RxISK

Free resources to help you weigh the benefits of a drug against its side effects.

[Stephen’s Voice - Suicide Prevention @VoiceStephen]

Our walk for Stephen’s 10th Anniversary and Prescribed Harm Awareness Day on 29th July is coming up.

We cannot believe it’s 10 years since we lost Stephen. 10 whole years of not hearing his laugh or seeing beautiful face come through the door.

We want to use this occasion to raise money for @antideprisks - a wonderful team led by @KatinkaNewman who are doing such great work in raising awareness, pushing for change and mobilising activists from all around the world to speak up about #PrescribedHarm

Please donate if you can, every single pound and penny is greatly appreciated 💜

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far - we are truly grateful for your support 🙏🏻

You can donate here: https://t.co/a3KpadWoav

[RxISK @RxISK]

“Although there has been a primary focus on enduring sexual dysfunction, it is clear the dysfunctions span multiple bodily systems, and affect eyesight and balance, along with all other sensory modalities.” Latest on what might help for #PSSD& #PFS
https://t.co/zMKxNbE9nR

[Kim Witczak 💜 @woodymatters]

We cannot change what happened to Stewart Dolin, but we can honor his life by making sure fewer families have to learn about AKATHISIA the hardest way.

Thank you, @MISSDFoundation , for continuing this important lifesaving work. Akathisia needs to be a household name.

🦋💜

[RxISK @RxISK]

FDA sent a safety evaluator to question PSSD sufferers on SSRI harms. Questions included “how frequently do you engage in masturbation?” & “what mental health problems have you been diagnosed with?” #PSSD #informedconsent https://t.co/eSxmpHH9cp

[MISSD @MISSDFoundation]

A former FDA safety official confirms a critical risk many have known for decades:
Antidepressants can increase suicidality in younger patients — often through akathisia and agitation.

The reality is that this risk isn't limited to people ages 25 and under
We need better warnings, prescriber education, and true informed consent about real risks vs possible benefits. @woodymatters

https://t.co/e2ywHKRsfE

[MISSD @MISSDFoundation]

Time matters when it comes to recognizing akathisia.

In this short video, MISSD founder Wendy Dolin and communications director, Kristina Kaiser, walk you through exactly how to access MISSD’s two free, one-hour courses—available to anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Both courses offer a certificate of completion for those who want continuing education credit, and one course is NASW accredited.

If your organization offers in-service or “lunch & learn” training, these courses are an easy, meaningful way to help healthcare professionals, consumers, and caregivers better understand akathisia.
Given that akathisia can precipitate self-harm, violence, and suicide, first responders and emergency personnel also need to learn more about akathisia.

One hour can save a life. Start now.
https://t.co/6wpfSQJoqU

[RxISK @RxISK]

FDA responds to our 2018 petition to get warnings added to Isotretinoin labelling. Erectile dysfunction, decreased libido & vaginal dryness will now be added under ADVERSE REACTIONS but do warnings on enduring sexual effects after stopping go far enough? https://t.co/1q2cBJmi5g

[Stephen’s Voice - Suicide Prevention @VoiceStephen]

Join us in raising awareness about the serious side effects and adverse reactions caused by prescribed medications.

The Prescribed Harm community is undeniably large and, sadly, growing every day. By dedicating a day to awareness, we hope to spark important conversations about the medications we take and the often-overlooked risks they can carry. It’s time to bring these issues out of the shadows and challenge the stigma, misunderstanding, and isolation too many people experience.

In memory of of those who have lost their lives to medication-induced suicide, in solidarity with their families and in support of all those suffering around the world with iatrogenic illness 💜

🗣️Ways to participate in Prescribed Harm Awareness Day 29th July 2026:

✅ Share this event with the tags #PHAday #PrescribedHarm #PrescribedHarmAwareness

✅ Join the Discussion on the event page: https://t.co/AvHM1lToxj

✅ Host a “Picnic for Prescribed Harm Awareness” or “Stolen Lives Picnic” upload a snap with the tags #PHAday #PrescribedHarm #PrescribedHarmAwareness #StolenLives (visit https://t.co/YNLhbatHzS for more info on Stolen Lives picnics)

✅ "Painting & Poetry for Prescribed Harm Awareness"
Stephen had a deep passion for both. In his memory, we invite others to get creative and share their own artistic expressions, whether through poetry, painting, or any other medium - to help raise awareness of prescribed harm. Make sure to share with tags #PHAday #PrescribedHarm #PrescribedHarmAwareness

✅ 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲, share your story too on 29th July with the tags
#PHAday #PrescribedHarm #PrescribedHarmAwareness

🙏🏼 There is strength in numbers and together we will push for change and generate much needed awareness 🙏🏼

💜 Follow Stephen’s Voice for more information on serious side effects to medication, even when taken exactly as prescribed.

https://t.co/KnBK7akXgr

Tablets are so commonly prescribed these days, for many, they form part of our everyday lives.....that is why it is so important to spot any 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 like unusual changes in behaviour when a person is 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝/𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

#Akathisia is an example of just one side effect - an extreme inner restlessness and agitation so strong that it can drive a person to suicide and/or violence.

