PUBLIC FORUM ON ANTIDEPRESSANT DRUGS
Established Risks,
Proven Alternatives
Tuesday, December 6, 2005
7:00 pm
Mill Valley Community Center
180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CAFree Admission
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trial in early 2006. FDA warnings about antidepressant use increasing the risk of suicidality began a few months too late for Timothy “Woody” Witczak, 37, who committed suicide after being prescribed Zoloft for stress-related insomnia. (Witczak had no
history of depression.) Numerous studies now link antidepressant use with increased depression and aggression, conditions such as liver failure, heart damage and birth defects, and many disturbing withdrawal symptoms. Suppression of safety and effectiveness documents by drugmakers has been officially verified.
As a result, recent industry reports now show as much as a 25% reduction in U.S. antidepressant prescriptions written. Growing public and professional concern, and the need for information on viable alternatives, has prompted a “Public Forum on Antidepressants Drugs: Established Risks, Proven Alternatives.” With depression rates at their highest in winter, the Forum has been scheduled for Tuesday, December 6, 2005. All those interested are invited to attend. Admission is free.
Forum Topics and Speakers
• Karen Barth Menzies, Los Angeles partner of Baum Hedlund, and one of Lawyer’s Weekly USA’s Top Ten Lawyers of 2004, is lead attorney for Witczak v. Pfizer. Ms. Barth Menzies will address antidepressant-induced suicide risks and side effects with evidence from past and current legal cases. She has twice testified before the FDA and has met often with House and Senate members. As the most quoted attorney on these matters, she has appeared on CNN, Good Morning America, and Larry King Live.
Effective alternative treatments for depression and SSRI withdrawal:
• Julia Ross, MA, MFT, Executive Director of Mill Valley’s Recovery Systems Clinic and author of The Mood Cure, will discuss alternative approaches to depression treatment that research and clinical experience have found can be as effective as antidepressant medication, including the use of brain-targeted nutrients, exercise, bright light, and psychotherapy. These therapies offer a new front line of defense against depression.• Beth McDougall, MD, Medical Director of the Clear Center of Health in Mill Valley will discuss her patients’ positive and negative experiences with antidepressant drugs, her clinical successes using brain nutrients as alternatives, and a new holistic medical therapy for eliminating severe SSRI withdrawal syndrome.
Personal story of recovery from depression and Paxil withdrawal:
• Cary Murphy, RN will tell her story of seven years on Paxil, her traumatic withdrawal experience, and the alternative treatment that resolved both withdrawal and depression symptoms.
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Antidepressant Forum Informational Links*******
• Sponsor Information
• Speaker Biographies
• Effective Alternatives to Antidepressants: Background and Research
• Antidepressant Drug Risks: Side Effects, Lawsuits, Studies and Government Warnings
• SSRI Withdrawal Support
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Hawthorn Health & Nutrition Institute,
The Recovery Systems Clinic and
Clear Center of Health
For further information click on the links above or call
The Recovery Systems Clinic at (415) 383-3611
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