Antidepressant drugs causing suicidal behavior?

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Mon, 10 Apr 2006 08:17:56 -0700

 

 

 

 

NewsTarget Network CONSUMER SAFETY Alert (www.NewsTarget.com)

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Today's feature story offers consumer warnings about antidepressant

drugs (SSRIs) and the drug companies who continue to push them onto

children and adults. Wait until you read what the health experts say

about these brain-altering chemicals...

 

http://www.newstarget.com/019342.html

 

- Mike Adams, the Health Ranger

 

P.S. Do you have a true story about antidepressant drugs? Post it at

http://www.DangerousMedicine.com and join the growing collection of

true stories about the horrors of prescription drugs.

 

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http://www.newstarget.com/019342.html

 

published April 10 2006

Experts say antidepressant drugs cause suicides instead of preventing them

In June 2001, a jury in Wyoming determined that the antidepressant

drug Paxil caused a man to kill his wife, daughter and granddaughter

before killing himself. The jury awarded the surviving family $8

million in damages, according to American Medical Publishing's

Prescription Medicines, Side Effects and Natural Alternatives.

 

In Portland, Ore., Jay Johnston followed his doctor's orders and took

the prescribed antidepressants Zoloft and Prozac. He then attempted

suicide with a shotgun, permanently disfiguring himself. In the same

month as the Wyoming jury's decision, Johnston sued his doctor for not

properly monitoring him. The jury found the doctor guilty of criminal

negligence and awarded Johnston $5 million, reports Dr. Ann Blake

Tracy in Prozac: Panacea or Pandora. Similarly, who could forget Eric

Harris, who -- along with Dylan Klebold -- killed 11 people and then

himself in the Columbine school shooting? At the time of the shooting,

Harris was being treated with the prescription antidepressant Luvox.

 

These patients are among the growing statistics of people who

committed suicide, or tried to commit suicide, while undergoing

treatment with prescription antidepressants.

 

Antidepressant drugs such as Prozac, Luvox and Paxil are selective

serotonin reuptake inhibitors, commonly known as SSRIs. Serotonin is

one of your brain's most important biochemicals; it controls

everything from appetite to mood swings. If you're depressed,

compulsively eating or gambling, not sleeping properly or even just

moody, you're probably lacking serotonin. It's important to note,

however, that you can also have too much serotonin.

 

In Health and Nutrition Secrets, Dr. Russell L. Blaylock writes, " It

is also known that these medications increase brain levels of the

neurotransmitter serotonin, which, in high concentrations, can also

act as an excitotoxin. " When antidepressant drugs raise serotonin to

an excitotoxin level, the brain reacts in ways similar to mental

illness. According to Burton Goldberg's book, Alternative Medicine,

side effects of SSRIs include uncontrollable facial and body tics,

dizziness, hallucinations, nausea, sexual dysfunction, addiction,

electric-shock-like sensations in the brain and, of course, homicidal

or suicidal thoughts and behavior.

 

Unfortunately, the doctors prescribing these SSRIs often forget that

you can have too much of a good thing -- that is, too much serotonin

-- so they prescribe SSRIs to just about everyone. Now, there are some

truly bad doctors out there, such as the psychiatrist whom Dr. Joseph

Glenmullen describes in Prozac Backlash:

 

" Anna was started on Prozac but became severely anxious, agitated and

sleepless ... Having never been suicidal before, two weeks after

starting Prozac, Anna went to her HMO because she felt like killing

herself. The psychiatrist on call told Anna the Prozac was indeed

making her worse and hospitalized her. But her original psychiatrist

disagreed, restarted Prozac, although at a lower dose and added a

second, sedating antidepressant (Trazodone), which Anna only took for

two days. "

 

Anna's original doctor seems to be little more than a licensed drug

dealer. However, let's give the benefit of the doubt to most

antidepressant-prescribing doctors and say that they're just ignorant

of antidepressants' potentially fatal side effects. Based on

Goldberg's figures, physicians -- not psychiatrists -- write over 70

percent of all prescriptions for SSRIs, so they may very well be

ignorant of the antidepressant scare.

