Gender Dysphoria, Sexual Orientation and Pharmaceutical Drugs

Gender dysphoria can be an extremely distressing condition for those affected. It can lead to low self-esteem, becoming withdrawn or socially isolated, to depression and anxiety, and personal neglect. It is described by the UK's National Health Service as"

            ".... is a term that describes a sense of unease that a person may have because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity. This sense of unease or dissatisfaction may be so intense it can lead to depression and anxiety and have a harmful impact on daily life."

It is certainly a relatively new condition. According to Wikipedia, it once had the diagnostic label of "gender identity disorder (GID), but was renamed in 2013 in order to remove the stigma associated with the term 'disorder'.

            "Gender identity disorder first appeared as a diagnosis in 1980, where it appeared under "psychosexual disorders" but the term was used only for the childhood diagnosis. Adolescents and adults received a diagnosis of transsexualism (homosexual, heterosexual, or asexual type)."

 

The controversial debate now happening around the condition makes the situation far worse. It is usually concerned with how trans people should be treated. Should their condition be recognised? Should children be treated for the condition, either to reverse or to confirm or support it? And should trans women be allowed to complete with women in sport? 

 

All these issues should be discussed, but if this is all we discuss the debate about gender dysphoria is both insufficient and inadequate - because it leaves out one crucially important question.

What is the cause? 

The NHS cannot answer this question, stating that "the exact cause of gender dysphoria is unclear". This is the general position of conventional medicine; and as regular readers of this blog, and my "Iatrogenic Disease" E-Book, will know that this statement always makes me suspicious that pharmaceutical drugs might be playing an important causative role.

Wikipedia confirms conventional medicine's 'non-explanation' saying that, "the specific causes of gender dysphoria remain unknown" but then suggests that "genetic factors play a role", and that gender identity "is thought to likely reflect a complex interplay of biological, environmental, and cultural factors". This suggestion succeeds only in making me even more suspicious of the role of drugs!

Gender dysphoria is a new condition and so cannot be genetic! A similar explanation is frequently used for the Autism epidemic, a condition unheard of until the 1940's. So where did these genes come from? Why have they suddenly appeared? Why does conventional medicine not explain?

There may, of course, be other factors at play that has brought trans issues to the fore, such as pollution, radiation, electro-smog, and much else. But what do we know about pharmaceutical drugs to suggest they might play a role? Actually, we know much more than we might imagine!

First, I have written on this subject before, in "Transgender. Sexual Identity. What role are pharmaceutical drugs playing in this? in January 2017 - over 5 years ago. It referenced three articles from the Rxisk website that raised the issue, and spoke specifically about SSRI antidepressants.

            "Given what we know about enduring sexual problems caused by SSRIs, it is reasonable to wonder how a prenatal or childhood exposure would affect a person’s long-term development and functioning. No studies have ever been done to investigate whether children exposed to psychotropic drugs either directly, or during pregnancy, grow up to have an unaffected sexuality."

The information in this blog, and the three references, are worth reading again. What follows is additional information that supports possible links.

For instance, one of my homeopathic colleagues has made a clinical observation that gender dysmorphia can be caused by Risperidone (an antipsychotic drug).

            "It came to my attention that Risperidone can cause gender dysmorphia in some boys. I have several of these cases under my care and I’d never thought to do a Risperidone detox on them up until now. Honestly, our children are being assaulted from so many angles right now that it’s hard to keep up with all the potential threats."

This clinical experience can be certainly be confirmed elsewhere. The drug company Johnson & Johnson was sued in 2012, and settled "out of court", after their antipsychotic drug, Risperidal caused young boys to grow breasts, "some as large as 'D' cup". Five years later, in 2017, the company was sued by over 1,000 men who claimed their antipsychotic drug caused them to grow breasts. These articles demonstrate that Risperidone/Risperidal (it's the same drug) has been promoted for many years, with young boys being specifically targeted.

The Rxisk link with painkillers has also been supported. In 2018, the Daily Mail ran an article in which a man claimed that painkilling drugs "turned him gay". He claimed that he was "a hot-blooded heterosexual and enjoyed dating women before he started taking Pregabalin (Lyrica), but that "he quickly lost his sexual attraction to women and broke up with his girlfriend of six months when prescribed the drug earlier this year." He said that it was only after he started taking Pregabalin, the painkiller highlighted, that his sexual preferences began to change.

The adverse reactions caused by Pregabalin or Lyrica is outlined in the Drugs.com website, and include both the loss of libido, and breast enlargement. In their advice, doctors are warned that the drug causes 'genitouinary issues', such as urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, impotence, sexual dysfunction, dysmenorrhoea, breast pain, anorgasmia, albuminuria, dysuria, leukorrhoea, menorrhagia, metrorrhagia, amenorrhoea, dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, metrorrhagia, and much else. 

We do not need to know all the intimate details of these complicated-sounding conditions to reach the conclusion that this painkilling drug can do something to upset our sexual functioning.

There is also some medical studies that link pharmaceutical drugs with sexual orientation. This USA longitudinal study has demonstrated the association, finding that adolescents with a 'minority sexual orientation' (eg., lesbian, gay and bisexual) are more likely to use more substances (including both 'recreational' and prescription drug use) than their heterosexual peers. The study suggested further research they described as 'essential' - for developing interventions that were critically needed to reduce drug use in this population.

This research is dated May 2010, and there has, to my knowledge, been no such research undertaken in the intervening years.

This is typical of the strategy so often adopted by the conventional medical establishment. Whenever there appears to be a problem with pharmaceutical drugs, it is ignored, there is no further investigation, presumably on the basis of not rocking a profitable boat! Even if there are honest medical scientists out there who might want to look further into this they are unlikely to get the funding to do so. 

Denial is an important element of pharmaceutical medicine!

