Reader Opinion
From: Dr. Ann Blake Tracy
To: Al Colombo
Date: Tue, 29 Jun 1999 11:43:08 EDT
Subject: Columbine shooting and SSRI antidepressants
Someone just sent me a link to your article on Prozac and children who kill. Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, etc. have been my main area of expertise for the last ten years. I have been testifying as an expert in the criminal court cases for over seven years now and am the author of Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? The article you quoted in your piece made the following statement:
"Though Prozac does indeed help many people suffering from depression, it appears that it does indeed also drive many into homicidal rages."
If you have any contact with the writer, would you please let her know that Prozac needs no one to defend it by saying that it helps in depression. The day will come that we will recognize that the drug is so similar to PCP and LSD that we will question why we ever accepted the drug as helpful in any way. In my opinion it is the most dangerous group of drugs the world has ever seen - not just because of its damage to the brain and the body, but because of its very widespread acceptance by the public and physicians.
Thank you for helping to educate others about the dangers of these so called "medications."
Dr. Ann Blake Tracy, Director,
International Coalition For Drug Awareness
www.drugawareness.org
Dr. Tracy,
Thank you for writing to me regarding one of my Prozac stories, etc. I had a 16-year-old male write in to me because of the story you cited, angry because he felt that I did him a disservice. According to him, if he doesn't get his Prozac, he will surely commit suicide. It's totally amazing how wrong society has been to their children--all because of 1) profit and 2) convenience.
I will pass your comment on to the individual who sent me these comments. Do you mind terribly if I quote you in a future story? I'm working on one at this time. It seems that many of the most recent school tragedies have a common threat: kids on socialized drugs.
Best Regards,
Al Colombo
Journalist/Writer
Mr. Colombo
How very sad!! When I get comments like that I ask them how they can feel that a drug is helping them when the developer has come out so strongly against it calling it "a monster" she created. Why would anyone want to take a drug that the developer herself is against?!! Then I share with them this excerpt from a letter I received in September, 1997 written by a British nurse:
"I started having bad reactions . . . Oct '96 (almost one year ago) I found Prozac to be causing joint and muscle pain itself. I also became concerned that I was developing signs of Cushing's Syndrome.". . . I was very pro-Prozac until last October and wouldn't have listened to anything said against it until I got problems (thought it was saving my life, while all the time it was insidiously and slowly killing me!) When I first heard about your book (Prozac: Panacea or Pandora?) on the Internet I was interested but quite skeptical. However, since reading it and having suffered so many problems with Prozac, I have come to the conclusion that the book is brilliant, and a life-line as far as I am concerned. I tried to fault the research and reasoning, but could not and still can't. I would like to extend my thanks to you for your heroic stance on this enormously important issue. I have tremendous respect and admiration for your hard work, determination and courage in pursuing this subject so vigorously, against so much powerful opposition for the benefit of people like me. Your integrity puts many, if not most doctors and psychiatrists to shame. It is reassuring to find that there are a few people in the world who are prepared to fight for the truth for the benefit of mankind. . . ."
You will be interested to know that I am shooting a piece for PBS on these meds and kids this coming Wednesday.
Dr. Ann Blake Tracy, Director,
International Coalition For Drug Awareness
