Seroxat probe sparks web hits - (note the word "hits" does not mean this liar was contacted by anyone)

The 57-year-old grandmother set up her group after her second husband John Having was told by doctors he was addicted to anti-depressants and would have to take them for life as the withdrawal symptoms are so severe. John, 56, a lorry driver, took Seroxat for 10 years and has been on another anti-depressant, Lustral for the past six years.

In the Panorama programme, Seroxat manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) was accused of withholding data about the drug and increased risks of suicide and suicidal thoughts in children.

GSK denied withholding any information and said it was only when all of its research data was analysed together that the increased suicidal thoughts were revealed. It also points out that Seroxat was never licensed for children in the UK. However, UK doctors did prescribe the drug.

Following the documentary, Mrs Simmons is now calling for an independent investigation into GSK and compensation for people addicted to Seroxat.

Mrs Simmons began her Seroxat Users Group in 2002 and has a large collection case histories of Seroxat users - including another hundred told to her last week after Panorama went out.

One similar experience highlighted by the BBC was the suicide of an 18-year-old woman from Brighton who hanged herself three years ago after being prescribed Seroxat for menstrual problems.

An empty packet of the drug was found nearby.

Mrs Simmons told The Hunts Post: "This documentary is the recognition of a problem I have been fighting for over the past four years.

"The most dangerous time for people taking anti-depressants is when you first go on them, when the dose is raised and when you try to come off them.

"We need to get the word out that these drugs can be dangerous for adults, too. Medicine is applied too generally and people react differently to it.

"We want people to write to their GPs asking for action. People have lost their lives, their families, their jobs. So many people have lost so much because of a little tablet."

INFORMATION: The Seroxat User Group's website, which includes advice for coming off anti-depressants, can be found at www.seroxatusergroup.org.uk


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