Books & Resources About Psychiatric Drugs:
Side Effects, Dangers, Truth—And Alternatives

Prozac Backlash: Overcoming the Dangers of Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, & Other Antidepressants with Safe, Effective Alternatives
Joseph Glenmullen, M.D.

Talking Back to Prozac: What Doctors Aren't Telling You About Today's
Most Controversial Drug
Peter Breggin, M.D. & Ginger Ross Breggin

Talking Back to Ritalin: What Doctors Are't Telling You About Stimulants for Children
Peter Breggin, M.D.

Your Drug May Be Your Problem: How & Why to Stop Taking Psychiatric Medications
Peter Breggin, M.D. & David Cohen, Ph.D.

Toxic Psychiatry: Why Therapy, Empathy, & Love Must Replace the Drugs, Electroshock & Biochemical Theories of the 'New Psychiatry'
Peter Breggin, M.D.

In Prozac Backlash, psychiatrist Joseph Glenmullen criticizes the common practice of physicians prescribing Prozac and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to patients for relatively minor problems that would be best addressed through psychotherapy, and providing little or no followup to monitor effects of the drugs. The "backlash" of the title refers not to a socio-political response to SSRIs (which have become increasingly popular since Prozac was introduced in the late 1980s), but to the brain's reaction to these stimulating drugs.

Glenmullen is particularly concerned that some people develop medication-induced neurological disorders such as akathasia (characterized by restless agitation) and tardive dyskinesia (characterized by tics and other involuntary movements) while on SSRIs, and that there is little or no research into the long-term effects of these medications. (Yet some people are encouraged to stay on them for the rest of their lives.)

The book also contains a chilling account of the Kentucky civil lawsuit against the manufacturers of Prozac, filed by the survivors of mass murders committed by a man shortly after her was prescribed Prozac (without adjunctive psychotherapy). The jury found for the pharmaceutical company, but only after a behind-the-scenes settlement in which the plaintiffs' attorneys apparently agreed to throw the trial in order for their clients to receive a mind0blowing amount of money contingent upon keeping the settlement secret.

Glenmullen does not, however, feel Prozac and its chemical cousins should never be used—rather, he feels they should be prescribed more carefully, with informed consent as to potential side effects, and only when psychotherapy alone is not effective. If someone has recommended that you take Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, or one of its relatives, you may want to read this book to make an informed decision.

Psychiatrist Peter Breggin and his wife, Ginger Ross Breggin, wrote Talking Back to Prozac as a responbse to Peter Kramer's paean to contemporary psychopharmacology, Listening to Prozac. The Breggins obtained information on Prozac's development and clinical trials through the Freedom of Information Act. They are particularly concerned that Prozac (and other similar psychiatric drugs) might cause emotional problems rather than alleviate them. Very informative book for its look at the development and marketing of this medication. (For more information on drug development and marketing in general, see Marcia Angell, M.D.'s The Truth About the Drug Companies, below.)

In Talking Back to Ritalin, psychiatrist Peter Breggin criticizes the pressure to put children diagnosed with ADHD on stimulants such as Ritalin, Adderall, and Dexedrine. He discusses how Ritalin and similar drugs work, what they do to the brain, and what we know about long-term effects. If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD or Ritalin or other such drugs have been recommended, you might want to read this books for a different viewpoint than that espoused by most physicians and many schools.

In Your Drug May Be Your Problem, psychiatrist Peter Breggin and David Cohen discuss the problems with psychiatric medications and how people might safely wean themselves from such drugs. You may also benefit from reading this book if you are considering starting psychiatric medication, as it can give you insight into possible difficulties when you ultimately discontinue such medications. WARNING: It is best to discontinue psychiatric medications only under a physician's supervision. Sudden discontinuation of some medications, such as benzodiazepines (tranquilizers or anti-anxiety drugs) can be life-threatening.

Toxic Psychiaty is psychiatrist Peter Breggin's 1991 indictment of contemporary biologically oriented psychiatry, with its emphasis on medication and electroshock.

Benzo Blues: Overcoming Anxiety Without Tranquilizers
Edward H. Drummond, M.D.

An End to Panic: Breakthrough Techniques for Overcoming Panic Disorder
Elke Zuercher-White, Ph.D.

In Benzo Blues psychiatrist Edward Drummond discusses the hazards of benzodiazepines (the class of anti-anxiety drugs that includes Xanax, Valium, Ativan, and Klonopin), which are frequently prescribed for people suffering with fears, phobias, and anxieties. These drugs do not fix or cure the underlying problem(s), however, and can even make things worse. (For one thing, they're addictive, and withdrawing from them is more dangerous than withdrawing from heroin.)The book includes steps toward recovery from chronic anxiety. WARNING: Benzodiazepines should only be discontinued under a physician's supervision. Abruptly stopping benzodiazepines can cause potentially life-threatening complications.

Psychologist Elke Zuercher-White provides a useful guide to coping with and overcoming panic in An End to Panic.  She discusses what happens in the body during panic attacks, and recommends skills to reduce hyperventilation and catastrophic thinking and overcome the fear associated with the physical symptoms of panic. Psychiatrist Dennis J. Munjack, M.D. co-authors a chapter on when to consider medication.

The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us & What to Do About It
Marcia Angell, M.D.

This book by the former editor of The New England Journal of Medicine provides an enlightening—and discomfiting—look at the reality behind the pharmaceutical industry's hype. Think pharmaceutical companies spend most of their budget on research and development of potentially life-saving drugs? Guess again. Angell reveals that the majority of their money is spent on marketing to physicians and consumers.