Calls for better monitoring of antipsychotic drug linked to hundreds of deaths 

Congrats on your recovery. Most people don't realize that psilocybin can be used as a miracle medication to save lives.

To be honest, mushrooms are one of the most amazing things on the planet and it is natural, they serve in many ways not only for mental related issues.

Can you help me with a reliable source I would really appreciate it. Many people talk about mushrooms and psychedelics but nobody talks about where to get them. It is very hard to get a reliable source here in Switzerland. Really need!

Yes, Sporeville. I have the same experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and addiction... Mushrooms definitely made a huge difference to why I'm clean today.

I wish they were readily available in my place. Microdosing was my next plan of care for my husband. He's 59 & has many mental health issues plus probably CTE & a TBI that left him in a coma 8 days. It's too late now I had to get a TPO as he's 6'6 300+ pound homicidal maniac. He's constantly talking about killing someone. He's violent. Anyone reading this Familiar w/ BPD knows if it is common for an obsession with violence.

Glad to hear this mine too have balanced my brain to live a normal life with a few side effects

The story in this videos seems like negligence not necessarily the drug

@@uraninite8151the person should have read the leaflet as it states do not drink alcohol and a psychiatrist usually tells you do not drink on it.

Same, mine was hospitalized 23x before this medication and it has saved his life

"People should take responsibility" its the doctor's and community mental health team's job to ensure people are complying with treatment including NOT drinking alcohol or at least working to quit drinking. Especially with a serious mental illness like schizophrenia. Otherwise what are these health workers getting paid for?

​​​@@GridSeerplease explain to me how a doctor is going to prevent someone from going and having a pint, I'm sorry but studying medicine does not make you omniscient nor able to teleport to the patients location, furthermore it would probably be illegal for you to try and stop them, it's not illegal for pregnant woman to drink after all. There is only so much health care professionals are physically/ethically able to do, they cannot force an obese patient with cardiac issues into a diet, they cannot force people to take all the rounds of antibiotic treatment, they cannot make schizophrenic people not drink alcohol, people have a certain degree of bodily autonomy, and while yes there are exceptions to this, health care professionals cannot force someone to treat themselves under the majority of circumstances, patients have a right to refuse treatment, cancer patients have a right to deny chemo, even if their cancer is curable. Of course, this is somewhat mute when the providers do not give appropriate counsel, but the point is that even if they do, there's only so much the healthcare system can do.

Yeah pretty much all medications say no alcohol, however, the lady in the video is saying that those in charge of his treatment said otherwise and that is the issue. You cant expect psychiatric patients to heavily scrutinize every detail of the pamphlet.

@@RattyTheTruth yeswe do ..were mad ....not stupid

If I was put on a powerful drug I might do some research on what I was taking and the side effects.

Of course we do ffs,if people were honest,many psychiatric patients take very little responsibility for their own physical and mental health.And perhaps channel 4 would like to broadcast how many people in care accrue so much money that they have to have yearly spend ups so their benefits aren't stopped.No one wants to address that do they?

In the uk people always expect the government to save care of them, they don’t ever take responsibility themselves

I am so sorry I am lucky I have been ok enough to bullshit my way out of being sectioned every time it’s come close to that

Chemical straight jacket, Mainstream psychiatry is mostly dehumanising, all the best to you

@@paula622 Chemical straight jacket. I'll be using that again!

Absolutely, but in those cases you are often warned about it, which is what this is about. She just wants a warning on the packaging

@@aloe_vera3740I’ve been taking a similar antipsychotic (prochlorperazine) for years and there absolutely is ALWAYS a warning in bold on the box. I don’t understand how any of these medications could possibly not have this warning either on the front of the box or in the medical leaflet.

Exactly many antidepressants you can not drink on them either.

The benefits are likely to be higher than the risks absolutely IF patients are monitored appropriately and if all stakeholders have sufficient knowledge of clozapine.

That's true, clozapine ALWAYS HAS this risk, if doctors cannot monitor high risk drugs that requires specialized tests and secondary tests on metabolic parameters to keep it safely used, of course people will die if those resources are cut

This is crazy because I was prescribed this for anxiety after a car accident. Thank god I never took it. Some doctors are so irresponsible!

It's common knowledge not to drink 'n drive, yet people do.

