time.

These drugs were discovered by Leo Sternbeck in 1930.  He was working for the Hoffman-LaRoche Company.  This new drug was not introduced to the general public until 57.  That is when Hoffman launched Librium to relieve anxiety.  It wasn’t until the 80s that benzos became one of the most prescribed medications in America.

Benzos will give you impaired thinking, depression, confusion, altered vision, slurred speech, stuttering. vertigo and I do believe the list is longer than this but actually it sounds like these drugs can create some effects that a person was trying to get away from in the first place.  Long term use and abuse can cause impaired thinking, memory and judgment, disorientation, confusion, slurred speech and muscle weakness or lack of coordination.

The best way to get off benzos is to reduce the amount you are taking each day until you feel you can stop all together.  It is not a good idea to just stop, the withdrawals cause great discomfort.

If you are taking some medications to relax or to calm a situation down be aware they could be addicting; ask your doctor many questions and get educated.

Need a benzos rehab?  Call 1-877-340-3602.