15 Comments
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Jillian Stirling's avatar

We seem to think that being sad or anxious sometimes is mental illness and want to take happy pills that do change us instead of getting outside and going for a walk.

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Kaylene Emery's avatar

Sad to say you are right Jillian. And our doctors are now trained to push this line.

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Jillian Stirling's avatar

It is very sad.

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David Mibus's avatar

These drugs are so horrible, they mess with your mind..

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Kaylene Emery's avatar

I speak from personal experience of both being an x user of these drugs and, working in mental health. they are far more dangerous than guns and big pharma know it.

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Pat Russell's avatar

Have always nurtured suspicion of opoids never taking them. The reason for prescriptions would be between GP and patient but for children to be dosed with them is shocking How bad is the anxiety factor within the community that such drugs are needed or are simply accepted as a cure when they cannot be a cure There seems to be desire for more & stronger drug therapy starting from mildest form of pain relief which may be seen but not easily recognised in people until too late such as in suicidal rates Our society needs an inquiry for why the need and use of soporific drugs is increasing in Australia Could big Pharma be running out of global customer options for their products

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Freedom2Choose's avatar

Nice metaphors, George! Thanks for raising this very important topic. Yet again, pharmaceutical companies might well be implicated in massive health and social problems. How many politicians, medical experts and mainstream media will tackle the association between gun violence and the increase in anti-depressant use? It might be useful to see some data on the relationships between anti depressants and violence/gun violence and also the uptick in both since the beginning of CoVid and associated harms to people’s mental and physical wellbeing.

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Dianne Bentley's avatar

This is very interesting. Back in the 1970s, Valium was the drug of the day. I had just moved with my husband to Queensland from NSW and was very stressed, so I was prescribed Valium. I took one tablet and all I wanted to do get a knife and stab my husband! I decided never to take anything like that again as I obviously don't react to them very well, now you are verifying what happened to me. By the way, I was aware of my actions and refrained from anything like that but I was fascinated by how I was affected

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MarilynK's avatar

Many, many, many years ago I was prescribed Valium. Took one - never, ever again.

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MarilynK's avatar

Some months ago I was prescribed Pregabalin for nerve pain. When I went to get the prescription filled the chemist said something like, "Oh, so you're a guinea pig on the new pill?" What the?

I only took ONE.

I really felt like I was "off my head"- not that I've ever been "off my head".

Google side effects - "blurred vision, double vision, clumsiness, unsteadiness, dizziness, drowsiness, or trouble with thinking."

Other things:- EXTREME awareness. Heightened alertness, (sounds crazy with the drowsiness), heightened senses of EVERYTHING. Every single, little thing. Like being able to hear a pin drop.

Sound crazy? Any more of that and I might have been sent there!

It was really, really frightening.

Never, ever again.

Beware what you're prescribed people!

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Kaylene Emery's avatar

PS thank you George and all who read and comment.

May God continue to guide us all.

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Rosalyn Howe's avatar

Yeah but big pharma don't care who they offend.

Money speaks many languages.

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MarilynK's avatar

What's in drugs for ADHD?

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