If people have insomnia even on the meds that are supposed to stop it then they have to mix drugs to sleep. Insomnia retriggers psychosis when antipsychotics, or their withdrawal are involved, and for how psychosis first starts, which is usually from high stress, poor sleep, low magnesium, low zinc.

Can't always make the best decisions when you are mentally unwell, you are vulnerable.

This medication needs much more monitoring due to these major potential risks. It’s not the same as comparing it to most other medications.

She states at around 2:00 that she was badly advised. She says someone told her if he stops drinking it could be dangerous, and that him drinking and taking this drug is a nonfactor. Very strange, but practitioners say a lot of goofy stuff.

Clozapine is toxic !!

These medications are successful in most cases I take different ones but never touch alcohol now and they have helped me enormously

And clozapine isnt toxic ?

​@@meesh.G Not at the right dose.

@@amoxzi toxic it shrinks yr brain.!!

When I suffered a kidney infection in Pakistan, I was immediately prescribed antibiotics, painkillers and something to reduce the acidity in the urine, to reduce irritation. It was brilliant and I was better in no time. When I suffered the same infection in the UK - several times - I got screamed at that I was "just having my period" (despite me having had a hysterectomy!!!), and I was forced to wait until it was so bad that my kidneys are now permanently scarred - and then I only got antibiotics, nothing else, and only 3 days worth of them.

I’d be interested in the medications you were on and later prescribed, if you are prepared to share.

​@LittleKitty22 nothing surprising there. Typical NHS experience. But Brits will still defend NHS even on their death beds. I too have long lasting damage from NHS neglect.

get your heart rate up high every day or so for a few minutes .i know many won't believe me but it worked wonders for me after years of chronic depression and low energy etc

First world country with so much money and that crappy health care system, all the money goes to the monarchy?.

All antipsychotics cause weight gain. Reason why I refused to take them. I have bpd. Lithium is meant to be good for schizophrenia

Then that wasnt the right drug for him but it saved my sons life. He was hospitalized 23x before it and now works full time and leads a normal life

@@CoolKidsSJJE that’s great. That’s the thing not every medication works for everyone and videos like this should not scare people using medication

Understatement > they are in retrograde !!

It’s disgusting. The mismanagement is intentional and needless. Why do people with obvious connective disorders go undiagnosed for decades. Why did my doctor ignore me telling her I had pains in my groin going down my leg, ringing in my ears, throbbing temples, debilitating headaches where i would go blind and numb on my left side and kept me on the combined oral contraceptive pill

It's the same in Ireland, no monitoring

That’s what happens when we are only willing to pay pennies for a healthcare service

@@Bringon-dw8dxit has a budget of nearly £170 billion a year. If it was properly run that would be more than enough, but no big political party will reform it

LOTS of medications, and ESPECIALLY psychiatric medications, can vastly improve quality of life/lengthen life expectancy when used appropriately… key phase “when used appropriately”. Just throwing more and more medications at a person will ultimately cause more problems than the condition that is being treated. Doctors are supposed to be able to understand these nuances, but often are just concerned with processing patients as fast as possible… 😬

Thank you for this rational response

I'm a doctor too. Clozapine monitoring is much better in Australia. Monthly blood tests and physical exams with central reporting along with yearly echocardiograms. You have to be very very careful who you prescribe it to. And that includes people who use alcohol.

The real psycopaths are in charge of the country. They are never diagnosed nevermind treated.

There are no chemical answers to emotional responses to a broken society.

​@@9000ckthat's standard in England.

But if it kills one person its useless .

@@Trueblue-jx2tk that’s the media narrative but for the vast majority on it it has been the only medication that actually worked for them. End of the day comes down to quality of life. This man I guarantee that this man’s psychiatrist warned against the use of alcohol and he was fully aware of adverse side effects but he didn’t want to change his habits since he was able to get away with it for some time.

Not correct. I can guarantee you that.

@@NicholaCrawford-jw9bdGuarantee you’re clueless

long term culminating effects of Clozapine are damaging. A lot of these meds eventually kill you by causing all sorts of imbalances in the body which it spends decades compensating for. You do not die of old age I tell you that, like alcoholics and chain smokers.

If quetiapine is working for you, you don’t need clozapine. Quetiapine is a woeful antipsychotic. Clozapine is extremely effective, but leads to constipation and requires so many blood tests and careful monitoring. Clozapine is the medication used when other less potent antipsychotics fail.

I'm on that, how do you know it's harming your liver?