Another study was published two years earlier, April 2008, "Sexual Orientation and Adolescent Substance Use: a meta-analysis and methodological review". The study found that the odds of Lesbian, Gay and Bi-Sexual youth using substances were, on average, 190% higher than for heterosexual youth.

Another study, published in December 2016, "The Connection between Sexual Orientation and Substance Abuse" made similar findings. The substances that were abused included:

• the misuse of prescription opioids,
• the misuse of prescription tranquillisers,
• the misuse of prescription stimulants,
• the misuse of prescription sedatives.

There are many people, aware of changes to their sexual orientation, who have made the link with pharmaceutical drugs. There is even a website, "The Asexual and Visibility and Education Network", a discussion forum, devoted to the sharing of these experiences. It is interesting to read some of the discussion, and the experience so many have had with pharmaceutical drugs, without being entirely confident about making the association.

So to what extent is conventional medical literature aware that pharmaceutical drugs may play a role in our sexuality, including sexual orientation, and perhaps even gender dysphoria? 

It is limited. The UK's NHS website concurs that "certain medicines can sometimes reduce libido", these including:

• medicine for high blood pressure,
• many types of antidepressants,
• medicine for seizures (fits),
• medicines called antipsychotics,
• medicine for prostate cancer,
• hormonal contraception.

Conventional medical literature shows that the evidence is available. It is well know that many pharmaceutical drugs cause erectile problems, with this Medline Plus website providing a very long list of drugs that do so. And there are a plethora of websites that provide similar warnings, for example, "Drugs that affect sexual pleasure and desire", and  "Seven drugs that can wreck your sex life", and a web search will bring up many, many more.

So conventional medicine is aware of the association between pharmaceutical drugs and our sexuality, but uninterested is making any broader, more fundamental connections. It is not willing to admit the possibility that the drugs they use may be the cause of changes in sexual orientation, and gender dysphoria? We may well ask, though, armed with this knowledge, they are still able to claim that their cause is 'unknown'.

Any link could easily be researched. But I suspect that it won't be. The pharmaceutical industry, and their captive organisations (WHO, national drug regulators, conventional medical science, and national health providers around the world) should be telling us, but they don't as it would be against their vested business interests to do so!

So the cause of sexual orientation and gender dysphoria will remain 'unknown' for many years to come. And if we are not prepared to recognise the cause, we will have to watch as society continues to tear itself apart with the consequences.

So allow me to remind you of the conclusion to my blog, published over 5 years ago. It remains germane!

            ".... as the evidence of a link between pharmaceutical drugs and sexual identity issues is becoming compelling, the pharmaceutical industry is engaged in a massive cover-up, alongside its friends and allies. (We) are, however, pushing up against very powerful and influential forces, whose power and influence depends upon their continuing and ongoing ability to sell drugs, regardless of the harm they cause to patients, or, as it would seem, even the future of the human race!

 

Post Script May 2024

Sexual orientation, gender identity/dysphoria

* are they caused by vaccination as this survey suggests?

"80% of deviations from traditional norms can be ascribed to vaccination?"

This comes from clinical evidence (25 years/5,000 kids).

Is this true? Please take part in survey.

https://kirschsubstack.com/p/survey-indicates-sexual-orientation?publication_id=548354&post_id=144253484&isFreemail=true&r=130nv6&triedRedirect=true

Transgender. Sexual Identity. What role are pharmaceutical drugs playing in this?

There are lots of new illnesses and diseases plaguing us that were hitherto unknown. And many illnesses and diseases that we have known for millennia that have become more severe, and more common. I have regularly suggested that pharmaceutical drugs were one of the main reasons for this decline in health, and my ebook "DIE's - the Disease Inducing Effects of Pharmaceutical Drugs" provides the plentiful information that supports this supposition. Now, it would appear, the harm being caused by these drugs is affecting our sexual identity.

The website 'RxISK' is a free, independent drug safety website that helps weigh the benefits of pharmaceutical drugs against the potential dangers. It is an important website because it asks this important question.

               "All drugs have side effects, but people often don’t link the effect they are experiencing to starting, stopping, or changing the dose of a drug. RxISK provides free access to information and tools to help you assess the connection between a drug and a side effect."

In October 2014, RxISK published an article, "Asexuality: a curious parallel". It noted the 'explosion'  during the last two decades in the number of children being prescribed antidepressant, antipsychotic and stimulant drugs, and also the 'dramatic' increase in the number of children exposed to these drugs before they are born. It pointed out that SSRI antidepressants caused birth defects, and were implicated in causing autistic spectrum disorders. It stated that SSRIs had "a profound effect on brain chemistry after only a single dose", that patients, even after their first dose, "will be aware of some degree of reduced genital sensitivity within 30 minutes of taking the dose,  and that "If an expectant mother is taking an SSRI, so is the unborn baby". It also added that all antidepressants transfer taken by mother's also transfer to the child through her breast milk.

Indeed, the article outlines a new condition, called Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD), and referred to several articles published by RxISK, and referred to a published paper that looked at 120 cases of enduring sexual dysfunction. As RxISK stated,

               "Given what we know about enduring sexual problems caused by SSRIs, it is reasonable to wonder how a prenatal or childhood exposure would affect a person’s long-term development and functioning. No studies have ever been done to investigate whether children exposed to psychotropic drugs either directly, or during pregnancy, grow up to have an unaffected sexuality."

Recently RxISK published two further articles on the issue, Asexuality, Transgender and SSRI's, published 31st October 2016, and Transgender, Asexuality and SSRIs, published 7th November 2016. They both raise the question of the link between SSRI antidepressant drugs and children with sexual identity issues. What is interesting about these articles is not so much the articles themselves, but the comments they have attracted from readers. This is testimony from individuals who have either experienced, or witnessed the sexual issues that have arisen from the pharmaceutical drugs implicated.

