- Friday 24 May 2013
- My Account
- Logout
- Register
- Login
- News
-
Voices
-
Find by writer
- Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
- Rebecca Armstrong
- Memphis Barker
- Terence Blacker
- Chris Blackhurst
- David Blanchflower
- Archie Bland
- Ian Burrell
- Andrew Buncombe
- Ben Chu
- Patrick Cockburn
- Laura Davis
- Mary Dejevsky
- Grace Dent
- Robert Fisk
- Andrew Grice
- Stefano Hatfield
- Philip Hensher
- Ian Herbert
- Howard Jacobson
- Ellen E Jones
- Alice Jones
- Owen Jones
- Simon Kelner
- Dominic Lawson
- Donald Macintyre
- Lisa Markwell
- Comment
- Campaigns
- Debate
- Editorials
- Letters
- IV Drip
- Archive
- Our Voices
- Commentators
- Columnists
- Democracy 2015
- IV Drip Archive
-
Find by writer
- Sport
- Tech
- Life
- Property
- Arts & Ents
- Travel
- Money
- IndyBest
- Blogs
- Student
Sir: In her letter yesterday (17 November), Joanna Nakielny, the spokesperson for Lilly Industries, said that Prozac, one of her company's products, is not a "street drug". She said that it is different from street drugs such as Ecstasy because it has been subjected to "rigorous testing in clinical trials".
In fact, Prozac is the recreational drug of choice for many people, and the testing Ms Nakielny refers to was rather less than rigorous. The distinguished psychiatrist Peter Breggin, in his book Toxic Psychiatry, says of the testing of Prozac:
The Prozac scientifically controlled testing trials lasted a mere five or six weeks.
He also points out that there are a growing number of voices, particularly in the US, counselling caution towards this drug following reports of worsening depression, a number of suicides, and some violent outbursts among those taking it.
Some drugs are curative; some are fun to take; and some are both. But no agent of such potency as Prozac or Ecstasy is safe. There will always be risk, as the case of Leah Betts has tragically shown. Whatever side of the argument we might be on, let's not pretend otherwise.
Yours sincerely,
Robin Prior
London, E8
18 November
-
Woolwich: The EDL were camped outside my house
Emily Jupp -
Woolwich is only the latest act of barbarism: Muslims, we must take on this cancer in our midst
Ali Miraj -
The Daily Cartoon
-
Woolwich murder: They killed, then they performed - these men should be starved of our attention
Frank Furedi -
Woolwich attack: The EDL will seek to exploit this evil crime for their own evil ends
Jamie Lewis
Get your summer started with British Military Fitness
BMF is the UK’s biggest and best loved outdoor fitness classes
Visit York
Find out what The Independent's resident travel expert has to say about one of the most beautiful small cities in the world
Making reading fun for kids
Nook is donating eReaders to volunteers at high-need schools and participating in exclusive events throughout the campaign.
Introducing the 'Get Reading' campaign
Get the latest on The Evening Standard's campaign to get London's children reading.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
Get the best in opinion from Independent Voices, straight to your inbox every Thursday lunchtime.
Subscribe
Amol Rajan
A weekly update from the Editor
Day In a Page
The man who's eaten everywhere
A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?
Banned Iranian director to attend Cannes Film Festival
The 10 Best salt and pepper sets
Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed
Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them