Pentagon Refuses to Stop Using Seroquel on Troops Despite Expert Warnings

Friday, September 30, 2011

The U.S military is refusing to stop prescribing Seroquel, a powerful antipsychotic, to treat insomnia in troops fighting overseas, even though a panel of experts has recommended it do so.

 
Medical officials in the Department of Defense have approved low doses (25 milligrams) of the drug to treat sleep disorders.
 
Seroquel has been linked to adverse effects, including heart failure.
 
Several months ago, the Defense Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee noted that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any drugs in the class known as atypical antipsychotics, which includes Seroquel, for treatment of insomnia. The committee also has urged the military to use less dangerous drugs to treat insomnia.
 
Additionally, the Defense Health Board, a federal advisory group that advises the secretary of defense, recommended in August that the Pentagon review its current guidelines on the use of non-FDA-approved drugs, including Seroquel.
 
Seroquel (quetiapine fumarate) has proved so profitable for its manufacturer, AstraZeneca, that over the last two years the company has paid more than $600 million to settle accusations of unlawful marketing and hiding side effects and safety information related to the drug.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
 

Doctors Alarmed by Military’s Use of Mind Drugs on Troops (by David Wallechinsky, AllGov)

Comments

Peter 7 years ago
From: Natin Peter Nethinim Sent: Monday, September 12, 2016 7:45 AM To: info@thomasjhenrylaw.com Subject: Fw: Seroquel.2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I translated my letter from Swedish. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Additional note. I am currently living fearing for my freedom and I don't go outside feaaling that I cant. Additonal note 2. I was a celebrity in urban music at the time, and had already toured Europe and my music had reached all the way to Africa and Australia from Sweden. Me being a celbrity in that sense, has not, made this easier. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Natin Peter Nethinim Sent: Monday, September 12, 2016 6:51 AM To: ametist@ametistazordegan.com Subject: Seroquel. I had trouble sleeping and looked for help for that specific problem, and my troubles would have been solved with a simple sleeping-agent such as Nitrazepam, fpr appx 2 weeks. Why did I wind up on Seroquel/Quetapine for 10 years? Appx. 13000 capsules/pill's. Appx worth 540 000 Sek. Some payed for this. I was aksed one question "Have yu ever taken any drugs?" So based on that I said I had sporadically smoked Hasch but not for the last 2 years at the time I was declared "psychotic because of Cannabis." I wanted help for trouble sleeping, and possibly someone to talk to, because some sad stuff had happened, and I felt alone in a new city. . I never received not even an hour of counceling or therapy during these 10 years given the motivation that I was "too sick to ba able ta handle conversational-cognitive-therapy." My day to day with other people was however never a problem nor a issue "conversational-wise." I was given the ultimatum that "unless you take this drug, (including other drugs at the same time, which I have no idea what they were) we will lock you up in a closed psychiatric unit and make you take Seroquel." I was never given a second opinion from any "neutral" or "outside" psychiatrist nor Doctor. None of my "troubles" were relived by Seroquel, and I was simply told "be patient because the drug has a incubation period of one year, so you wont see any results until atleast 1 year." "Ok, but Iäm having trouble sleeping this week?" You see my point? I was also declared legally a "minor" again because my father was pressured into signing somekind of paper which legally stripped me of my right to decide over my own life as any adult. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-04-08-fda-seroquel_N.htm  Experts raise concerns over Seroquel to treat depression ... usatoday30.usatoday.com Federal health experts said overwhelmingly Wednesday that the side effects of AstraZeneca's schizophrenia drug Seroquel are too worrisome to make it a ... http://www.allgov.com/news/controversies/pentagon-refuses-to-stop-using-seroquel-on-troops-despite-expert-warnings?news=843350 Everyone that knew me said "You doont need this shit!" and I said "Quite possible but what am I going to do? I have no choice."  Controversies - Pentagon Refuses to Stop Using Seroquel on ... www.allgov.com The U.S military is refusing to stop prescribing Seroquel, a powerful antipsychotic, to treat insomnia in troops fighting overseas, even though a panel of experts has ... In about a week or only a few days, I had gained appx 25 kilo's in bodyweight/fat. At the time I was extremely fit and had not been drinking or partying fr appx. 2 years, I had been working out and I was tending to myself extremely well. The weight gain continued over the 10 years while I was on Seroquel between 2004-2014. I have no genetic tendency's for being overweight, I have no family-history of any mental-illness, Before taking Seroquel I was never neither suicidal nor prone to self-harm. My reputation was ruined, my family life, my love life and all my friendships were destroyed. My looks, my wellbeing, the way I saw myself as a individual and a person, my aspirations to pursue a music career despite a hearing loss injury, my motivation, and my will to live, disappeared, my personal economy was ruined, including my future. -Natin Peter Nethinim -Peter
bongstar420 10 years ago