If the evidence of the link between SSRI drugs and sexual identity / transgender issues continues to increase, as it has done during recent years, a new issue will arise, not about the link between drugs and sexual identity, but focusing on denials by the pharmaceutical industry that any such a link exists, and the failure of the conventional medical establishment to do nothing about it.

• We will be told that there has always been transgender children, the only difference being that now they are 'coming out'.
• The testimony of people affected by sexual identity issues will be dismissed as 'anecdotal' and 'unscientific'.
• The drugs industry will commission new 'scientific' studies that will discover there is no link between drugs and asexuality.
• And, of course, the media will refuse to discuss the issue.

The latter appears to have already begun. RxISK has noted that Wikipedia (a close friend of the pharmaceutical industry, so not a website that should be considered reliable on any health issue) has taken down its PSSD page. RxISK say that they restored it, but I have not been able to find it today (18 January 2017), so that too has probably been removed. It can, however, be found here, on the RxISK website.

Incidentally, the homeopathic community has attempted to publish a reasonable article on Wikipedia for some time, without success. The owner is, apparently, stolidly anti-homeopathy. So much for its claims to be an 'encyclopedia' of information and knowledge!

So, as the evidence of a link between pharmaceutical drugs and sexual identity issues is becoming compelling, the pharmaceutical industry is engaged in a massive cover-up, alongside its friends and allies. RxISK are doing an exceptional job with this issue, and others. They are, however, pushing up against very powerful and influential forces, who power and influence depends upon their continuing and ongoing ability to sell drugs, regardless of the harm they cause to patients, or, as it would seem, even the future of the human race!

POSTCRIPT
14th October 2019
Sexual identity and transgender issues continue to discussed, and the number of young people involved appears to be growing. Yet one report appears not to have hit the headlines. The Christian Post reported (26th September 2019) that drugs being used to halt puberty in gender-confused children have been linked to thousands of adult deaths.
 

               "The Food & Drug Administration has recorded thousands of deaths associated with Lupron, a puberty-blocking drug that is routinely used to treat prostate cancer in men and endometriosis in women. Adverse complications related to its use include breast disorders, malignant neoplasms, and psychiatric and nervous disorders."

 

Lupron, and similar drugs, intentionally alters the hormone levels in the body. It is known that they contributed to blood clots, other cardiovascular complications, brittle bones and faulty joints.

 

               "Between 2004 and June 30 of this year, the FDA documented 33,478 adverse reactions suffered by patients who took Leuprolide Acetate (Lupron), which is used as a hormone blocker. More than 19,054 reactions were considered "serious," including 6,056 deaths."

 

So is this yet another case of pharmaceutical drugs CAUSING a problem, conventional medicine trying to TREAT it, and causing DISEASE AND DEATH in doing so?

Depression. Conventional or Homeopathic treatment?

This article was first published in the "Why Homeopathy?" website.

Depression seems to be an ever-increasing problem in modern society, and patients should realise that they have a choice of treatment, from counselling services, to Homeopathy, and other Alternative Therapies, to conventional medicine’s antidepressant and antipsychotics drugs.

Conventional Medical Treatment for Depression

According to the NHS Direct website, your doctor might refer you for counselling (talking therapy), and if he does this there are no drugs involved, and therefore no adverse consequences. Otherwise, the doctor will prescribe Antidepressant drugs, of which there are evidently about 30 different kinds.

SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors)

These are drugs based on Prozac, thought to be a ‘wonder’ drug when it was first introduced in the 1990’s. They are frequently known to have very serious adverse reactions, which include apathy, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, headache, tinnitus, dizziness, fatigue, urinary retention, insomnia, weight loss or gain, increased risk of bone fracture, unwanted changes in sexual behaviour, depression and anxiety, panic attacks, tremors, renal impairment, cardio-vascular problems, suicidal thoughts, photosensitivity, mania, hypomania, bipolar disorder, and much more.

The sexual side effects have been widely commented upon, such as sexual dysfunction, erectile dysfunction, diminished libido.

But it is the increased risk of suicide in children and adolescents that have been most worrying, and this has led to a few of these drugs being withdrawn from the market, whilst the remaining SSRI drugs now have ‘black box’ warning about their ‘adverse reactions’!

TCAs (Tricyclic Antidepressants)

These drugs are also known to have adverse reactions, including minor side-effects like dry mouth, dry nose, blurry vision, to more serious conditions such as constipation, urinary retention, cognitive and memory impairment, and increased body temperature. They are also known to cause drowsiness, anxiety, apathy, confusion, restlessness, dizziness, hypersensitivity, changes in appetite and weight, sweating, sexual dysfunction, muscle weakness, nausea and vomiting,, hypotension, tachycardia, and irregular heart rhythms. They can also cause hallucinations, delirium and coma by overdose.

MAOIs (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors)

This class of drugs also has serious adverse reactions. They include severe anxiety, confusion, seizures or convulsions, severe drowsiness or dizziness, cold clammy skin, rapid and irregular pulse, fever, hallucinations, severe headache, coma, tremors/spasms, excessively high or low blood pressure, muscle stiffness, difficulty breathing, extreme sleep difficulties, or abnormal irritability.

But above all, these drugs are known for the problems they cause when they interact with other drugs, and even with foods, so they have an effect on diet. They can also cause serious withdrawal symptoms.

SNRIs (Serotonin-norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitors).

The most common adverse reactions include loss of appetite, weight, and sleep, but there is also drowsiness, dizziness, fatigue, headache, nausea/vomiting, sexual dysfunction, and urinary retention. There are two common sexual side effects - diminished interest in sex (libido) and difficulty reaching climax, similar to the SSRIs.

Drug Withdrawal Symptoms

As NHS Direct says, antidepressants can be addictive, and when you stop taking them yuo may have some withdrawal symptoms, such as:

• upset stomach
• flu-like symptoms
• anxiety
• dizziness
• vivid dreams at night
• sensations in the body that feel like electric shocks

ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy)

If these drugs do not work, then you might be offered ECT, where you will be given an anaesthetic and drugs to ‘relax’ your muscles, and then receive electric shocks to your brain.

