Benzodiazepines (e.g. Valium) linked to brain damage

[n2doc]

MPs and campaigners predict class action after failures to mount full-scale research into warnings left millions of patients at risk

By Nina Lakhani


Secret documents reveal that government-funded experts were warned nearly 30 years ago that tranquillisers that were later prescribed to millions of people could cause brain damage.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) agreed in 1982 that there should be large-scale studies to examine the long-term impact of benzodiazepines after research by a leading psychiatrist showed brain shrinkage in some patients similar to the effects of long-term alcohol abuse.

However, no such work was ever carried out into the effects of drugs such as Valium, Mogadon and Librium – and doctors went on prescribing them to patients for anxiety, stress, insomnia and muscle spasms.

MPs and lawyers described the documents as a scandal, and predicted they could lead the way to a class action costing millions. There are an estimated 1.5 million "involuntary addicts" in the UK, and scores display symptoms consistent with brain damage.

more

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/drugs-linked-to-brain-damage-30-years-ago-2127504.html

[Tippy]

1. K&R....Good catch....

[yellerpup]

2. I found 2,000 tabs of Valium in my mom's closet

after she died. Everyone wondered aloud at how much she'd changed over the years, and now we learn exactly why. She took Valium every day for more than 30 years and died at 67. She called them "my don't-give-a-damn pills."

[Poll_Blind]

3. On researching facial dystonia I was also surprised to find a connection with Benzodiazepine use.

Here is a good example of the kinds of movements I'm talking about. I'll bet everyone here has seen people doing this and I wanted to find out why, what caused people to do that. I can't say that Benzos are the sole cause of this but from what I pulled up (and from the way America is medicated) it wouldn't seem surprising that some signifigant portion of folks you see performing these movements are as a result of prior Benzo use.

If there were a doctor or nurse who wanted to smack me around on the matter, I'd love their input.

PB

[Jackpine Radical]

5. Looks a lot like tardive dyskinesia to me.

TD is a common (and sometimes permanent) effect of various psychoactive medications, particularly the antipsychotics. Very often you don't see the TD until the drug is d/c'd because the drug both produces & masks the dyskinetic motions.

[Poll_Blind]

6. Thank you, yes- I'm sure you're right. I remember looking that up at the time as well.

Thank you for the clarification!

PB

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. Interesting that so many of the shown subjects were missing some or all teeth.

Which would exaggerate their mouth movements.

[glitch]

10. Like meth jaw. I see a lot of it around here (CA Sierra foothills). nt

[Oceansaway]

4. this explains my ex's craziness...nt

[ThomCat]

7. Wonderful. This was one of my meds.

I took it for a while for muscle spasms. I also developed let's see..."enduring neurological pain, headaches, cognitive impairment and memory loss" Yup.

Time to go discuss this one with two of my doctors. This, I will take seriously. :(

Thank you for finding this.

[polly7]

8. These drugs short-term can be lifesavers

but withdrawal can be really bad, the anxiety worse than before taking them as well as many other scary effects. My sister's Dr. stopped her meds abruptly, replacing them with Buspar, which didn't ease the withdrawal in any way. She went through hell, but is glad to be off of them. Thanks for the article, I'm going to make sure she sees this.

http://www.benzo.org.uk/manual/bzcha03.htm (just an article on withdrawal from them)

[Crunchy Frog]

11. Fuck, I need that shit just to function.