 

Pharmaceutical companies, however, have no excuse. Prozac's maker, Eli

Lilly, frantically fought any change in the prescribing guidelines for

antidepressants; even a general warning. Not even public allegations

linking the drug to suicides, murders, murder-suicides and mass

murder-suicides could weaken Eli Lilly's staunch defense of the

antidepressant. Dr. Glenmullen explains that Eli Lilly's stance was a

result, of course, of financial greed: " Pharmaceutical companies spend

hundreds of millions of dollars developing and launching a drug like

Prozac. By 1991, Prozac was already the number-one bestselling

antidepressant, with sales near $1 billion a year. The stakes were

indeed high. So the pharmaceutical industry and drug advocates decided

to defend Prozac at all costs, despite the risks to individual and

public safety. " In other words, to the pharmaceutical industry, it

seems nothing -- not the individual lives of depressed people, not the

massacre at Columbine -- is more important than making $1 billion a year.

 

You know your life is more important than that; you know that humanity

is more important than any financial sum. It's up to you -- not your

doctor and certainly not a pill -- to find a way to overcome

depression. Visit a therapist and do some cognitive therapy; even the

staunchest pill-pusher won't deny that antidepressant medication is no

substitute for counseling. If your brain lacks serotonin, there are

many safe and natural ways to boost the biochemical. You can find a

concise, yet informative article on boosting your mood through diet,

right here on NewsTarget.

 

Prozac, Luvox, Paxil and Zoloft are just brand names for the same

recipe for disaster. Every day, doctors prescribe medications that are

known to induce suicide and other violent behavior in depressed people

who may already be suicidal. This is so ironic that it's sickening,

and only knowledgeable consumers who tell their doctors that they

don't want to be given these dangerous drugs can make it stop.

 

The experts speak on antidepressant drugs and suicide:

 

" Legal verdicts on antidepressant drugs and suicide "

A lawsuit contends the manufacturer of the popular anti-depressant

Paxil concealed evidence that the drug can be addictive. The lawsuit

was filed on behalf of 35 people from around the country who say they

suffered symptoms ranging from electrical shocks to suicidal thoughts

after discontinuing use of the drug. Paxil is the second largest

selling anti-depressant in America. In June of 2001, a jury in Wyoming

awarded $8 million in damages to a family of a man after determining

that Paxil caused him to kill his wife, daughter, and granddaughter

before he committed suicide.

Prescription Medicines, Side Effects and Natural Alternatives by

American Medical Publishing, page 30

 

What's true for Prozac doesn't necessarily apply to other drugs

classified as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). For

example, the FDA has ruled that Paxil (paroxetine) should not be taken

by anyone younger than age 18 because it is associated with a possible

increased risk of suicidal impulses.

Dr Isadore Rosenfeld's Breakthrough Health By Isadore Rosenfeld MD,

page 87

 

6/29/01-Portland, OR, $5 Million Awarded In anti-depressant Negligence

Case Jay Johnston tried commit suicide after being given Zoloft and

then Prozac. He is permanently disfigured from the shotgun blast. He

sued his doctor for not properly monitoring him and was awarded $5

million.

PROZAC Panacea or Pandora by Ann Blake Tracy PhD, page 280

 

A brand-new drug can be like a license to print money. It certainly

worked that way for Eli Lilly. When the company launched the

antidepressant Prozac in 1987, nobody else had anything quite like it,

and Lilly cleaned up. But then other pharmaceutical firms rushed in

with their own versions, including Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa and the

recently newsworthy Luvox, found in the blood of Columbine High School

shooter Eric Harris. The competition has already eaten into Lilly's

market share, and things can only go downhill from here.

" Beyond Depression " by Michael D. Lemonick and Alice Park, Time

5/17/99, page 74

 

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Drug, such as Prozac,

that increases levels of circulating serotonin. SSRIs have the

potential for serious side effects, including suicidal thoughts,

restlessness, and aggression.

The Memory Solution by Dr Julian Whitaker, page 252

 

It is also interesting to note that in all the cases of school

shootings, the kids responsible for the violence were taking SSRI

medications, which are known to produce suicidal and homicidal " side

effects. " It is also known that these medications increase brain

levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which, in high

concentrations, can also act as an excitotoxin.