@@dionysusapollo The nurse told me - if you been on it for years it raises your liver ezymes, especially if your a drinker.

I’m on quetiapine, but prescribed off label by psychiatrist for chronic insomnia since childhood to be fair it’s the only drug that works, benzodiazepines just make you feel so good, I’d abuse them. But they are bad for putting weight on you, because they make you feel starving. The most ridiculous thing about mental health how many patients that complain of issues ever get a FMRI scan of their brain? Any of issue in the body we test and investigate, the brain we don’t.

You don't need any meds my friend! You're completely fine. The dark forces want to control you.

You will be joy to be around soon

Um please speak to a medical professional before you do anything like that.

Hopefully, your doctor is in agreement with what you are planning to do.

Look into the case if Joel Cauchi in Australia. He very carefully came off his medication under the supervision of his doctor. It can be done but you need family or loved ones you trust keeping a close eye on you, so you don’t relapse.

That's what it's about. Suppressing you from speaking your mind. Nobody in their right mind would stay silent. Good luck. Get off the poisons kid.

Yes, this story is terrible journalism. Interview the rest of us whose family member doesnt drink alcohol & clozapine has been lifesaving.

"Lifestyle choices"?

i'm so sorry you have been put off. It really is a game changer when administered properly.

@@karenbrownbill9000 they talked me around but I'm scared. I feel like I might be worrying every day I'm gonna die. But I can't take this stuff anymore hearing people talking to me through the TV and stuff. Phsycosis. I don't wanna get brain damage from keep being sick

@@karenbrownbill9000 positivity helps

@@karenbrownbill9000 are you one of the doctors??

@@Xboxlegand874 its very tough for you but honestly Clozapine can help. Please don't be scared. My son is on it. I wouldn't want my son on this of it wasn't the best medication for him.

there are no countries which have banned clozapine outright as far as I know.

It is not banned anywhere.

Sorry .. got that at VA

It should be it causes epilepsy & death !!

It should be it decreases mortality & causes a miriad of ' side effects ' including epilepsy..

For Gods Sake dont drink on it then. And make sure your on the lowest possible dose.

@@rog3833 scary. They're telling me it's mainly dangerous if I drink a lot and that the documentary was making it look bad. Selling me it like sales people. Sometimes I do drink tho

@@rog3833 I got autism and schizoeffective disorder. This shits to hard I got no idea what to do I said I would take it

@@rog3833 they're telling me how good it works

Unless you are literally delusional, paranoid beyond reality and consumed by voices hearing them in your mind and your bones. You most certainly do not need a powerful and destructive substance like Clozapine.

have you tried a ketogenic, zero carb carnivore diet? There are studies showing it helps massively with schizophernia as there is a metabolic component to it. Look it up yourself. There is also loads of anecdotal evidence on Reddit and RU-vid.

have you tried a ketogenic, zero carb carnivore diet? There are studies showing it helps massively with schizophernia as there is a metabolic component to it. Look it up yourself. There is also loads of anecdotal evidence on Reddit and RU-vid.

have you tried a ketogenic, zero carb carnivore diet? There are studies showing it helps massively with schizophernia as there is a metabolic component to it. Look it up yourself. There is also loads of anecdotal evidence on Reddit and RU-vid.

have you tried a ketogenic, zero carb carnivore diet? There are studies showing it helps massively with schizophernia as there is a metabolic component to it. Look it up yourself. There is also loads of anecdotal evidence on Reddit and RU-vid.

Its not shades of grey when these side effects were not even know ..its a shambles .

None is as fatal either.

It kills people & destroys health !! Try & get off it & it causes worse psychosis that you started with... there is no test for schitzophrenia.. Its lethal & shld ave been banned due to its toxicity !!

​@@katharina...And one that can be minimized with responsible use.

Try coming off

Clozapine it

Citalopram is a different drug than clozapine. Are you just making a new comment about a different drug? Just curious.

@@i_love_rescue_animals yes just commenting on a different drug, as I think most psychoactive drugs are useless or worse in most cases

sounds like bad news if you have an autoimmune disease

I believe this doesn't exist because of the complexity of the factors that could contribute hence the no alcohol.

People need to know the reason why you shouldn't drink....there's a possibility that the sedation is so extreme that your CNS could be depressed to point of breathing system stopping.

Clozapine does save life’s if used and monitored correctly. However If you lost a loved one because they were taking clozapine and they were not monitored correctly would you still feel the same way.