The Homeopathic Treatment of Depression

Please click here to see the evidence basis for Homeopathy

Homeopathy has been treating depression now for over 200 years. In the Homeopathy Materia Medica the term ‘depression’ is not used. It is a highly medicalised word. Instead, it is the word ‘sadness’ that is used. Large numbers of homeopathic remedies have large, and quite intricate symptom pictures dealing with all kinds of emotions - including sadness or depression. 

In his book, Homeopathic Psychology, Philip Bailey, MD lists 35 remedies as being the most useful, and provides detailed psychological descriptions of each remedy. Here are some of them, with brief descriptions.

Alumina

Powerful depression: despair, anger, anxiety. often contemplates suicide; alternates with contained state. Withdraws into self (Nat Mur, Aurum) Desire to kill self with knife. PMT; post natal depression. Confusion with sudden bouts of rage or violent impulses

Aurum Metallicum

Endoginous / organic depression; in the pit of despair, with self-loathing; self-recrimination, isolation. Silent, flat emotional expression. Does not weep. Suicide seems an attractive option; thinks fondly of death

Ignatia

The chief remedy for grief (with Nat Mur). Both feel unloved during childhood, trauma of losing love. Nat Mur is more controlled, silent grief. Ignatia will sob hysterically at first, shock reaction, followed by weeks of emotional volatility. Loss of control; hysterical. Also tends to isolate herself (epilepsy, cramps, numbness, etc); can be deep /prolonged; uncontrolled weeping, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite; hysteria

Lycopodium

Not really a depressive type; but withdraws; sits/broods; has little self-respect; entertains suicidal thoughts; worse when waking, improves as day goes on.

Nat Mur

More prone to depression than any other group; arises from suppressed sadness, inability to cry; many abused women; sudden onset; triggered by loss of love (bereavement, separation); series of traumas, starting with difficult birth; lack confidence and self-esteem; a silent depression; apathy; sleeps/eats a lot; better for company; but withdrawn, and consolation makes her worse; related to hormones in female cycle;  suicidal; manic depressives (depression alternating with euphoria).

Nat Sulph

Depression and mania. Pressure of thoughts, dwells on past. Thoughts crowd in, obsessive. Many regrets. Unrealistic romantic desire. A gentle melancholy, but resists suicide because of strong family ties. Very sensitive, emotional person, strong sense of values. Claustrophobia, stoicism, self-reproach in more depressive cases.

Phos Ac

Profound grief, ailments from grief; separation from partner, emotions shut down. They can remember a time when they were happy, and that their feelings are not normal. Being in a state of limbo. Long term grief. Very passive.

Pulsatilla

Sensitive to withdrawal of affection; insecure, weeps, runs to bedroom when unhappy, or shouts and cries; irritable. When happy, excitable or mild and co-operative; fun loving, sociable; flirtatious; interested in personal side of relationships.

Sepia

When true nature suppressed, loses spirit, deadens appetite for life; sluggish mentally and physically, loses enthusiasm; emotions blunted, she becomes indifferent (to family), just feels irritable, impatient; unsociable. Loses enjoyment of being sociable, indifferent to pleasure. Drained of energy and motivation. Feels panicky, weepy, anxious; restless; fears develop; fear of insanity; depression, suicidal; agoraphobia, withdrawal.

Veratrum Alb

Manic-depressive psychosis, with manic side more to the fore. Restless, aimlessly busy, cannot sit still. Depression - brooding despair; sits silently for hours thinking about how wretched he feels. Despairs of recovery; suicidal.

Randomised Controlled Tests (RCTs) on Homeopathy

RCTs are the third, and decidedly the least important type of evidence supporting Homeopathy as a medical therapy.

Homeopathic Individualized Q-potencies versus Fluoxetine for moderate to severe depression: double-blind, Randomized non-inferiority trial.

Adler, Paiva, Cesar, Adler, Molina, Padula, Calil.  August 2009
eCAM 2009; Page 1 of 8; doi: 10.1093/ecam/nep114

 “This study illustrates the feasibility of randomized controlled double-blind trials of homeopathy in depression and indicates the non-inferiority of individualised homeopathic Q-potencies as compared to fluoxetine in acute treatment of outpatients with moderate to severe depression”.

(In other, simpler words, the authors found that individualised homeopathic prescribing using Q (LM) potencies is as effective as fluoxetine in the treatment of patients suffering acute moderate to severe depression). For more information on Fluoxetine, see this link.

Homeopathy for depression: a systematic review of the research evidence. 

Pilkington K, et al. (2008)

Homeopathy, 94, 153-163

Viagra? An erection at any cost to our health?

Okay. I know this drug is not only popular, it is the cause of much mirth! It is, of course, a drug used for male impotence, or erectile dysfunction. Indeed, it is widely used ‘recreationally’ by men who want to improve their sexual performance, and to increase the size of their erection. 

There is a widespread belief that it is effective in doing this, although the evidence for this remains less than certain.

Yet what most men don’t realise is that this drug has a multitude of adverse reactions, not often spoken about - many of which can actually damage male potency, and fertility, not to mention our general health. 

Just by listing them here makes this a large article! And this extensive list comes from the ‘NetDoctor’ website.

