Harmed by Prescribed Medications: the Untold Story of Pharmaceutical Companies

Yup. Went in for a regular checkup 3 months after my wife died. When the doctor asked me how I was, I started to cry. She immediately wrote me a prescription for an antidepressant. The antidepressants caused my first ever panic attack. Diagnosed me with anxiety disorder. Mind you, I was in my late 40s. So out came the benzos. 20 years later, I am off the antidepressants, and have been titrating off the benzos for 4 years. I still have one year left. Before I was educated about benzodiazepines, I tried to cold turkey many times, and a couple of times I almost died. At 5 ft 9, I had wasted down to 110 lbs. I finally found some YouTube channels. I found out not to talk to my doctors about trying to get off of it. I just kept getting my prescriptions and doing my titration. I built up a little stash from being paranoid, knowing that if my doctor died or moved or something, someone might cut me off suddenly. What a freaking nightmare. Oh yeah, no more yearly checkups for this girl. I'm good.

11:23 This is why Americans, including me, mistrust all medical professionals any more.

This is why you should be well educated about your health conditions and unless an immediate life threatening issue research a drug before you take it. I have learned as much as possible about my health conditions and medications. You have to be your own advocate.

I took Klonopin for a long time. I thought it was helping me to get to sleep. Then I took a sleep study and I took all of my usual medications. I thought that the study would turn up nothing, because I thought that I had slept like a log. When the results came back, I was horrified to see that I had actually been awake until 4 am, according to the alpha brain waves that were shown on the study. Years later, I learned that Klonopin is an amnesiac, meaning that you forget whatever is happening. I hadn't slept much at all that night, but Klonopin made me forget it after I woke up. No wonder I used to wake up every morning and feel like I hadn't slept at all.

I’m so far gone that I wish I could cry.I can’t even cry anymore.There is simply nothing…total emptiness

Today's doctor's are little more than salespersons for big pharma.

Back in 1992, had something happen that never happened before. I was told it was a panic attack. I never took drugs before, no pharmaceuticals. I trusted doctors and believed in their ability when prescribing, that they forwarned me. They put me on benzodiazepines but never said the dangers, never told me they were short term only and highly addictive. Now over 30 years, if I don't take them I go through severe seizure withdrawals that are horrendous. I wish I was warned. Wish I never was on this stuff. What doctors failed to do was check for anything else like checking my thyroid which mimics panic disorders. I ended up finding out that was my problem all along after getting dignosed and they run in my family. I hate being addicted to something I didn't need and the fault of doctors not disclosing to me what that drug did.

Wonder how many of these depressed people are low in vitamin D? Docs put me on one after another antidepressant which I was desperate enough to try. NONE worked. Decades later and after a Godly prayer, I got on vitamin D. THAT took the depression 100% The fatigue went with it and it felt as if my body started recovering. Went from bedridden 21-23 hours a day to doing martial arts. Quit for a while since my doc told me my levels were too high and after one month I was down again which lead to a long HUGE stress induced period. Im back on now and feel great!

Finally a decent documentary.

I've been on Adderall and Zoloft for a few years at this point and I've had a few, small, side effects, but the benefits greatly outweigh the side effects. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones.

18:56 Mental health professionals NEVER recognize grief.

It's almost like many of these drugs are designed to make more symptoms so they describe more kinds of drugs to those symptoms, a endless cycle.

My heart really goes out to Dave, you can see the loss of glimmer in his eyes. He looks exhausted and overwhelmed from all of the pain these drugs have caused him. I can relate so much to you Dave. Keep going with withdrawals no matter how hard they get, it does get slowly better but you definitely need to give yourself time. Lots and lots of time (unfortunately)

Akathisia is one of the worst experience ,almost always ends in self inflicted death. Doctors have know about Akathisia since 1949..

My grandmother had bipolar disorder and she was in and out of hospitals most of her life. I inherited the same illness, and because of psychiatric medications, I am able to work and live independently. My big question is, why do people not believe that the mentally ill have an actual disorder that needs to be medically treated like physical disorders? The psychologist in this documentary doesn't believe this, but I can assure you that she is absolutely wrong. When I am at my most ill, there are things that my brain makes me do, that isn't possible when I am well. You can't tell a veteran who might be experiencing panic attacks, hallucinations, sleep disturbances, ect that they shouldn't use medications in order to help them get through their trauma. You know what is going to happen? They are going to use alcohol and drugs to treat their problems themselves and many end up homeless because of this.

Dave does feel and empathize. He reached out and touched his fellow veteran to comfort her.

Benzos saved my life. When I was going through severe panic attacks, crippling anxiety and severe insomnia. I don’t think I’d be alive if I didn’t have benzos for a few months. I could see how one could become dependent so I got off once the panic subsided while getting therapy etc.

I'm currently deprescribing from unnecessary medications. When I get there I'm going to make a series of videos on how to do it with the types of medications I've been wantonly prescribed over the years. If I make the share price of just one of these pharmaceutical companies fall by just a penny, I've done my job.

I went to this doctor once because I was having problems with my heart racing and not kicking back into rhythm everyday. It made me nervous and worried which probably made the condition worse. The doctor put me on Zoloft, Paxil, and Xanax. I took it once then trashed it never to take it again. It's crazy to me how I probably had a temporary heart or nervous system condition but was being treated like there was something wrong with my mind.

pharmaceutical companies prioritizing money over human life, it isnt even suprising