@@Taunton20-yu2mm I nearly lost a Lo last year when they were taken off. I totally empathise with those who have lost LO's . In a perfect world my lo wouldn't need medication.

@@Taunton20-yu2mm how would you feel if you needed clozapine akin to a diabetic needing insulin. Clozapine is an essential drug. I think we all agree the monitoring needs to be improved.

People are acting like it’s prescribed like paracetamol, it’s a serious drug and the people being given it has serious mental health issues

AIYOAOYFSHEBALABA, IATITBEFFSAFEIE. WNTBATBITHBW, PSS.

Every doctor knows clozapine is toxic !!

Actually many adults don't know, even if they are taking a daily medication they may not read any labels or safety brochures.

Adults with a serious mental condition may not know what time it is, where they are, or who the person stood in front of them is, even if they have known them for 20 years.

Delete my comment youtube its still TOXIC !! Who gives mentally compramised ppl toxins to make them.well ????

TOXIC

Zoe 22years old, Charlotte 21yrs Oliver 18yrs they were not drinkers and did not drink what killed them then?

We understood very much that this drug comes with a label that says not to drink alcohol and that the patient safety leaflet also reinforces this by saying 'Do not drink alcohol during treatment with Clozaril' It was precisely because of this that we discussed the fact that Sean enjoyed a few cans of lager with the relevant NHS trust staff and whether this should stop given the label. (In the video I say he wasn't an alcoholic but he liked a drink, not that he liked a 'good drink'). Sean shared that the cans of lager helped him relax. When we raised concerns with the professionals caring for Sean about him drinking we were told that he would be ok to drink and it was common for paranoid schizophrenics to self medicate. When we queried the label and reason why that was there if it would be ok for him to drink, we were told that this was because the alcohol could cause sedation and in fact it could be dangerous for his mental health if he stopped drinking. I did some research and read different advice from different NHS trusts, some saying some alcohol was ok and some saying not to drink but any explanation as to why was down to sedation and the need to avoid driving or operating machinary. No where did I read or understand at the time that sedation at its worst could mean depression of your central nervous system and shutting down of your respiratory system, stopping you breathing and death. Sean's case was also complex in that he had a recurring UTi (at the time we did not realise that infections could raise clozapine plasma levels), he was on other medication which we now realise could have raised his plasma levels and he had varying amounts of caffeine - can also raise plasma levels. In addition, he had chronic tachycardia (not something that was ever discussed with Sean or us as his carers). The coroner acknowledged in the inquest that the monitoring and record keeping of the trust caring for Sean was 'dangerously inadequate' - so inadequate that there were many 'red flags' that could have contributed to his death but the lack of records (e.g. lack of blood plasma tests in the year he died) and over reliance on the monthly mandatory blood testing lulling creating a false sense of security. We are absolutely not trying to pass blame. We will forever blame ourselves ultimately for not researching this drug sufficiently at the time and not having the knowledge we needed to help Sean benefit from clozapine in the way he should have. We trusted that what we were being told was accurate and that Sean was being monitored appropriately. I agreed to do this news story to raise awareness of these issues as we do not want anyone else to experience what we have - passing on this knowledge may help other families who were in a similar situation to us. I would recommend the website 'choiceandmedication.org' for anyone wishing to find more information out re clozapine.

The monthly bloods only test for a very specific side effect and do not factor in rises in plasma levels during to concomitant medication, infections like UTI despite blood toxicity monitoring criteria being introduced in August 2020. Physical health monitoring for my brother-in-law was dangerously inadequate and no blood plasma tests were carried out despite him.having 2 falls in the year he died and being retitrated onto pregabalin (a concomitant medication) This case wasn't just about alcohol but it is important to know we repeatedly raised concerns that my brother in law drank some alcohol and were always told it would be dangerous for him to stop drinking; never that he could die. You are of course entitled to your opinion but I will never consider it ridiculous to try and help prevent future deaths which is what I am trying to do as a family member of someone who has lost someone because of dangerously inadequate monitoring.

