The verdict on killer drugs

[Guest guest]

" WC Douglass " <realheath

 

Subject:The verdict on killer drugs

Tue, 02 Nov 2004 08:36:36 -0400

 

Daily Dose

 

Tuesday November 02, 2004

 

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Prescription for murder?

 

Much has been made of the risks of antidepressants to our

adolescents, both in these pages and (finally) in the mainstream

press. Not to belabor the issue, but much of the focus has been on

whether or not these drugs cause teenagers to contemplate or

commit suicide...

 

But another question is this: How much study is being directed at

whether or not these poisons cause kids to become violent against

their fellow man?

 

A current court case seems poised to blow the debate on this topic

wide open. It involves a South Carolina youth named Christopher

Pittman,

charged with shot-gunning his grandparents to death in cold blood (then

setting their house on fire) just weeks after starting on the popular

prescription antidepressant Zoloft. He was 12 years old at the time.

 

Before taking the medication, Pittman showed no pattern of

violence or hostility toward his family or anyone else, according to

his relatives. And a forensic psychologist retained by Pittman's

lawyers contends that the murders were definitely triggered by an

adverse reaction to the drug. Naturally, the drug's maker, Pfizer,

denies this possibility, and has experts of its own " educating " the

South Carolina prosecutor whose task it is to prosecute the youth.

 

Of course, I don't mean to trivialize these deaths, and I'm all for

the harsh punishment of murderers—regardless of their age. And

while I don't view any drug use (prescription or otherwise) as an

excuse for murder, I must wonder: Would this boy have pulled the

trigger on his guardians if he hadn't been hopped-up on

psychotropic drugs?

 

Beyond this, I wonder if there's evidence of a pattern here. I mean,

has anyone bothered to look into how many other similar crimes

among young adults — school shootings, parental slayings,

murderous assaults, and the like — have been committed while

under the influence of antidepressants? Is there a common thread

of medication running through the Columbine massacre, the

Menendez case, and others?

 

It's a logical question to ask, especially since among adults,

aggressive behavior is a noted side-effect of antidepressant drugs.

In fact, some highly publicized court cases involving crimes of

violence have been pinned squarely on the makers of these mind-

altering chemicals. In June of 2001, a Wyoming jury ordered

GlaxoSmithKline to pay $6.5 million to the family of a man who

murdered his wife, daughter and granddaughter two days after

starting on their antidepressant Paxil. In light of this kind of

verdict, is it really so unreasonable to conclude that another in this

same class of drug might've sent poor Christopher Pittman over

the edge?

 

In my opinion, not at all. But such things need to be studied —

thoroughly and objectively — while sales of these drugs are halted

in the meantime.

 

As disturbing as the thought may be that medicated kids might kill

themselves or go on murderous rampages at any moment, it's even

more disturbing to learn that these kinds of behaviors may not be

triggered ONLY by drugs aimed at treating those who are

depressed or otherwise in a bad way mentally. Keep reading...

 

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Pimple screams

 

Led by a Michigan Congressman whose son committed suicide

while taking the drug, a bi-partisan group of four lawmakers is

taking the FDA to task about the mental health side-effects of the

prescription drug Accutane. What's this medication for, you ask?

Depression? Bi-polar disorder? Nope...

 

It's for acne.

 

That's right. A 20-year-old acne medicine that millions of

American kids are no doubt taking every day has been linked to a

stunning array of negative psychiatric conditions including suicide,

depression, psychosis, violent and aggressive behaviors, mood

swings, emotional instability, paranoia, and changes in personality.

 

Kind of makes you wonder what other " harmless " drugs out there

could turn you (or your grandchild) into a psychopath or suicide

victim, doesn't it?

 

According to a recent Associated Press article, the band of

concerned Congressmen I mentioned before have called upon

Tommy Thompson, the Secretary of Health and Human Services,

to force the FDA to pull Accutane from shelves until more

research has been conducted on these adverse affects on our

nation's adolescents.

 

Will it happen? Not a chance, if the current trend of the FDA to

fiercely protect drug makers from even the slightest loss of profit is

any indication.

 

What about loss of life — from acne medication, antidepressants,

or what have you?

 

To the FDA and drug makers, that's just part of the cost of doing

business.

 

 

Murderin' mad about deadly drug deceptions,

 

William Campbell Douglass II, MD