Most common reactions

Aches or pains in the muscles

Bloody nose

Diarrhea

Difficult or laboured breathing

Flushing

Headache

Pain or tenderness around the eyes and cheekbones

Redness of the skin

Sneezing

Stomach discomfort following meals

Stuffy or runny nose

Trouble sleeping

Unusually warm skin

Less common reactions

Bladder pain

Burning feeling in the chest or stomach

Burning, crawling, itching, numbness, prickling, "pins and needles", or tingling feelings

Cloudy or bloody urine

Dizziness

Increased frequency of urination

Indigestion

Pain on urination

Stomach upset

Tenderness in the stomach area

Rare reactions

Abdominal or stomach pain

Abnormal visions

Abnormal dreams

Anxiety

Behaviour change similar to drunkenness

Bleeding of the eye

Blurred vision

Bone pain

Breast enlargement

Chest pain

Chills

Clumsiness or unsteadiness

Cough

Chills

Cold Sweats

Confusion

Convulsions (Seizures)

Cool or pale skin

Deafness and hearing loss

Decrease in amount of urine, or frequency of urination

Decreased vision

Diarrhoea or stomach cramps (severe or continuing)

Difficulty concentrating

Difficulty in swallowing

Dizziness or lightheadedness, especially when getting up from a lying or sitting position suddenly

Double vision

Drowsiness

Dry eyes

Dry mouth

Dryness, redness, scaling, or peeling of the skin

Ear pain

Excessive hunger

Eye pain

Fainting or faintness

Fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeat

Feeling of something in the eye

Fever or chills

Headache (severe or continuing)

Increased amount of saliva

Increase in size of the pupil

Increased skin sensitivity

Increased sweating

Increased thirst

Lack of coordination

Loss of bladder control

Lower back or side pain

Mental depression

Migraine headache

Nausea (severe or continuing)

Nervousness

Nightmares

Numbness of the hands

Numbness or tingling of the hands, legs, or feet

Painful, swollen joints

Prolonged, painful erection of penis

Rectal bleeding

Redness or irritation of the tongue

Redness, soreness, swelling, or bleeding of the gums

Redness, burning, or swelling of the eyes

Redness, itching, or tearing of the eyes

Restless sleep

Ringing or buzzing in the ears

Seeing shades of colours differently than before

Sensation of motion, usually whirling, either of one's self or of one's surroundings

Sensitivity to light

Sexual problems in men (continuing), including failure to experience a sexual orgasm

Shakiness

Skin lesions with swelling

Skin paleness

Skin rash, hives, or itching

Skin ulcers

Sleepiness

Slurred speech

Sore throat

Sores in the mouth and on the lips

Sudden weakness

Swelling of the face, hands, feet, or lower legs

Tense muscles

Trembling and shaking

Trouble breathing

Twitching of the muscles

Unusual feeling of burning or stinging of the skin

Unusual tiredness or weakness

Vision changes

Vision loss, temporary

Vomiting

Waking to urinate at night

Worsening of asthma

Incidence not known (!!)

Blindness

What all this amounts to is a big price to pay for a slightly larger erection!

Dangerous Pharmaceutical Drugs. How long does it take the Conventional Medical Establishment to act to protect patients?

The pharmaceutical drug, isotretinoin (which also goes under the alternative names Accutane, Roaccutane, Reticutan, and Rizuderm), in a drug used by conventional medicine for Acne. It is a dangerous drug. Even a single dose is known to cause severe birth defects, or even the death of a baby. The drug is also known to cause chelitis, epistaxis, hypertriglyceridemia, pruritis, xerosis cutis, decreased hel cholesterol, increasing liver enzymes, increased serum triglycerides, musculoskeletal signs and symptoms, dry nose, xeroderma and xerostomia.

Regardless of this harm it is still being used. It would appear that no drug or vaccine is too dangerous for conventional medicine to give to patients. Isotretinoin was first used in the 1930's, although it was developed by the drug company Hoffman-La Roche in the 1980's. The impact on pregnant women was known from the early stages of its development - but it did not stop its development, or indeed its sales. Indeed, it is estimated that over 13 million patients were treated with the drug.

After some 40 years, in November 2020, the UK's drug regulator, the MHRA (the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) called "for information to be considered as part of an expert review". Presumably it had (rather belatedly) recognised the dangers of the drug.

I first heard about this drug in an article in WDDTY (What Doctors Won't Tell You) in March 2002, in which some of the drugs' long-term side effects were outlined. Then, two years later, in August 2004 WDDTY stated in another article that the drug could cause Guillain-Barre paralysis. Then, in October 2005, WDDTY wrote about the drugs 'ability' to cause birth defects. The information was taken from the journal of the AMA (the American Medical Association, 2005; 294: 1481). By this time, the ability of isotretinoin to cause birth defects had already known for over 20 years! Yet the drug was not banned, or withdrawn; but 'restrictions' and 'requirement' were put in place.

            ".. physicians who prescribe the drug to a pregnant woman must first sign a form called 'iPledge', while patients who want to take it while pregnant must sign an informed consent form and also obtain counselling about the risks of taking the drug.  Wholesalers and pharmacies must also comply with special requirements before issuing the drug."

In 2009 Roche Pharmaceuticals discontinued the manufacture and distribution of Accutane, their version of the drug. This was not because of any concern for patients, but owing to the high cost of defending personal-injury lawsuits in the USA. They were okay with harming their patients; but not if the cost of denying the harm caused became too high. This approach encapsulates the business ethics of the pharmaceutical industry.

However, generic versions of the drug, such as Roaccutane, remained in use with patients. If a drug can be sold for profit, it will be sold, quite regardless of patient harm.

So the MHRA is taking action nearly 40 years after this drug was first introduced, but even now, the drug is not being withdrawn or banned - it is merely "a call for information". 

            "This review is being undertaken by the MHRA with advice from the Commission on Human Medicines and the Isotretinoin Expert Working Group due to concerns about the possible association between isotretinoin and suspected psychiatric and sexual disorders."

Suspected psychiatric and sexual disorders? Is this new then? Does conventional medicine give patients drugs like isotretinoin for nearly 40 years blissfully unaware that they cause 'psychiatric and sexual disorders'? It would appear to be so as websites like Drugs.com and RxList, even now, do not mention anything about 'erectile dysfunction' and 'reduced libido'.