Just being aware of the possible side effects of these types of medications can make all difference.

#StephensVoice #YourVoice #PHADay #PrescribedHarm #PrescribedHarmAwareness

[Kim Witczak 💜 @woodymatters]

What if one of the most important questions in suicide assessment is missing? 💊

Did suicidal thoughts, agitation, or behavioral changes emerge after starting, stopping, or changing the dose of a medication?

If we don’t ask about the medication, we may mistake a serious adverse drug reaction for worsening mental illness.

Here’s my @BMJMedicine response: “The Missing Question in Suicide Assessment.”

https://t.co/EsOpvzOr6t

[RxISK @RxISK]

New post from @DrDavidHealy on the history of ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) - from drugs prescribed and the role of DMS III- to the current welfare system and increasing rates of youth disability. How do we start to tackle the crisis?https://t.co/Z7zqsMWdSc

[MISSD @MISSDFoundation]

A former NHS psychiatrist survived SSRI withdrawal, akathisia, and life-threatening suicidality—and then was harmed again by his own profession after he spoke up to help others be well informed.

“The profession was utilising its unique power – the power to diagnose and deem someone mentally unstable – to undermine his credibility as a critic.”
--Dr. Peter Gordon

Experts by experience, and lived experiences, are not anecdotes.
https://t.co/UhS2gxCRIu

[Laura Delano @LauraDelano]

We are denying young women the right to make truly informed choices about psychiatric drugs.

Most of us receive little to no information about what starting SSRIs and other psych meds might mean for having children one day.

For some people, coming off these drugs safely can take years, yet many young women start them without anyone discussing the long-term planning that may be required.

Far too many pregnant women find themselves faced with an impossible decision: stop their medications abruptly and risk serious withdrawal symptoms, or stay on their meds and increase the risk of adverse birth and health outcomes for themselves and their babies.

It should be a non-negotiable: girls and women deserve to know all of this prior to starting psychiatric medications.

@mikhailafuller

[BASED PSYCHIATRIST @BasedPsychMD]

This is smells like Paxil 329 all over again.

In 2001, a paper in the field's top journal (The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) declared Paxil "well tolerated and effective" for depressed teens.

It was ghostwritten by a PR firm GSK hired. The real data showed the drug didn't beat placebo and that suicide-related events had been buried under a label called "emotional lability."

When independent researchers finally pried loose the raw data and reran the trial in 2015, suicidal events were more than double what was reported. GSK paid a record $3B fine. The paper was never retracted.

Now escitalopram. On the drug, 9.5% became suicidal. On placebo, 1.5%. The "efficacy" that won approval was a 1.42 point gap on a 30 point anxiety scale.

A child was more likely to turn suicidal on this drug than to get better. And the FDA approved it for seven-year-olds.

Same playbook, 22 years apart. The company designs the trial, runs it, writes it up, and only needs two positive studies no matter how many fail.

The regulator treats a barely-significant blip as proof of benefit and a sixfold suicidality signal as acceptable.

[recovery&renewal @recover2renew]

@RxISK has a recent blog mentioning #FND and #FeedbackLoopDisorders…
“An alternate option is for supporters of non-hysterical, non-psychosomatic FND to specify where FND differs not just from hysteria but also from Feedback Loop Disorders.” 🤔

https://t.co/yk4bCq5GFj

[PSSD Network | Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction @PSSDNetwork]

@loveampedseth @newstart_2024 @US_FDA Also, consider reporting to @RxISK. This is a website created by @DrDavidHealy.
https://t.co/7cSMBanuCr

[Mark Horowitz @markhoro.bsky.social @markhoro]

What proportion of conditions that get diagnosed for fatigue, cognitive impairment, concentration issues, gut problems, agitation, etc are actually the 'side effects' of psychiatric drugs? How much does this cost the health system each year? Not to mention people's lives.

[@samizdathealth @DrDavidHealy]

Latest on the role of Dutch tests for #PAS (Post Accutane Syndrome) and #PSSD (Post- SSRI sexual Dysfunction) Will Powers work on this has generated alot of interest. For more on this see the latest posts from @RxISK https://t.co/AWu4AEFBSe

[RxISK @RxISK]

Follow up post from last weeks ‘enduring sexual dysfunctions’ - a closer look at research from Will Powers on PFS & PSSD https://t.co/iMsycTaDiJ

[Katie Collingwood @KatieRColl]

Really interesting discussion at the @Institute_PDW webinar on Understanding PSSD yesterday! I was very grateful to be part of it and to hear the expertise of @DrDavidHealy and @yassie_pirani as well as @Roy_PSSD's lived experience.

@PSSDInstitute encourages clinicians and professionals who want to know more about PSSD to get in touch: https://t.co/mBuzJSUa00

[PFS Foundation @PFSFoundation]

David Healy, MD, Chief Scientific Officer at Data Based Medicine, weighs in on last week's First World Congress on PSSD, PFS and PAS #PostFinasterideSyndrome https://t.co/WBlngCpP2U