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Tranquillizers — Sleeping Pills — Anti-Depressants
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THE HIDDEN WORLDWIDE HEALTH EPIDEMIC!!
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Addiction to Prescription Drugs is 10 times the problem of illegal drugs, is far more gripping and debilitating than heroin or cocaine addiction, costs society and individuals billions of dollars and affects the quality of life of millions worldwide who become accidental addicts. |
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Are you aware of the potential serious short and long-term adverse side effects of tranquillizers and sleeping pills including cognitive impairment or brain damage which can be permanent, cross addictions to other drugs, paradoxical reactions, psycho-motor effects, creation of anxiety, depression, overdoses, suicidal ideation, emotional blunting, addiction and withdrawal etc.? |
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Are you aware that tolerance and addiction to tranquillizers and sleeping pills can occur within weeks of regular use and that you can experience debilitating withdrawal symptoms upon discontinuation and between pills? That higher dosages are needed over time to achieve the same initial effect? |
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Do you know what the withdrawal symptoms from these drugs include? |
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Do you know who to go to for medical/professional help in withdrawing from these drugs? |
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Do you drive a car or have you had accidents under the influence of these drugs? |
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Are you aware that tranquillizers and sleeping pills can cause drug induced anxiety, depression, mood disorders and other "alleged psychiatric disorders" which often disappear when the drugs are discontinued? |
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Are you a senior on long term use of tranquillizers and sleeping pills experiencing falls, problems with concentration, anxiety, depression, insomnia? |
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Are you pregnant and being prescribed tranquillizers and sleeping pills? Do you know about "floppy baby syndrome" and its similarity to "fetal alcohol syndrome"? |
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Are you one of the 20% of the world's adult population (30% of seniors) who have been prescribed tranquillizers and sleeping pills longer that 2 - 4 weeks or for intermittent use, contrary to guidelines established 20 years ago? |
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Are you aware of the high socio-economic and health costs associated with the continued misprescribing and uninformed use of these drugs including career devastation, family dysfunction, violence, deaths from overdoses, lost years, disability and life insurance claims, emergency hospital admissions etc.? |
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Do you have employees in your company whose work place productivity, judgement, decision making, emotional stability, days off work and safety are affected by their use of prescription drugs? |
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Are your health benefit costs to provide prescription drug coverage to your employees rapidly escalating? |
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Are you a disability, life or automobile insurance company experiencing increasing claims resulting from the usage of tranquillizers, sleeping pills and anti depressants? |
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Are you a prescriber of these drugs, a healthcare professional, counsellor, helping someone withdraw from their accidental or involuntary addiction or an educator in prescription drug addiction? |
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Are you aware that a recent US study revealed that fewer than 30% of prescribing doctors know how to diagnose addiction to prescription drugs? |
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Are you aware that anti-depressants (the follow up to Valium 25 years later) also have potentially serious side effects including drug-induced mania leading to suicide, suicidal ideation, violence, criminal acts, disinhibition, drug induced severe anxiety, agitation and depression, drug-induced obsessions and compulsions, drug-induced akathisia, tolerance, addiction and withdrawal etc.? |
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Are you aware that documented evidence shows that anti-depressants including Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Luvox and other mind/mood altering drugs including tranquillizers and sleeping pills (Valuim, Xanax, Ativan etc) are involved in the alarming increase in some of the murder/suicides, suicides, domestic violence, bizarre mass killings, (parents) killing children, road and air rage, school shootings and work place violence in North America? |
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The high socio-economic and health costs with the continued indiscriminate prescribing and uninformed usage of these drugs includes health and safety in the work place, career devastation, family dysfunction, productivity losses, car accidents, falls, floppy baby syndrome (similar to fetal alcohol syndrome), lost years of people's lives, lost lives, costs to the legal and justice system, workers' compensation board claims, life and disability insurance claims, social welfare costs, emergency admissions, physicians' fees, pharmacists' fees, drug costs, detox facilities and increased overall costs for healthcare and other public/private sector services. |
WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN?
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Prescription drugs are "big business" for the multi-billion-dollar international drug companies with worldwide sales estimated at $300 billion. Central Nervous System drugs including BENZODIAZEPINES (tranquillizers and sleeping pills) and ANTI-DEPRESSANTS have reached an estimated $75 billion. Drug companies spend more on marketing and promoting their drugs than on research and development — ($15 - $20,000 per doctor) and an estimated $8.3 billion in the United States in 1998. |
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People trust their doctors "to do no harm", often do not give informed consent or become knowledgeable about the risks and benefits of drug therapy (or search out other non drug alternatives or make lifestyle changes including diet and exercise). |
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The book "Addiction By Prescription" and the video, "Our Pill Epidemic," are relevant for: |
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Joan Gadsby is recognized internationally as an authority, consultant, lecturer and public speaker on the responsible and informed use of benzodiazepines ( tranquillizers and sleeping pills) and anti-depressants |
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Based on her many years of comprehensive research into addictive prescription drugs and through her own experience, Joan received an Honorary PhD for her work in this field in which she has become an internationally recognized authority,educator,advocate and presenter at many international conferences. She also continues to do media interviews throughout North America and in was in Washington,D.C filming a television program for the Retirement Living Network several years ago. Joan also provides medical and legal consulting services to various clients including lawyers, mostly in North America as her time permits. A feature film/movie project based on her book is in the development stage and remains a passion and priority for Joan. In 2003 after 12 years of costly and frustrating litigation against her former doctor and former lawyer( who was found to be egregiously negligent in the first trial), Joan made the difficult decision not to continue with a further Appeal and to move on with her life leaving behind over $2 million in economic losses and damages from her former prescription drug addiction. Joan has been off all prescription drugs for over 18 years now,has rebuilt her health,her family and her life and firmly believes God kept her alive from her unintentional overdose in February 1990 when she almost died ,to continue to carry on her important message of the horrific effects of addictive prescription drugs - an accidental and doctor induced addiction.Denial,ignorance and apathy unfortunately continue today within the medical profession while drug companies continue to be motivated primarily by money and bottom line profits for these addictive drugs. Joan has returned to her career in marketing and property development as
President of her own company, Market Media International Corporation and
in
2005 she bought 3 acres of oceanview property on which she is
developing
and building 31 villas in an exclusive niche market community in West
Sechelt on the scenic Sunshine Coast in British Columbia,Canada under the web site www.seaviewvillaestates.com. The tragic deaths of Joan's 2 beloved children,Derek in December 25,1966 with a brain tumour and Deb , May 1,1999 of breast cancer continue to have profound effects on Joan's life.Both are in her heart ,thoughts and prayers daily. The birth of her 2 grandchildren,Veronica who is 6 and August who is 3 to her daughter Carrie and her husband David,a former New Yorker,and who live minutes away from Joan's home in North Vancouver,Canada have brought new love,joy and meaning to her life.
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Disclaimer Caution Be Informed and Knowledgeable about Addictive Prescription Drugs! TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! |
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