Remember - this is the history of just one drug. But this is not untypical of the hundreds of pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines that have been withdrawn and banned over the years. And it will certainly not be untypical of the thousands of other pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines currently being prescribed today. The pharmaceutical medical establishment sells drugs, wherever and whenever it can. They are not, and never have been, deterred by evidence of patient harm.

So why should anyone believe that any pharmaceutical drug or vaccines, sold by drug companies today, are any safer or less harmful than these previously banned drugs?

Isotretinoin is just another dangerous drug.

 

The dangers of Antipsychotic Drugs

Antipsychotic drugs are drugs that treat psychosis, a medical term that means that you might suffer from hallucinations, hearing or seeing things, or have delusions, having ideas of beliefs that are not shared by other people around you. These ‘psychotic’ symptoms can be experienced as part of mental health conditions like schizophrenia, personality disorder and bipolar disorder. However, antipsychotic drugs are also used for conditions such as dementia.

Antipsychotic drugs are the main response of the conventional medical establishment for the treatment of mental illness. Roger Whittaker, in his book “Anatomy of an Epidemic” (2010), described these as "powerful psychotropic, mind-altering drugs"

"Aside from the immediate risk of death, another serious and widespread problem caused by these drugs is excessive weight gain and metabolic problems like diabetes. The effect varies by drug, but children typically gain TWICE as much weight in the first six months on these drugs as they should through normal growth, adding an average of two to three inches to their waistline. A lot of this is abdominal fat, which also increases their risk of diabetes and heart disease".

Antipsychotic drugs come in many different and confusing names. These include Acepromazine (Plegicil), Amisulpride (Solian), Amoxapine (Asendin), Aripiprazole (Abilify), Asenapine (Saphris, Sycrest), Benperidol (Anguil, Benguil, Frenactil, Glianimon), Blonanserin (Lonasen), Bromperidol (Bromodol, Impromen), Carpipramine (Defekton, Prazinil), Clocapramine (Clofekton, Padrasen), Chlorpromazine (Largactil, Thorazine), Chlorprothixene (Cloxan, Taractan, Truxal), Clopenthixol (Sordinol), Clotiapine (Entumine, Etomine, Etumine), Clozapine (Clozaril), (Haldol), Cyamemazine (Tercian), Dixyrazine (Esucos), Droperidol (Droleptan, Inapsine), Fluphenazine (Modecate, Permitil, Prolixin), Flupentixol (Depixol, Fluanxol), Fluspirilene (Imap), Haloperidol (Haldol, Serenace), Haloperidol (Haldol, Serenace), Iloperidone (Fanapt, Fanapta, Zomaril), Levomepromazine (Levinan, Levoprome, Nozinan), Loxapine (Adasuve, Loxitane), Lurasidone (Latuda), Mesoridazine (Lidanil, Serentil), Melperone (Buronil, Buronon, Eunerpan, Melpax, Neuril), Molindone (Moban), Moperone (Luvatren), Mosapramine (Cremin), Nemonapride (Emilace), Olanzapine (Zyprexa), Paliperidone (Invega), Penfluridol (Semap), Perazine (Peragal, Perazin, Pernazinum, Taxilan), Pericyazine (Neulactil, Neuleptil), Perospirone (Lullan), Pimozide (Orap), Perphenazine (Trilafon), Pimozide (Orap), Pipamperone (Dipiperon, Piperonil), Pipotiazine (Lonseren, Piportil), Prochlorperazine (Compazine), Promazine (Prozine, Sparine), Promethazine (Avomine, Phenergan), Prothipendyl (Dominal), Quetiapine (Seroquel), Remoxipride (Roxiam), Risperidone (Risperdal), Sertindole (Serdolect, Serlect), Sulpiride (Dolmatil, Meresa), Sultopride (Barnetil, Topral), Thioproperazine (Majeptil), Thioridazine (Aldazine, Mellaril, Melleril), Timiperone (Celmanil, Tolopelon), Tiotixene (Navane, Thixit), Trifluoperazine (Stelazine), Triflupromazine (Vesprin), Veralipride (Agreal), Trimipramine (Surmontil), Ziprasidone (Geodon, Zeldox), Zuclopenthixol (Acuphase, Cisordinol, Clopixol), Zotepine (Lodopin, Losizopilon, Nipolept, Setous) and, in the interests of obfuscation, no doubt many more!

The History of the Drug

There are two issues about antipsychotic drugs. The first are the drugs themselves, and the harm they are known to do to human health. The second is the enormous rise in the number of people who are being diagnosed with ‘mental illness’, and thus, allegedly, requiring these drugs. These two factors, together, make antipsychotic drugs some of the most controversial of all drugs.

Whittaker, for instance, says that since 1987, the percentage of the US population receiving federal disability payments for mental illness has more than doubled. And that among children under the age of 18, the percentage has grown by a factor of 35.

This Dr Mercola article, for instance, looks at an increased diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder in th USA - an increase of 40 times over the last 10 years.

This MedPage article looks specifically at the link between anti-psychotic medication and diabetes in children. Indeed, much of the increased use of anti-psychotic drugs in recent years has been for the 'treatment' of children and young people.

Yet it is accepted that children and young people are more vulnerable to the side effects of antipsychotic drugs! A Channel 4 television programme undertook a survey that exposed that as many as 15,000 children and young people under 18 were prescribed antipsychotics drugs in 2010. However, this figure included only doctor prescriptions, and excluded hospital prescriptions, so the real figure was probably considerably hight

This Child Health Safety article outlines how these harmful, mind-altering drugs have been given to children, some of them less than a year old.

In a study published in the journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, January 2010, it was found that the number of children, aged 2-5, being given antipsychotics had doubled “in recent years”.

And although this drugging (of children and adults) is going on around the world there is little evidence that antipsychotic drugs do any good. The British Medical Journal (BMJ) published a “Review on the current use of antipsychotic drugs in children and adolescents”  and it stated there was 'no information about the efficacy or safety of anti-pyschotics in your people'. 

