WASHINGTON — Andrew White returned from a nine-month tour in Iraq beset with signs of post-traumatic stress disorder: insomnia, nightmares, constant restlessness. Doctors tried to ease his symptoms using three psychiatric drugs, including a potent anti-pyschotic called Seroquel.
Thousands of soldiers suffering from PTSD have received the same medication over the last nine years, helping to make Seroquel one of the Veteran Affairs Department's top drug expenditures and the No. 5 best-selling drug in the nation.
Several soldiers and veterans have died while taking the pills, raising concerns among some military families that the government is not being up front about the drug's risks. They want Congress to investigate.
In White's case, the nightmares persisted. So doctors recommended progressively larger doses of Seroquel. At one point, the 23-year-old Marine corporal was prescribed more than 1,600 milligrams per day — more than double the maximum dose recommended for schizophrenia patients.
A short time later, White died in his sleep.
"He was told if he had trouble sleeping he could take another (Seroquel) pill," said his father, Stan White, a retired high school principal.
An investigation by the Veterans Affairs Department concluded that White died from a rare drug interaction. He was also taking an antidepressant and an anti-anxiety pill, as well as a painkiller for which he did not have a prescription. Inspectors concluded he received the "standard of care" for his condition.
It's unclear how many soldiers have died while taking Seroquel, or if the drug definitely contributed to the deaths. White has confirmed at least a half-dozen deaths among soldiers on Seroquel, and he believes there may be many others.
Spending for Seroquel by the government's military medical systems has increased more than sevenfold since the start of the war in Afghanistan in 2001, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act. That by far outpaces the growth in personnel who have gone through the system in that time.
Seroquel is approved to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, but it has not been endorsed by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for insomnia. However, psychiatrists are permitted to prescribe approved drugs for other uses in a common practice known as "off-label" prescribing.
But the drug's potential side effects, including diabetes, weight gain and uncontrollable muscle spasms, have resulted in thousands of lawsuits. While on Seroquel, White gained 40 pounds and experienced slurred speech, disorientation and tremors — all known side effects.
Last year, researchers at Vanderbilt University published a study suggesting a new risk: sudden heart failure.
MORE here.
5 comments:
There's some very safe supplements you can use instead of these dangerous drugs.
5-HTP is one of the best, and it's like eating a big turkey dinner. Take 100-300mg about a half hour before bedtime, and you should sleep well all night.
Just goes to show you that a lot of these vets are coming home with a few french fries short of a happy meal
Just goes to show you that a lot of these vets are coming home damaged in ways we can't even imagine, and that the gov't is not well prepared to deal with it.
These psychiatric drugs are dangerous. Sounds like to these psychiatrists don’t do any homework. This warning was out in Jan 2009. The future of your life in their hands; a new med change affects a small percent adversely. How many of you were actually informed by the doctor about what could possibly n when put on a new med? Some pharmacies do not give out the drug information sheet with the med. Always make sure you get one of those sheets. I cannot believe these psychiatrist order a psychiatric med for post traumatic stress which is more like severe anxiety or brain damage. I know AstraZeneca PLC, the maker of this drug profits from this practice and my guess is the psychiatrist got plenty of perks, vacation trips, etc. They get away with pushing Seroquel because the government will pay for it. Who monitors these psychiatrists?
Dear 12:04 - As a vet, I am appalled at your remarks. None of us who served came home the same, and for you to write someting like this in a posting is insulting. I am sure you have watched your share of CNN to know everything about what we have gone through - you know, little things like not coming back with your legs and only part of a colon, in additon to the emotional scares left behind when you look at what is left of your buddy's head as you wait to exfil. We routinely lived in conditions that were routinely terrifying, appaling and downright dangerous, and we all looked at facing our mortality daily. How would you expect us to come back? I will not get into the details of my own personal hell upon returning home, but please examine your comments again in light of the fact that many soldiers have made sacrafices so that you can say such callous and rude things. Joe, I would appreciate you or your moderators to consider removing this. I enjoy reading your posts on a daily basis, but that really hit a nerve. I would hazzard a guess that this is some young person making the comments, but as combat vets, there is enough of a stigma placed upon us without things like this being shared.
Thanks,
a vet
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