Health And Nutrition Secrets by Russell L Blaylock MD, page 79

 

Prozac and similar antidepressant drugs, such as Paxil and Zoloft,

have seen a significant increase in use over the last decade, with

approximately 28 million Americans having used the drugs, and 70% of

the prescriptions for them written by physicians rather than

psychiatrists. Joseph Glen-mullen, Ph.D., author of Prozac Backlash,

considers this trend both dangerous and reckless, pointing out that

anti-depressants can have severe side effects. These include

uncontrollable facial and body tics (which can be signs of severe

neurological damage), hallucinations, dizziness, nausea, anxiety,

withdrawal symptoms, sexual dysfunction, and electric shock-like

sensations in the brain. Dr. Glen-mullen cautions that a small

percentage of people can become homicidal, suicidal, or both as a

result of Prozac use.

Alternative Medicine by Burton Goldberg, page 798

 

" Do doctors prescribe SSRIs too often? "

One of the most compelling stories was that of Anna, who told me

Prozac caused her to make a serious suicide attempt while in the care

of a previous psychiatrist. As a freshman in college, Anna had been

miserably depressed, missing her family and feeling unhappy with her

roommates. As the year wore on, she consulted with a psychologist who

referred her to a psychiatrist for medication. Anna was started on

Prozac but became severely anxious, agitated, and sleepless. She felt

" all sped up inside, " as if she were " in fast forward while the rest

of the world was in slow motion. " Having never been suicidal before,

two weeks after starting Prozac, Anna went to her HMO because she felt

like killing herself. The psychiatrist on call told Anna the Prozac

was indeed making her worse and hospitalized her. But her original

psychiatrist disagreed, restarted Prozac, although at a lower dose,

and added a second, sedating antidepressant (Trazodone), which Anna

only took for two days.

Prozac Backlash by Joseph Glenmullen MD, page 140

 

Once she was stable, Anna was admitted to McLean Hospital, where she

was described as having had a " paradoxical " reaction to Prozac. A

nurse told her one of McLean's psychopharmacologists, Dr. Teicher, had

written about patients like Anna who became suicidal on Prozac. She

was put on a different type of antidepressant, which did not

precipitate the same reaction.

Prozac Backlash by Joseph Glenmullen MD, page 140

 

" Many research and case studies demonstrate a link between

antidepressants and suicide and other violent behavior "

Women were known to use less lethal means until the SSRl

antidepressants hit the market. But on Prozac and Paxil, women

committed 40% of the suicides - many were strikingly violent and

clearly leaving no means for rescue.

PROZAC Panacea or Pandora by Ann Blake Tracy PhD, page 280

 

Because suicidal tendencies are a frequent characteristic of

depression, perhaps one of the most serious problems associated with

antidepressants is the potential for drug overdose. The potential for

suicide caused by the very medication prescribed to prevent it, is

further enhanced by the synergistic interaction of the antidepressives

with alcohol, barbiturates, and other central nervous system

depressants. A glance through the PDR indicates that the quantity and

the magnitude of the dangers associated with Elavil are equally

present with the other antidepressants.

Get Healthy Now by Gary Null, page 215

 

Just before Christmas Dr Stuart Donovan and colleagues published a

crucial article in the British Journal of Psychiatry. Of 2,776

patients taking SSRIs who were treated at the Derbyshire Royal

Infirmary over two years. They found that if you look for a

statistically significant relationship between taking SSRIs and

suicide by overdosing on them, you won't find much. But they did find

a relationship between taking SSRIs and all forms of deliberate

self-harm - including overdose, attempted overdose, hanging, gassing,

laceration, deliberate road traffic accidents, head banging,

swallowing non-medicines - much higher for SSRIs than for the older

tricyclics. " The relationship is so strong, Dr Donovan says, that he

firmly believes promotional material for SSRIs including Seroxat

[Paxil] should be changed immediately so doctors no longer prescribe

them to potentially suicidal patients thinking, mistakenly, that by

doing so they are protecting their lives. " When Dr Donovan sent the

manuscript of this study to SmithKline Beecham [now GlaxoSmithKline]

(who partially financed the study along with Eli Lilly) before it was

published asking for comments. They did not reply.

PROZAC Panacea or Pandora by Ann Blake Tracy PhD, page 15

 

There has been a study released focusing on the popular antidepressant

Paxil and its role in suicidal behavior in children.

Ephedra Fact And Fiction by Mike Fillon, page 233

 

GULF WAR VETERANS: Captain Joyce Riley, who has headed the battle in

exposing Gulf War Syndrome, has noted that approximately 80- 90% of

the Gulf War vets are now on or have been offered one of the SSRI

antidepressants. As a result many have had their lives turned upside

down with others committing suicide or murder/suicide.

PROZAC Panacea or Pandora by Ann Blake Tracy PhD, page 15

 

One of the disadvantages of the older tricyclic antidepressants is

that they are much more dangerous when taken as an overdose. But a

very well kept secret, revealed by considering all the research, is

that the actual rate of death from suicide is higher in patients who

take the new antidepressants than in those who take the older

tricyclics. Even more important, twice as many people taking the new

antidepressants successfully committed suicide than did the people who

took placebos. The results of all the studies--published and

unpublished--showed that of every 1000 people with depression treated

with one of the new antidepressant drugs, 4.6 more committed suicide

each year than would have if they had been treated with a placebo.

Overdosed America by John Abramson MD, page 117

 

How do serotonin boosters catalyze suicidal and violent impulses? Does

the phenomenon occur because of the drugs' stimulating, re-energizing

effects as with previous antidepressants? Or might something different

happen with these new drugs, as Teicher and Cole suggested in their

original report?

Prozac Backlash by Joseph Glenmullen MD, page 152

 

Nine clinical studies show: " SSRIs: Suicide Risk and Withdrawal

(Editorial), " The Lancet 361:1999, 2003. See also Gardiner Harris,

" Debate Resumes on the Safety of Depression's Wonder Drugs, " New York

Times, August 7, 2003.

Overdosed America by John Abramson MD, page 243

 

In another case, reported by Frederick Goggans and colleagues, in

Medical Mimics of Psychiatric Disorders, a 27-year-old executive was

hospitalized after attempting to kill herself by overdosing on

antidepressants prescribed by her psychiatrist. The woman's suicide

attempt--her second--followed a year of psychotherapy that had failed

to relieve her fatigue, cognitive problems, and despondency. She was

distraught that her suicide attempt was unsuccessful, and told her

doctors that she would probably try to kill herself again.

A Dose of Sanity by Sydney Walker III MD, page 108

 

While the FDA had cleared the drugs, my colleagues continued to

describe some cases in which they appeared to have caused severe

reactions--agitation, paranoia, psychosis, suicide, and violence--in a

small number of patients. Rumors within psychiatric circles held that

the FDA panel of outside experts had been flawed, beset with conflicts

of interest and deeply divided on the issue of Prozac's safety, in

spite of the impression given to the public. Could it be true that a

majority of the panel members had conflicts of interest? Had the vote

not been unanimous? Was the panel so divided that one-third of its

members pressed for a warning and changes in the guidelines for

prescribing antidepressant drugs? What was one to believe?

Prozac Backlash by Joseph Glenmullen MD, page 143

 

" Studies show that Prozac, in particular, plays an especially large

role in suicide and other violent behavior "

Treatment emergent suicidality with Prozac has been demonstrated to be

two to three times higher than any other anti-depressant. (Jick, et

al., antidepressants and Suicide)

PROZAC Panacea or Pandora by Ann Blake Tracy PhD, page 280

 

It is apparent that the proportion of people taking fluoxetine and

committing suicide is higher by an amount to be of concern to medical

examiners and also to health care providers. The present report

provides evidence that suicide has occurred more frequently in

patients taking fluoxetine than in those taking tricyclic

antidepressants, the possibility that fluoxetine has induced the idea

of suicide must be considered.

