"Doing nothing except terminating some of the most egregious prescriptions… resulted in a 23% reduction in their death rate," explained a doctor regarding a 2007 study.

AMA journal reported that 23% of patients were incorrectly diagnosed or experienced delays in diagnosis. In 1975, medical "treatments" caused more than 10x as many deaths as illegal drugs.

“What is wrong with our focus on the ‘drug war’ when 200,000 die each year from prescription drugs [vs.] 20,000 who die as a result of illegal drug use?”

From this 1995 study done by pharmacists in an attempt to curb the high number of prescription drug deaths, they found that every year approximately 200,000 die from prescription drug reactions when taking medications “as prescribed”. That is as many deaths every week as we suffered on 9/11 and America went to war for over a decade… Where is that kind of outcry for these deaths?! (And if the rate was that high two decades ago, just how much of an increase has there been since then?) And another 80,000 die from medical malpractice… Everyone is asking, “Where is the FDA?” Busy approving another new drug? And how many more will die from that one? A two-year Los Angeles Times investigation published in December 2000 found that the seven medications approved since 1993 have been withdrawn after reports of deaths and severe side effects. In the article written by Times Staff Writer David Willam, it states, “The FDA approved each of those drugs while disregarding danger signs or blunt warnings from its own specialists. Then, after receiving reports of significant harm to patients, the agency was slow to seek withdrawals…

What do you know about the medication you are currently taking?

What do you know about the dangers of taking the drugs you are taking in combination with one another?

Even more frightening to ask is “What does your doctor know or not know about the answers to these questions?”

International Coalition for Drug Awareness

“Doing nothing except terminating some of the most egregious prescriptions… resulted in a 23% reduction in their death rate.”

This situation is even worse for the elderly, who have more time to be put on an increasing number of medications, and due to their altered physiology, are also the most vulnerable to the harmful effects of those medications. For example, from 2009-2016, after two billion office visits were assessed, it was found that for adults over 65, 65.1% were on two or more drugs, 48.9% were on four or more, and 36.8% were on more than five (with the highest use occurring in the oldest Americans). One of the best illustrations of the problem came from a study that compared 119 disabled elderly adults living in nursing homes to 71 matching controls. These patients (on average, were on 7.09 medications) were screened for which of their medications clearly met the existing criteria for being discontinued (on average 2.8 per patient). After those medications were discontinued in the test group, when compared to the controls who remained on all of their existing prescriptions, it was found that: The death rate dropped by 53% (in one year, 45% of the control group died, whereas 21% of the test subjects died). The annual rate of hospital referrals dropped by 60.7% (30% of the controls vs. 11.8% of the study)… In short, doing nothing except terminating some of the most egregious prescriptions for our elders (who often lack the autonomy to refuse their prescriptions) resulted in a 23% reduction in their death rate. When you consider that many of these drugs… frequently have a variety of other concerning side effects (e.g., triggering dementia), the absurdity of this situation (e.g., that this pivotal study never changed how we practice medicine) becomes apparent.

A Midwestern Doctor + 2007 study link

Contents

1. Context: Pharmaceutical Drug Harms

2. Pharmaceuticals & Diagnostics, Generally + Overprescription

3. We’re Happy to Be Your Research Assistant

4. See Also

Context: Pharmaceutical Drug Harms

Establishment medicine providers routinely utilize diagnostic testing and “treatments” that cause harm (“adverse”, “side” effects). Get verifiable evidence of the harms, organized by drug, treatment, or test (mammograms, CT scans, antibiotics, statins, benzos, etc).