So much for 'evidence-based medicine! 

Yet perhaps it is older people who have suffered most from anti-psychotic drugs. Much attention has been paid to this problem in recent times, even within conventional medical circles, as these drugs are known to kill. And in particular, they kill older people. This article, in the GP magazine ‘Pulse’ makes it clear that GPs are, or at least should be, aware that anti-psychotic drugs cause death in older people.

A large analysis of older patients in nursing homes, published in the British Medical Journal, looked at 75,500 new users of antipsychotics aged 65 years or older. Over five years it found haloperidol had doubled the risk of mortality compared with the most commonly used antipsychotic, risperidone. The researchers concluded that "the use of haloperido (an anti-psychotic) to this vulnerable population cannot be justified, because of the excess harm”. Perhaps they should also have said that risperidone also cannot be justified - but they didn’t.

This Natural Health article states that antipsychotic drugs were killing as many as 1,800 dementia patients every year.

          "...... it was confirmed by the team that the use of antipsychotics by dementia patients is responsible for a surge in drug-related deaths, presumably as a result of negative side effects both internally to the body, and externally in the form of altered behavior. The findings also confirmed previous ones that identified an uptick in at least 1,800 additional deaths a year as a result of dementia patients taking antipsychotic drugs.

Accordingly, in November 2011 doctors were warned that they required PCT permission to prescribe anti-psychotics to older people with dementia - or face jail if they prescribed without permission.

This stark message to doctors was repeated again in the GP magazine, Pulse, in February 2012. Why? Apparently because the original message had been ignored! This was confirmed in a further article, in March 2012, stating that: "... a Pulse investigation revealed that PCTs were failing to implement a major NHS programme seen by ministers as key to their campaign to cut the use of drugs".

So, it would seem that even if government issues a direct instruction, and makes serious threats to doctors, the Conventional Medical Establishment is so hooked on giving us drugs regardless of the limited evidence for their efficacy, and despite the extensive evidence that anti-psychotic drugs are dangerous, it steadfastly refuses to do so.

So how much trust can anyone place on a medical system that does this?

Known side-effects (DIEs)

So just how dangerous are anti-psychotic drugs? The brain is certainly our most sensitive organ we have, and in terms of who we are, as individuals, it the most important. Yet there is little that the conventional medical establishment will refuse to tamper with!

The idea that pharmaceutical drugs do more harm than good to those who take them is not a new one. Robert Whittaker in his book, "Anatomy of an Epidemic”, published in 2010, comes to just this conclusion. He contends that as recently as the 1950’s the four major mental disorders, depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, often manifested as ‘episodic’ or ‘self limiting’ events, and that most people simply got better over time. Severe, chronic mental illness was viewed as relatively rare. Now, with the emergence of antipsychotic drugs people with ‘mental health’ problems can be on drugs for many years, if not a lifetime.

The side effects of Antipsychotics drugs are numerous and severe. They are well summarised in the Mind.org website, and this synopsis is largely based on this.

Neuromuscular side effects

Antipsychotics interfere with the brain chemical dopamine, which is important in controlling movement. This is more common with older antipsychotics, and much less likely with the newer drugs. Some of the side effects include: 

• Parkinsonism

• loss of movement

• restlessness

• muscle spasms.

Parkinsonism

Some side effects resemble Parkinson’s disease, which is caused by the loss of dopamine:

• Muscles become stiff and weak, so that your face may lose its animation, and you find fine movement difficult.

• You may develop a slow tremor (shaking), especially in your hands.

• Your fingers may move as if you were rolling a pill.

• When walking, you may lean forward, take small steps, and find it difficult to start and stop.

• Your mouth may hang open and you may find you are dribbling.

Loss of movement

You may find it difficult to move, and your muscles may feel very weak. This may make people think you are depressed. 

Restlessness

You may feel intensely restless and unable to sit still. This is more than just a physical restlessness and can make you feel emotionally tense and uneasy, as well.

You may rock from foot to foot, shuffle your legs, cross or swing your legs repeatedly, or continuously pace up and down.

Muscle spasms

These are acute muscle contractions that are uncontrolled and may be painful. They particularly affect young men. If the problem affects the muscles of your voice box (larynx), you may find it difficult to speak normally (dysphonia). This can make you very self-conscious and may make it hard for people to understand you. 

If the muscle spasms affect the muscles that control your eye movements (oculogyric crisis), it makes the eyes turn suddenly, so that you can’t control where you look. This is both very unpleasant and may be dangerous e.g. if it happens while you are crossing the road, or pouring hot water. It can also be very disconcerting for people around you. 

It perhaps should be noted that the solution offered by the Mind.org website (an organisation deeply committed to the use of drugs for the treatment of mental health) is to take drugs used in Parkinson’s disease, a prime example of disease, caused by pharmaceutical drugs, and treated with other drugs which have equally dangerous side effects.

Seizures

Many antipsychotics cause seizures (fits) in some people, and should be used with caution if you have had seizures before. 

Sexual side effects 

Prolactin is the hormone which causes the breasts to produce milk, so levels of prolactin are normally low, except in women who are pregnant or breast-feeding. However, many antipsychotic drugs cause levels of prolactin to rise. Abnormally high levels are related to some very common sexual side effects for both women and men:

• Breast development and the production of breast milk. This can affect men as well as women

• A drop in sexual desire can make both men and women less easily aroused. Some drugs can interfere with erection and affect ejaculation.

• A persistent erection of the penis without sexual arousal (priapism). This is rare, but if it occurs you should treat it as an emergency and seek medical advice, because it may cause serious harm to the penis.

• Spontaneous ejaculation. 

• Loss of menstrual cycle, vaginal dryness, unwanted hair and acne may occur in women.

• The changes to your sex hormones may cause osteoporosis, which means your bones become weaker and more likely to break. This is a serious risk for both men and women.

