Fort Hood shooter was taking "prescription drugs for depression and anxiety". SSRIs?

Fort Hood shooter was Iraq vet being treated for mental health issues.

Lopez was undergoing a variety of treatments for conditions including depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances, McHugh said. He was prescribed drugs that included Ambien, a sleep aid. Lopez was fully examined last month by a psychiatrist.

There was no record of any sign he was likely to commit violence against himself or others, according to McHugh. "So the plan (going) forward was just to continue to monitor and treat him as deemed appropriate," he said.

They say that he was "prescribed drugs" but only named one, Ambien, which is used as a "sleep aid".

Ambien also has some "interesting" side effects including hallucinating and seeing dragons.

But Ambien is not used for "depression and anxiety".

Know what is used for depression and anxiety?

The usual psychotropic, anti-depressant, SSRI drugs: Celexa, Luvox, Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft etc.

In the coming days, it will be interesting to find out whether or not he was taking these mind altering medications.

Of-course the media and establishment wont be interested in looking at the real cause of this incident. They'll simply blame firearms in an attempt to push their typical gun grabbing agenda.

Prescription drugs are the root cause of spree killings.

reply to post by gladtobehere


Ill bet a c note he was taking an SSRI.

I got into an argument a few weeks back with an extremely left leaning girl who was opposed to guns but inexplicably very supportive of medicating for mental health. I believe that ssri's are more to blame for mass shootings than any other single cause.

reply to post by gladtobehere


Whay would that not surprise me? Flag and star for another uber consistent MO. And even so you would have my support for the Paxil Pistol. I just hope they're not glued on too tight... Mark Vs only have a four pound pull; and I'd hate to chew at it hard.
If Glad doesn't object I'd like to retain the image for a tshirt, it's a classic yet to be.

EDIT:: On second guess, it may be a Beretta bottle.. missed the hump.
In any event bullets aren't as deadly as pills; and pills are unfortunately more plentiful.

If the shooter was being treated for anxiety with Benzo's such as Klonopin, Xanax, Valium, etc., they have a high and quick rate of tolerance in the body. Abruptly stopping them can cause a fairly normal person to completely lose it and do things unimaginable and out of character.
I've seen this happen with 2 of the kindest people I've ever known. Both were in a completely psychotic state of mind, thinking, speaking and acting insane in every sense of the word.

ElOmen
i love how were allowed to discuss all these prescription drugs but one mention of the "herb" and its 404 time.
Shows the cowardly compliance to the system were living in which will lead to no progress if were not allowed to discuss these issues.

edit on 3-4-2014 by ElOmen because: (no reason given)

edit on 3-4-2014 by ElOmen because: (no reason given)

We can discuss almost anything here, except the direct consumption or promotion of those things. I was forced onto some very strong derived compound over twenty years ago: and will never advocate for the use of a crutch to replace real processing. What we're sustaining here as a country, the OP in particular may be the reaping of "easy".
I voluntarily ramped off, and instead did the work. It was worth it.

I don't think the link between SSRI medications and this kind of event is necessarily very strong at all.

Whilst it's true it tends to be a consistent factor, it's also true that SSRI medication is prescribed to people suffering mental health conditions. I would suggest that people commit these kinds of attrocities because they suffer mental health problems.

What would be interesting to know is how consistently these people have been taking their medication. I don't know if that's something that can be determined from pathology though.

Anyhow, this isn't about medication or guns - it's about how people with mental health conditions are treated clinically. The simple truth is, simply prescribing pills is not the answer in some cases. Access to improved behavioural therapies may not be available though. I would suggest this is particularly the case with episodic conditions such as Schizophrenia.

ElOmen
i love how were allowed to discuss all these prescription drugs but one mention of the "herb" and its 404 time.
Shows the cowardly compliance to the system were living in which will lead to no progress if were not allowed to discuss these issues.

edit on 3-4-2014 by ElOmen because: (no reason given)

edit on 3-4-2014 by ElOmen because: (no reason given)

Only legal drugs sadly.

Even though alcohol and tobacco kill millions and are far more deadly than other drugs which one may not discuss here.

Been there, done that.

Currently dealing with PTSD and have undergone SSRI treatment. The SSRI was probably the most brutal ordeal I've ever gone through in terms of how it affected my mental capacity and general outlook on life. Basically, I was completely "numb" to the world. Getting off them is very difficult, and trying to return to reality is even more difficult - but that may be a symptom of PTSD, well since I still deal with similar issues. Initially, I actually begged my psychiatrist to give me something since I knew I wasn't "right in the head". If this shooter was dealing with depression, or PTSD I can only say I empathize with him. What he did was wrong and was likely just the next step in a natural progression of events.

The most important thing to take away from this is that a military member who suffers from PTSD or similar issues, can seek medical attention. But, don't be fooled into thinking the medical attention he gets from the military is anywhere the same as the civilian sector. At the end of the day, the mission of the military is to rehabilitate members to be servicable - not cured.

It really frustrates me when people blame killing sprees on mental health. I am currently undergoing treatment for PTSD, adjustment disorder, depression and anxiety. These illnesses make me no different to the next person. The root cause is America's stance on guns. You rarely ever hear about this sort of thing happening anywhere else and the frequency of shooting sprees taking place in the US is truly scary. Please do not paint mental health with this brush.