1. Pharmaceuticals & diagnostics, generally + over-prescription (you’re here)

2. Acid blockers: PPIs, acid reflux, GERD, heartburn, gastric ulcer drugs

3. ADHD drugs, stimulants

4. Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s drugs

5. Antibiotics

6. Asthma, allergy & hay fever drugs, antihistamines

7. Blood pressure drugs

8. Chemotherapy, other cancer drugs, radiation

9. Diabetes drugs, metformin

10. Osteoporosis drugs, bisphosphonates

11. Over the counter drugs (OTCs)

12. Pain relievers, NSAIDs, opioids

13. Psychiatric drugs: antidepressants, SSRIs, anti-anxiety, benzos, other psychotropics

14. Scans, radiology, & ultrasounds (e.g. mammograms, CT scans, X-rays)

15. Seizure drugs, anticonvulsants, anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs)

16. Sleeping pills, sedatives

17. Statins

18. Steroids

19. Vaccines

20. Weight loss drugs

Pharmaceuticals & Diagnostics, Generally + Overprescription

1. “Prescription Drugs Are the Leading Cause of Death: And psychiatric drugs are the third leading cause of death” (2024) — “Overtreatment with drugs kills many people, and the death rate is increasing. It is therefore strange that we have allowed this long-lasting drug pandemic to continue, and even more so because most of the drug deaths are easily preventable.” See also: Examining the Legacy: Prescription Drugs and Mortality in the US; “Given Peter Gøtzsche’s background… his critique of the pharmaceutical industry’s influence on science and healthcare practices gives weight to scrutinizing drug safety and efficacy. This highlights the importance of ongoing scrutiny, transparency, and accountability by all citizens in response to big pharma, which we know has a giant clutch on world healthcare.” See also: ‘Prescription Drugs Are the Leading Cause of Death’ according to Peter Gotzsche, Co-Founder of the Cochrane Collaboration; “Peter Gotzsche was named Professor of Clinical Research Design and Analysis at the University of Copenhagen in 2010 and was the co founder of the Cochrane Collaboration which was for a long time considered to be the world’s preeminent independent medical research organisation… We should all heed his warning that most drug deaths are preventable and most people that have died a prescribed drug death didn’t need them in the first place. Gøtzsche… has published more than 97 papers in the “big five” medical journals (JAMA, Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, British Medical Journal, and Annals of Internal Medicine) and authored books on medical issues including Deadly Medicines and Organized Crime. ‘We could easily get our drug pandemic under control,’ says Peter who says that this is the tragedy, ‘but when our politicians act, they usually make matters worse’ due to being so heavily lobbied by the drug industry which has made drug regulation ‘much more permissive than it was in the past.’” More publishers of Gotzsche’s report: The Expose and James Lyons-Weiler and Brownstone Institute See also: “Our Prescription Drugs Kill Us in Large Numbers (2014); “Prescription drugs are the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer in the United States and Europe.” See also: Prescription Drug Dangers; a Warning from 1975; “In the 1970s, between 10% and 15% of people in hospitals were admitted due to adverse effects of drugs they had been prescribed. ‘Even though there may be growing awareness of the dangers, drugs are still misused in an alarming fashion,’ he wrote in 1975.” See also: Exposing The Flaws In Our Broken Healthcare System with Dr. Marty Makary; “I [Dr. Mark Hyman] sit down with Dr. Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins surgeon and public health expert, to discuss the systemic issues plaguing our healthcare system and the urgent need for transparency and accountability. In this eye-opening conversation, you’ll learn: How industry influences have compromised medical education and practice; The dangers of over-medication and the rise of chronic diseases linked to our broken system; The critical role of the microbiome in health and how it’s being overlooked by mainstream medicine; Why the Covid-19 pandemic revealed deep flaws in our medical research and decision-making processes; The alarming rise of antibiotic-resistant infections and what it means for our future health.”