1. The commenters missed the FDA claim. Seroquel is FDA approved (part of the conspiracy) while its use for insomnia is not (against the conspiracy). The way the article was written indicates the author is manipulating the reader to conform to their ideological position that synthetic drugs are some how bad or wrong. 2. The anti-synthetic drugs allegory implies that it is valid to require an authority figure to approve of a substance for sale. The FDA should only be in the business of label accuracy which it is doing a poor job of as of current. 3. The use of Seroquel in this case is probably highly effective. I have insomniac episodes that are partially mediated by PTSD. 5-HT2a antagonists (which Seroquel is) were the most effective in generating restful sleep. I found Seroquel to be the most effective sleep aid around atm. 4. Off label usage of Seroquel requires low dosages. People should only take 5-10mg as needed. Taking higher dosages daily is not fitting for an insomniac with no schizophrenia or manic depression. 5. Proper 5-HT2a specific antagonists for insomnia are in the works (5-HT2a antagonism being the way Seroquel helps insomniacs). They will be more expensive 6. Seroquel, when used at an appropriate dosage for insomnia (most people will not understand how to use this drug for insomnia), is less dangerous than Ambian since it will not cause sleep walking or hypnotic states. It also will contribute to reestablishing healthier sleep architecture (from the 5-HT2a antagonism) while Ambian does not (it is more like hypnosis than sleep). 6. The second most effective 5-HT2a antagonist I found was Mirtazapine which is considered a very safe anti-depressant. It has more side effects and has a longer half life when used for insomnia. It has more clinical research to its effects on insomnia, but I find Seroquel to be much better due to much lower incidences of side effects when used at low doses as needed. References to conspiracy are for demonstration purposes since its meaning is exceptionally broad, and I tend find the phenomena to be much more mundane than others.
Anon Guy 12 years ago
i've been on this stuff for about a year after achieving veteran status on trying nearly everything else for anxiety. i,m shocked to see that there using this on troops. it is very very powerful and sometimes knocks me about, me and others i have spoken to sometimes suffer from waking up 2 hours after taking it and running round your house apartment thinking your going to die of an heart attack as it feels like it slows you down that much...
A Cochran 12 years ago
very wise advice indeed mr. garcia! the level of information - misinformation and disinformation in all forms of media sources now should be obvious to all who are really searching for the truth. now is a time to abstain from crystalized tunnel visions of reality. that said, there is no question in my mind that big pharma (banking institutions) doesn't give one rat's a$$ about us and our health if it get's in the way of profits and the health of the "company"!! what i find fustrating is that the majority of people working for these companies are good people just "doing a job" if you will. i know this as i am a chemical engineer w/ many years of experience with very big companies...exxonmobil being one. somewhere in these corporations..decisions are made which are completely contrary with the employee good let alone the public good!!...it's compartmentalized, there is always a lie to justify the action that tie's into the ethics of the company. the "ethics" shoved down the throat of the working stiff...don't seem to carry out on an executive level w/ the company. it is very, very subtle and happening in every major societal function (education, manufacturing, medical, energy, agriculture..)...and indeed we are the victim and the crime. as we see these things happening, we get up and continue to work and give our labor and imagination for this madness!! ahh but who is john galt? ;)
Marcus 12 years ago
@ je garcia: i think you have just proved the point! your thinking is such that you believe the government and big pharma actually cares about you. totally misguided perception!!! hey, looks like seroquel is doing its job after all.
JE Garcia 12 years ago
i find that people don't know what they're talking about. this article may have a facts to back it up but it's all geared to support a certain biased view which is (anti-government). while not being a war veteran myself, i do suffer from serious insomnia where it's so strong that even this medication may not be 100% effective. other than that, seroquel does its job and i have not suffered side-effects from prolonged use. so the bottom line here (avid objective reader)don't let anti-authoritative news mislead you. everything is not for everybody and what works well for some won't provide the same comfort for others and vice versa.
j r 12 years ago
i'd have a hard time sleeping too if i realized i was just a tool being used to kill to make rich people richer.
Lili 12 years ago
read this blog that has a lot of info about astra zeneca products. people should be extremely afraid of what is being done to our servicepeople. they are in trouble. http://bipolar-stanscroniclesandnarritive.blogspot.com/
Daniel Haszard 12 years ago
seroquel and zyprexa same saga. ptsd treatment for veterans found ineffective. eli lilly zyprexa can cause diabetes. i took zyprexa a powerful lilly schizophrenic drug for 4 years it was prescribed to me off-label for post traumatic stress disorder was ineffective costly and gave me diabetes. -five at five- the zyprexa antipsychotic drug,whose side effects can include weight gain and diabetes, was sold for "children in foster care, people who have trouble sleeping, elderly in nursing homes."- *five at five* was the zyprexa sales rep slogan, meaning *5mg dispensed at 5pm would keep patients quiet*. -- daniel haszard zyprexa victim activist http://www.zyprexa-victims.com

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