Also, in the spirit of denying ignorance - I think some people misunderstand what's meant when they read X-Drug 'causes hallucinations' or suchlike.

To receive a license, a new drug has to meet very stringent research and testing parameters. If even an extremely small number of test subjects experience a side-effect (such as hallucination) then it becomes a listed side-effect. This number might even be as small as two people if I remember correctly. You have to remember this is out of hundreds - if not thousands - of test subjects. The more severe the side-effect, the larger the test group basically.

This, however, is particularly tricky when it comes to drugs dealing with mental health conditions. If you were developing a drug for - say - Schizophrenia then it might be expected that some of the test subjects experience hallucinations as it's a symptom of their condition anyhow. Identifying whether that has anything to do with the actual drug is tricky for that very reason. I'm not sure how that's done, to be honest.

Anyhow, sleep drugs are particularly problematic with hallucinations as they alter the state of sleep and consciousness. As such, the 'threshold' for perceived side-effects such as hallucinations is much higher for a drug to become licensed.

reply to post by gladtobehere


Every time, whatever the weapon, it's someone on some neuro-transformative medication.

Rare side effects of Ambien:

Rare
Attack, assault, or force
black, tarry stools
change in walking and balance
clumsiness or unsteadiness
cough
delusions
dementia
difficulty swallowing
dizziness
hives
itching
lack of feeling or emotion
pale skin
puffiness or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes, face, lips, or tongue
skin rash
sore throat
sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips or in the mouth
swollen glands
thoughts of killing oneself or changes in behavior
tightness in the chest
troubled breathing with exertion
uncaring
unusual bleeding or bruising

Yikes.

reply to post by GogoVicMorrow


No bet.

It's time and past for someone in congress to grow a set and call for hearings on this sort of crap.

Yes, I realize the odds on anything being done are slim to none, but a growing awareness on the publics part could actually spur someone to actually begin the process of controlling an out of control pharmacological oligarchy.

When the drugs side effects begin to sound scarier than what they're treating, something is very, very wrong.

...and if someone won't grow a set, it's time to put someone in who will.

Then again, that would require some work on our part, wouldn't it?

reply to post by Domo1


As I say above - the rare side effect list for virtually any drug will be extensive and scary because of the reporting threshold in testing. For instance, this is the rare list for penicillin V potassium (oral) - something the vast majority of posters on here will have taken at one point or other. This is from WebMD, btw.

Discolored Spots and Small Elevations of the Skin Severe
Hairy Tongue Severe
Acute Pustular Eruptions on Skin Severe
Allergic Reaction causing Inflammation of Blood Vessels Severe
Vocal Cord Swelling Severe
Hepatitis caused by Drugs Severe
Interstitial Nephritis Severe
Clostridium Difficile Bacteria Related Colitis Severe
Erythema Multiforme Severe
Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Severe
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome Severe
Seizures Severe
The Appearance of Crystals in the Urine Severe
Abnormal Liver Function Tests Severe
Allergic Reaction caused by a Drug Severe
Allergic Reaction causing Serum Sickness Severe
Destruction of Red Blood Cells by Body's Own Antibodies Severe
Low Platelet Count and Bleeding from Immune Response Severe
Decreased Blood Platelets Severe
Deficiency of Granulocytes a Type of White Blood Cell Severe
Decreased White Blood Cells Severe
Increased Eosinophils in the Blood Severe
Feeling Restless Less Severe
Problem Behavior Less Severe
Tooth Discoloration Less Severe
Dizzy Less Severe
Chronic Trouble Sleeping Less Severe
Candida Fungus Infection of Mouth, Skin, Nails or Vagina Less Severe
Anemia Less Severe
Confused Less Severe
Anxious Less Severe

Like I say, the threshold of testing means that some or all of these listed side-effects may be entirely unrelated to penicillin - but they were observed, and are hence listed.

Anyhow, my point is that poring over the potential side-effects of this or that is most likely pointless. Mentally ill people commit attrocities - usually in conjunction with suicide. The key to solving this problem is improving the care they're provided.

Simply going to the doctor and being given pills might well be fine for Joe Bloggs who suffers mild depression. It's simply no good for Adam Lanza and his ilk. People really need to think about this, in my opinion.

haven123
Prescription drugs are the root cause of spree killings.

But wait, these drugs are used in every country, but only in the US they are causing killing spree's

Seriuosly ATS that really dosn't make sense

You guy's are trying way to hard to blame the drugs...

Mianeye

But wait, these drugs are used in every country, but only in the US they are causing killing spree's

Seriuosly ATS that really dosn't make sense

America is pretty much the only country where the gun is Worshipped and readily available to anyone

reply to post by KingIcarus


I tried to quote the bottom section of your post , but it didn't work.

I agree that its not just about the pills, but the quality of care and most importantly the shortage/lack of good care in this country.

I'm not sure how its all done in the military, but civilian mental healthcare in this country is past broken to the point of being reactive instaead of proactive.

blupblup

Mianeye

But wait, these drugs are used in every country, but only in the US they are causing killing spree's

Seriuosly ATS that really dosn't make sense

America is pretty much the only country where the gun is Worshipped and readily available to anyone

edit on 3/4/14 by blupblup because: (no reason given)

There is your problem maybe....Nah! That can be it....