2. The Medical Establishment and Individual Doctors Have Taken No Responsibility for Prescribing Unimaginably Addictive Drugs, Instead Spouting Pharma Propaganda that Withdrawal Symptoms are Mild and Short-Lived — “Mark Horowitz, a Clinical Research Fellow in Psychiatry in the UK’s National Health Service… said doctors should not be prescribing antidepressants without warning patients about the difficulty of stopping the drugs. ‘You wouldn’t sell a car without brakes. I think the same should apply to antidepressants. The drugs should come with instructions on how to stop them safely.’ For decades, patients have been told that withdrawal symptoms are ‘mild and only last 2 to 3 weeks.’ But Horowitz said that’s not true for most people who’ve been taking the drugs long-term – and the longer you’re on them, the harder it is to stop.” See also: Harmed by Prescribed Medications: The Untold Story of Pharmaceutical Companies (1.25 hr video) Video also here; “Millions of people worldwide are physically dependent on commonly prescribed psychiatric drugs. While these drugs can provide effective short-term relief, pharmaceutical companies have hidden from both doctors and patients their dangerous side effects, addictive nature and long-term harm.” See also: In recovery — from antidepressants. How patients are helping each other withdraw. See also: 1-min video by Peter Gotzsche MD (“It’s easier to get off heroin than psych drugs.”) and 4-min video by psychiatrist Stuart Shipko MD on antidepressant withdrawal and drug toxicity and 5-min video of Dr. Andrew Weil, MD who speaks to the over-prescription of — and rebound affect of — pharmaceuticals, including antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds and anti-psychotics while noting what works for the long-term for anxiety and depression (including breathing techniques, exercise, CBD, etc). He also notes the fact that Xanax addiction is harder to kick than opioids.

3. It’s Business as Usual to Put Children, with their Developing Brains and Bodies, on “Cocktails of Powerful Psychotropic Drugs” — “Rates of mental illness in children are rising rapidly, with psychotropic drugs being the conventional solution… Children in the U.S. often receive cocktails of powerful psychotropic drugs that have numerous side effects and health risks, with minimal evidence of benefit in many cases. The long-term effects of polypharmacy in children remain unclear. Some experts warn these drugs alter brain development when prescribed at young ages, causing lasting changes. Alternative therapies like occupational therapy and family-based interventions are encouraged. As parents, you must advocate for your children and consider nondrug approaches to address behavioral issues.”

4. “The Alarming Trend of Inappropriate Prescribing for the Elderly” — Study shows half of older patients on NSAIDs, opiods and other “medications” don’t need them… The culprits? Proton pump inhibitors, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), opioid painkillers, and sedatives like benzodiazepines. ‘The high rate of deprescribing potential warrants prompt action to increase patient safety and decrease polypharmacy,’ the authors wrote, sounding the alarm on a silent epidemic of overprescription that could be jeopardizing the well-being of millions of older people.” See also: The War against Polypharmacy: A New Cost-Effective Geriatric-Palliative Approach for Improving Drug Therapy in Disabled Elderly People; “Objectives: To improve drug therapy and minimize drug intake… Application of the geriatric-palliative methodology in the disabled elderly enables simultaneous discontinuation of several medications and yields a number of benefits: reduction in mortality rates and referrals to acute care facilities, lower costs, and improved quality of living.” See also: THIS HAS GOT TO STOP!!; “What would happen to your body if you were put on 48 different medications? This is the average number of medications a person takes in an assisted living home in the United States.” See also: Americans Take Prescription Drugs for Nearly Half Their Lives: Study “U.S. citizens spend around half their lives ingesting prescription drugs, with the number of people taking five or more drugs at the same time rising.” See also: Please tell anybody OVER-65 in your life: BE CAREFUL with these 5 MEDICATIONS See also: Weak Evidence Can Hurt Important Ideas; “Older patients are not the same as younger patients. The chance of harm from medicine raises with age. This occurs because older patients have more drug-drug interactions, decreased drug clearance, and less robust reflex mechanisms to maintain blood pressure when standing up…. [And] there may be more risk from low blood pressure than high blood pressure. Deprescribing, therefore, is an important concept in the care of older adults.”

5. Numerous Prescription and Over the Counter Drugs Contain EDCs, which are “Among the Most Destructive Chemicals” We Encounter — See also: Top Five Tips to Avoid Dangerous Chemicals; “Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are among the most destructive chemicals in our environment. Exposure to them is linked to growth, neurological and learning disabilities, obesity, diabetes, male and female reproductive dysfunction, birth defects, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.” See also: