Addiction by Prescription

All too often, patients place far too much trust in their overworked doctors, psychiatrists, and therapists; take tranquilizers, benzodiazepines, and other mind-altering substances for temporary emotional problems; and ultimately find themselves trapped in a cycle of habit and despair. To make matters worse, many doctors then diagnose their newly addicted patients with clinical psychiatric ailments and minimize or neglect the source of the trouble--the drugs themselves. And, since the 1950s, this problem has disproportionately plagued women, stereotypically regarded as prone to "hysteria" by their male doctors.

Joan Gadsby's book is both a memoir and a book of advocacy. On the latter score, it is a triumph: Gadsby has gathered a mountain of evidence regarding the careless dispensation of drugs, the shady marketing practices of pharmaceutical companies, the undeniable seriousness of the symptoms caused by prolonged use, and the dangers that confront patients who try to discontinue their prescriptions. In the past few years, Gadsby's goal--to publicize the dangers of these drugs--has been made much easier by an avalanche of media attention, but her book is still valuable as a one-stop resource for the layperson looking for information on the topic.

As autobiography, however, the book stumbles. There's no arguing with Gadsby's courage or with the misfortune she has endured, and her accounts of drug withdrawal and subsequent legal battles are riveting. Her writing is technically precise, but she's no memoirist. Far too often, her recollections read like excerpts from a resume: "I was responsible for managing multi-million dollar budgets and leases, and recommended, directed, and coordinated major capital repair and upgrading projects for many Crown-owned properties." "She later moved to the operational side of WCB as director of client services and was responsible for ten area offices throughout British Columbia, traveling extensively." And there's a certain cringe factor when one reads the treacly Rod McKuen-influenced poetry that adorned her refrigerator in times of need--and which she reprints in whole, with lines like "When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever" and "Love yourself first and most." (A few people in situations similar to Gadsby's might find such inspirational material worthwhile, but bad poetry is bad poetry, and there's little benefit for the rest of us.)

Fortunately, though, Gadsby sticks mostly to her main themes, and presents a compelling and irrefutable case for the dire situation created by these prescription drugs. Hers is a voice of sanity that should--and must--be heard in order to thwart this legally perpetuated epidemic.

Very Emotional!
In 1966, Joan Gadsby's four-year-old son died of a brain tumour and her trusted family doctor prescribed her a "chemical cocktail" of tranquillizers, sleeping pills and anti-depressants. Each time she visits her doctor, he gives her new prescriptions or tells her to increase her daily doseage. Soon, she sees her marriage slowly falling apart after she catches her husband with another woman. Again, her doctor adds on another prescription and sends her & her husband to a psychiatrist.

Soon enough, Joan is addicted to benzodiazepines. As a result of the drugs, she was arrested, sedated, jailed and was even told that she had a psychiatric disorder. In 1990, after an unintentional overdose that almost killed her, Joan had enough. Over a two year period, Joan slowly stopped taking the pills and survived to tell her story. This is a real eye opener for anyone who is currently on anti-anxiety or anti-depressant medications. It's 2003 and I have yet to hear from a doctor that the pills they prescribe to me are addicting. I had to find out on my own.. just like Joan.