Some of the newer antipsychotics have less effect on prolactin and produce fewer of these problems. Women who change from an older to a newer antipsychotic should bear in mind that this may cause prolactin levels to drop back down. This may cause your periods to return and you might need to think about contraception.

Effects on the heart

Many antipsychotics have effects on the heart rhythm, which in some cases, linked to high doses and to people being on more than one antipsychotic at the same time, have caused sudden death. People on high doses of antipsychotics should be given an ECG before treatment starts and every one to three months, while the dose remains high. Whatever your dose, if you have unexplained blackouts, you should have your heart rhythm monitored. Some antipsychotics also cause your heart to beat faster than usual, and palpitations. 

Antimuscarinic (also called anticholinergic) side effects

This is a medical name for a set of side effects caused by changes in the levels of the chemical messenger acetylcholine, which has important effects all over the body. These effects are more common with the older drugs. They include:

• drowsiness

• dry mouth which can cause tooth decay

• blurred vision

• dizziness

• feeling sick

• difficulty passing water

• rapid heartbeat

• constipation which may be severe enough to be life-threatening if not treated

• low blood pressure. This is especially risky in older and frail people, when it may  contribute to falls; hot baths increase the risk.

Sedation

Sleepiness is a common side effect with antipsychotics.

Eye problems

Various antipsychotics may be responsible for different eye disorders. These include blurred vision and difficulty reading; a build up of granular deposits in the cornea and lens (which doesn’t usually affect sight); degeneration of the retina (the light-sensitive part of the eye) that restricts vision and may be serious; an oculogyric crisis and glaucoma (increased pressure inside the eye). Any antipsychotic can cause narrow-angle glaucoma, which is a medical emergency. You should not take some of the older antipsychotics if you have had glaucoma (see The different types of antipsychotics).

Weight gain

Weight gain is a very common side effect with many antipsychotics, including most of the newer ones, and causes a lot of distress. It is linked to increased appetite and decreased activity, but is mainly caused by changes in metabolism - by the way your body uses food and converts it to energy or stores it as fat. This means that dieting may not make much difference, although it will certainly help if you eat healthily. You may put on a lot of weight, and this may increase your risk of developing diabetes, and other physical health problems.

Metabolic syndrome

Some side effects may be referred to as ‘metabolic syndrome’. The main symptoms are:

• weight gain and obesity

• high blood sugar and diabetes

• high blood pressure

• high cholesterol.

These put people at risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. The risk is increased if you drink sugary fizzy drinks and eat a lot of fatty, sugary foods. Metabolic syndrome is thought to cause a two- to three-fold increase in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

Blood disorders

A number of blood disorders are linked to antipsychotics. The most serious is agranulocytosis, a serious blood disorder, which involves the loss of one type of white blood cell. It means that you are more likely to catch infections and less able to fight them, and some people have died because of this. It’s very rare with the older antipsychotics, and is mainly associated with clozapine. If you are getting sore throats, or mouth ulcers, a fever or chills, these may be signs that your immune system is not working as well as it should, and you should see your doctor.

Blood clotting disorders also occur with many antipsychotics. These include deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary thrombosis (blood clot in the lung) which may be life-threatening.

Skin problems

There are various skin problems that may occur. If you get a rash, you should go to the doctor straight away.

• Any allergic rashes usually occur within the first two months of starting treatment and disappear when the drug is stopped.

• Some types of skin may develop a blue-grey discolouration.

• Your skin may become more sensitive to sunlight, especially at high doses, so you should protect yourself from the sun.

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS)

This is a neurological complication that is thought to occur in about 1 in 100 of hospital patients taking antipsychotic drugs. It can be very dangerous if it’s not detected and treated, but the symptoms can also cause it to be mistaken for an infection. Although the criteria for making the diagnosis are not clear, in 11% of those with NMS it may be fatal. The symptoms are:

• sweating or fever, with a high temperature

• tremor, rigidity or loss of movement

• difficulty speaking and swallowing

• changes in consciousness, from lethargy and confusion to stupor or coma

• rapid heartbeat, very rapid breathing and changes in blood pressure.

Blood tests show abnormal results. NMS develops rapidly over 24 to 72 hours, and rigidity and a high temperature are usually the first symptoms to appear.

Tardive dyskinesia (TD)

TD is a disorder which causes abnormal, uncontrollable, disfiguring, and embarrassing movements. These usually start in the face and mouth, as involuntary tongue movements, twitching in your face, and slight grimacing. The problem can spread to the rest of the body, with writhing movements in the limbs, muscle spasms, tremors and tics.

Other physical effects

• Liver disorders and jaundice are sometimes linked to using these drugs.

• You may have problems with regulating body temperature. It may be too high or too low, both of which may make you feel a little unwell.

• Bed-wetting may occur, especially with newer antipsychotics.

Emotional effects

Antipsychotics can sometimes make you more excited, agitated and aggressive. They can also make you feel depressed. Some may have an antidepressant effect, although the available information about this is contradictory. Some drugs make you feel emotionally uneasy and restless, or give you bizarre dreams and disturb your sleep. They can make you feel out of touch with reality and more withdrawn socially, like being in a very familiar environment like a group of friends or family but feeling very detached from them, and 'alone in a crowd'.

Tardive psychosis

Sometimes, you get new psychotic symptoms while you are taking antipsychotics or after you have taken them for long periods of time. The drugs act by blocking dopamine receptors in the brain, and if you have taken the drugs for a long time, the brain responds by creating new receptors to replace those that are blocked. Existing receptors may also become super-sensitive to dopamine. This is called tardive psychosis, meaning psychosis that is a delayed effect. This means that you need to take higher doses to maintain the antipsychotic effects.

The possibility of tardive psychosis is one reason why antipsychotics should be withdrawn gradually - especially if you have been taking them for a long time - giving the brain time to readjust. In other words, antipsychotic drug have serious withdrawal symptoms.