Re: My Son was a victim!! + Letter to Cato

[Guest guest]

Thanks for sharing this! It feels so good to hear of similar

stories! I know at the time we were told it was just for attention,

and it helped the majority of people so it would help us. I've heard

of many people 'feeling like a burden to their family' on

paxil/seroxat a few of my mums friends have experienced it, and one

of their stories was similar to mine, she felt such a burden because

the nightmares and hallucinations she experienced were so real she

had thought she killed her son (for me it was my best friend and i

was on my way to the police station) This caused me to start to self

harm, and TRY to kill myself, which i hadnt ever experienced in my

life before. Like you said, these are just the beginnings of our

problems, to tell it all would turn into a novel, and i was only on

it a few months, suicidalness was answered by raising the dose.

Again, thank you for sharing keep up with the media, right now it

seems the only thing that the government and drug companies answer

to, hits in their shares...money!

jeni

> Hi,

> Here is an email I sent to Cato and his response.

> This is only the tip of the ice berg of the reactions my son had.

> To write everything that happened to him in those 12-13 days would

> take time. (like- throwing himself down on ground and screaming

the

> morning before the incident) His friends witnessed this. He was

> crying all the time and saying things like he was a burden to his

> family and friends.

> Thank you

> Lorna Thurston

>

>

> Hi ,

> > I live in Idaho.

> > My son was just 18 and a senior in high school. He was taking

extra

> > computer classes and would go to school 1 hour early.

> > He had completed Cisco, Computer Tech, Video grahics and others.

> > He was having trouble sleeping and getting up early in the

> morning. I

> > sent him to the clinic and a physicians helper ordered him

paxil. I

> > called the clinic and asker her is this was the right medication

to

> give

> > him. I said that I would prefer something that he could take

just

> once in

> > a while when he was having trouble sleeping.

> > She pretty much insisted and on the second day I thought that my

> son was

> > acting differently. I called the clinic with my concerns and

never

> > received a call back. So, I thought that maybe I was over

reacting.

> > My sons friends noticed his strange behavior and were afraid he

> would

> > commit suiside.

> > I was not told of this at the time

> > On around the 10-11 day my son quit taking the paxil and on the

12-

> 13 day

> > he went crazy and broke my back window and left the house

screaming

> for no

> > real reason and went to town, which is about a block from our

house

> and

> > broke windows and a radio shack window.

> > This is a very small town.

> > He was arrested and was in jail with a 6,000 bail.

> > If you know this town and Idaho you would understand.

> > He could not graduate from high school.

> > I kept calling the jail because I was afraid of what he might do.

> > When he got out of jail he tried to hang himself.

> > I put him into counceling and he is well now with no other

> medications

> > given to him.

> > He is now on felony probation and faces us to 4 years in prison

if

> he does

> > anything wrong.

> > This has mentally and financially strained our family and I am

still

> > paying the attorney.

> > When my son went to court my attorney tried to tell them about

the

> paxil

> > but the prosecutor just shook his head.

> > When my son was sentenced the judge said he thought that the

paxil

> may

> > have done it but my son was going to pay.

> > This is a horrible drug and it doesn't seem that anyone

understands

> or

> > listens to what this can do to some people.

> > Thank you,

> > Lorna Thurston

> >

> Here is the email I received from Cato:

>

> Thank you for your message. This was a terrible thing that

happened

> to your

> son and family. I cannot tell you the number of similar stories

I've

> heard

> in the two years that I've been writing about this local case and

the

> potential tie to medication. Much of the public reaction when I

first

> started reporting this was that the family was looking for a cop

out.

> That

> sentiment seems to be changing - drastically. Especially with the

> minimal

> government reaction here and in the U.K., people now appear to be

> giving

> more to the notion that these drugs can cause severe side effects.

I

> hope

> all goes well with your family and your son. Thank you again for

your

> message. I plan to work on a much larger story examining this

issue.

> I may

> want to use some of your story then. I'll contact you again if I

do.

>

> Sincerely,

>

> Cato

> The Herald

> Rock Hill, SC

> (803) 329-4071