@@NicholaCrawford-jw9bd Im sorry for the loss of your family member but I discourage spreading fear about a drug that is the only available one that works for thousands of people with svhizophrenia. Without it my son hallucinates and was suicidal. We all know it is a high risk drug and nobody would take it if they had other options but this one actually works for extrememly hard to treat, severe cases of schizophrenia

My intention is not to spread fear. My intention is to spread the knowledge I gained after my brother-in-law died to help carers and family members to better support loved ones taking clozapine. For example, I wished we had known of the importance of clozapine blood plasma testing and that UTIs, caffeine and pregabalin can all raise clozapine plasma levels. I wished we'd known that the side effect of 'sedation' at its extreme can translate to falling so deeply asleep your breathing system can shut down. I wished we'd known that my brother-in-law had chronic tachycardia and that his heart rate was increasing overtime with increased plasma levels...perhaps some people are lucky enough to have detailed knowledge of the nature of the high risk that comes with clozapine - spending the last 4 years of my life researching this drug tells me there is much knowledge that sadly isn't common knowledge and often the rationale is that this knowledge could scare people. The fear for me lies within the consequences of people not having sufficient knowledge and not being in a position to be able to challenge the quality of care their loved ones are receiving.

Who labeled you without you being symptomatic?

Trying to be kind, but you are having illusions about being threatened. You’re not crazy, your brain just has some issues to fix. It is manageable on the right medication. Go to a different psychiatrist and get yourself sorted so you can live normally.

@@madjack8893 you have no discernment

Marijuana is one of the reasons antipsychotics need to exist in the first place, considering its well researched known link to schizophrenia and psychosis. Perhaps if people didn't use the harmful drug in the first place, especially during young adolescents age when the brain is still developing, perhaps more people would live healthier lives without the need of medication or locked institutions.

@@skycloud4802 Use not abuse amigo. Alcohol and some perscription drugs are far more harmful, this is also widely known research. Maybe there is a reason why alcohol is illegal to consume untill 21. I do agree, using any medication when the brain and body are developing is detremental to growth. Giving powerfull perscription drugs can also be derogatory to natural development. As for the reasons why people self medicate, they are many and complicated.

​@@skycloud4802Anti marijuana are you? All drugs have negative side effects, ibuprofen will strip out your stomach lining pretty effectively, and how many times has paracetamol been the "go to" choice for many attempting suicide? Sure take enough and it might dispatch you but it probably won't be quick, maybe a few weeks of organs slowly shutting down, terrible drugs that are found in so many shops. Just like alcohol, life destroying drug, look at how many litres there is of it in your normal sized supermarket. Ever seen someone affected by alcohol induced psychosis? Guess which is easier to treat... alcohol or marijuana induced psychosis?...Marijuana of course because it's not physically addictive, unlike alcohol. Look at frequency and the scale of use of those suffering negative effects of marijuana, it's not from a couple of joints passed around a few friends on a Friday night, it's from a huge and constant use, huge constant use of paracetamol=slow painful death.

Im agreed with you that Weed should have an age limit....21 years up i reckon......it definitely negatively affects a growing young '🧠 ' for certain,speaking from personal experience?Iv used Cannabis daily since 1989 from the young age of 15...and personally it definitely stopped my own mind from 'maturing' into a brainwashed law abiding adult properly....I feel like I'm Peter Pan tbh!....lol!😉... on a more positive note it has opened my third '👁‍🗨 ' up wide and made me a Violence/Angst averse pacifist and also a very critical thinking human being!?What a grueller eh mate....I don't imbibe alcohol and never really did as a young Man growing up as I was heavily put off drink due to familial alcohol issues and iirc I haven't been drunk for over 25 years now?🤔Alas all my peers who just drank the poisonous slop we call Beer/Spirits on their weekends off are all now mostly ruined bodily and in mind and tbbh all look 20 years older than I do now at the ripe age of 50!Aiint i lucky!🇬🇧👁😉😁👍🏻✌️

The fact is that no person can actually confirm the cause of schizophrenia. They cannot even really understand what it is. @@skycloud4802

The Anti-psychotic quetiapine helped me stabalise long enough to get intensive psychotherapy. I took it for 8 years and I've been off it for 9 months now. The withdrawals are brutal but I've been able to use therapy skills to get through most of it.

It's used for treatment resistant psychotic disorders. It's used when nothing else works for someone. They use it because it works for patients when nothing else does. We also still use thalidomide which is a known dangerous drug but it works so it's used

they hand out ssri's like sweets.

@@piddlydiddly this is not that

@Wintermute9366 I didn't say it was

​@Emma-fc3fh yeah clozapine doesntwork either.... shrinks yr brain like a walnut tho !!