kong
05-04-2012, 12:21 AM
No More Drug-Induced Veteran Deaths!
Hundreds of young military veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are going to sleep and never waking up. This fact is disturbing enough. But even worse, it may be preventable. Tell the VA that ignoring veteran deaths from prescription drugs is not just careless--it is downright unethical. These veterans' doctors are prescribing them the drug Seroquel for insomnia and it is causing them to die of Sudden Cardiac Death. Even the DoD's own advisory board has recommended against it. Manufactured by Astra Zeneca, Seroquel was first introduced in 1997 to treat Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia, not PTSD. To make matters worse, Seroquel should not be given to patients who are taking anti-depressants as this increases the risk of its side effects--side effects that include death. With anti-depressants being the first line of defense in treating PTSD, this puts our troops at an even higher risk of drug interaction complications. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a complicated, nuanced problem and should be treated as such. Indiscriminately prescribing drugs to treat it without considering the side effects is clearly doing more harm than good.
Please sign this petition telling the House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs to investigate the widespread use of Seroquel for our nation's military.
http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AGmVz/zmwJ/Zn0E
Thanks for taking action!
Kathleen
ThePetitionSite
Tell the VA: No More Drug-Induced Veteran Deaths!
Hundreds of young military veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are going to sleep and never waking up. This fact is disturbing enough. But even worse, it may be preventable. Tell the VA that ignoring veteran deaths from prescription drugs is not just careless--it is downright unethical. These veterans' doctors are prescribing them the drug Seroquel for insomnia and it is causing them to die of Sudden Cardiac Death. Even the DoD's own advisory board has recommended against it. Manufactured by Astra Zeneca, Seroquel was first introduced in 1997 to treat Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia, not PTSD. To make matters worse, Seroquel should not be given to patients who are taking anti-depressants as this increases the risk of its side effects--side effects that include death. With anti-depressants being the first line of defense in treating PTSD, this puts our troops at an even higher risk of drug interaction complications. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a complicated, nuanced problem and should be treated as such. Indiscriminately prescribing drugs to treat it without considering the side effects is clearly doing more harm than good.
Please sign this petition telling the House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs to investigate the widespread use of Seroquel for our nation's military.
http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AGmVz/zmwJ/Zn0E
Thanks for taking action!
Kathleen
ThePetitionSite
Tell the VA: No More Drug-Induced Veteran Deaths!