Thursday, May 14, 2009

Andy Behrman on Abilify





To many of us, Andy is known as Electroboy, after his book and upcoming movie. He was also the spokesman for Abilify, from Bristol Myers, Squibb.

Andy had some nasty side effects from Abilify, which he has discussed with journalist Philip Dawdy, here and here. He stopped being the spokesman over this. He had a piece in today's Wall Street Journal, Tonight he made a video, a must see. It's short, sweet and straight to the point. I doubt it will win an Oscar, but it is extremely good and much watch TV

13 comments:

Immi said...

Excellent! I got tachycardia from it within 2 days, so I didn't have to wait for the rest of the side effects. When I'm really down I feel sad about that. Most of the time I'm glad I don't have to worry about anyone trying to get me to take it.

susan said...

Hi Immi,

I always found Andy to be a hard hitter- he says things that are true but may not want to hear and does it with candor and humor at the same time.


He is a good activist.

D Bunker said...

Right on Andy.

Now, we have figure out how to reach and warn the 4 corners area.

All of these damn Advocacy groups need to be investigated by the Full Senate, and Shut Down!

Mental Health AmericaALEXANDRIA, Va. (March 31, 2009)-Mental Health America today announced it has been awarded a $750,000 grant by Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation to develop culturally appropriate support for Native Americans with serious mental illness and in rural and frontier communities.

The program takes a regional approach toward eliminating behavioral health disparities among Native American and frontier populations. The funding will be used to develop a peer-to-peer program for use in the Navajo and Ute Nations region in tribal lands in the Four Corners area (the borders of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona).

Mental Health America will also create education programs to help reduce the stigma and discrimination around mental health disabilities in the frontier and tribal lands of North Dakota. Among the approaches to be used will be creation of leadership groups within tribal communities focusing on behavioral health, and peer-led mental health programs in tribal and frontier communities.

Each year, 30 peer specialists are expected to graduate from peer-to-peer training to staff these programs. Mental health America will work with MHA affiliates in Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and North Dakota to implement the program.


Once that $750K gets BMS in the door, the Public will have to Pay them back 20 or 30 times over.

wendy said...

Susan,
I had just read this article on another blog and was getting ready to bring it to your attention. Wow, you beat me to it!!! He had many of the side effects I had on Abilify.
Wendy

Ana said...

This is good he is telling the real story.
D Bunker is right "
"Now, we have figure out how to reach and warn the 4 corners area."

D Bunker said...

Hey Ana;
Let Google do it.

The search engines Index on Key words you title a post with.

Words like Navajo, Ute, and other Key words & combinations could attract those folks right To our blogs.

"Navajo Mothers Targeted For Drug Profits" etc.

Navajo have their own language Wiki. We need someone who speaks it to write post Titles and maybe even translate content.

This BS with passing out smallpox/Abilify infected blankets, yet again, doesn't cut it.

susan said...

Hi D Bunker, Wendy, Ana, I just think very highly of Andy, he is a friend and I think he is a neat guy.

My psychiatrist wants me to try Abilify- or Effexor. I am going to show her this info on Abilify.

soulful sepulcher said...

Abilify has been charted in my daughter's chart as causing extreme agitation and insomnia.

D Bunker said...

Susan; CL Psych has been All over Abilify. You should take as much of Cl's writings as you can with you and share it with that person.

Abilify, Depression and the Memory Hole."Safety: The authors note that "adjunctive aripiprazole is relatively well-tolerated in patients with MDD." Relatively? Relative to what -- being hit with a baseball bat repeatedly? They note that akathisia occurred in 25% of patients on Abilify compared to 4% of patients on placebo. Restlessness: 12% vs. 2%; insomnia: 8% vs. 3%; fatigue: 8% vs. 4%; blurred vision: 6% vs 1%. The authors report that akathisia resolved in 52% of patients by the end of the study, which would also mean that for 48% of patients with akathisia, they were stuck with it at the end of the study. But don't worry, it's "relatively well-tolerated."

Put Abilify into Cl's search box. There's a bunch more there.

Anonymous said...

Your support is much appreciated.

It's really time to stand up to big Pharma.

I'm prepared to take on the battle and if you'd like to join me, please write to me at electroboy@electroboy.com or visit me at http://www.electroboy.com

susan said...

Thank you Andy, and if you start speaking around here I will be happy to promote it locally, and country wide on the blog.

-Susan
Just bring some LA Sunshine!

Ana said...

I've just publish this video.
I remembered I first saw it here.
So I did put a link for you.
I don't know how I remembred it.
LOL

Anonymous said...

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