PROZAC Panacea or Pandora by Ann Blake Tracy PhD, page 162

 

When you understand these problems, it is not surprising that twelve

years after Prozac was approved, people were again raising the issue

of Prozac-related psychoses, suicides, and violent acts. Recent books

such as Prozac Backlash, and The Antidepressant Era have made

headlines by citing studies suggesting a connection between Prozac and

such reactions. A May 2000 story at Dr. Koop Health News began, " The

question of whether Prozac, the most-prescribed antidepressant, can

make some patients more likely to commit suicide just won't go away,

despite repeated and categorical rebuttals by the drug's manufacturer,

Eli Lilly and Co. Based on his experience as a suicide counselor and

investigator, Dr. Ronald W. Maris, director of the Center for the

Study of Suicide at the University of South Carolina, is firmly

convinced that a risk exists. "

Overdose by Jay S Cohen, page 48

 

Dr. James W. Long in his discussion of Prozac in THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE

TO PRESCRIPTION DRUGS 1992 explains, " A review of relevant literature

on this subject reveals that the development or intensification of

suicidal thoughts during treatment (regardless of the severity of

depression) has been documented repeatedly for many antidepressant

drugs in wide use. It is apparent that suicidal thinking may emerge

during treatment with any antidepressant. " And Fava and Rosenbaum

state in a letter to the JOURNAL, OF CLINICAL PSYCHIATRY, in November

1991 that " ..emergence of suicidal ideation or behavior has been

observed with many antidepressant pharmacotherapies. "

PROZAC Panacea or Pandora by Ann Blake Tracy PhD, page 49

 

He prescribed the medication Prozac. One month later, after taking

this medication, she committed suicide by hanging herself. What was so

strange about this unsuspected action was that she was not behaving

like a person who was depressed or suicidal. At first we discounted

the significance of this story. Unfortunately, emotionally disturbed

people sometimes commit suicide whether they are taking an

antidepressant or not. But in February 1990 an article appeared in the

American Journal of Psychiatry that shed a new light on this case

history. Physicians associated with the Department of Psychiatry at

Harvard Medical School reported on six patients who suddenly developed

an " intense violent suicidal preoccupation after 2-7 weeks of

fluoxetine [Prozac] treatment. " It would be disastrous if an

antidepressant medication actually produced " obsessive, recurrent,

persistent, and intrusive " thoughts of suicide. This may be a rare

occurrence, but the Harvard psychiatrists warn that people who feel

fatigued and restless or sleep much more than usual may be at higher risk.

Graedons Best Medicine by Joe Graedon & Dr Terasa Graedon, page 214

 

In the early 1990s most doctors did not know what to make of the

Prozac scare. Psychiatrists had long recognized that in the early

weeks and months on any antidepressant, patients are at increased risk

to act on suicidal impulses. Over the course of just a few weeks,

antidepressants can jump-start patients, reinvigorating people who

have been without energy for some time. The newfound energy provided

by an antidepressant can suddenly enable a patient to act on suicidal

or violent urges. Classic papers dating as far back as the 1930s

describe the risk with amphetamine antidepressants. For decades

pharmaceutical companies and drug proponents adamantly denied the

phenomenon, but by the 1970s, when strict limitations were imposed on

prescribing amphetamines, their ability to trigger suicide and

violence had been firmly established.

Prozac Backlash by Joseph Glenmullen MD, page 141

 

A small number of people taking fluoxetine have experienced intense,

violent, suicidal thoughts, agitation, and impulsivity. Whether their

symptoms were induced by fluoxetine or were related to their

underlying psychological problems is unclear. As with any other

antidepressant, fluoxetine should only be used under close medical

supervision. Patients are advised to consider telling relatives and

friends about their use of this drug and the risk of suicidal

obsession and self-injurious behavior.

Worst Pills Best Pills by Sidney M Wolfe MD and Larry D Sasich PharmD

MPH, page 235

 

On September 20, 1991, the FDA held a hearing to discuss a request

that warnings be placed upon the labels of Prozac and other

antidepressants, which was made by Ralph Nader's health research

group, The Public Citizen. They felt that problems were serious enough

that warning labels mentioning the possible side effects of " violence

and suicide " should be put on the bottle to make consumers more aware

of the rapidly mounting evidence that Prozac may chemically induce

this reaction. Ten professionals sat on the FDA board. Although the

FDA had felt that the financial interests held by these ten

individuals would not sway their vote, so they had them sign a

statement that they would not allow that to influence them. All five

who admitted their interests at the beginning of the FDA hearing voted

" against " the warning label.

PROZAC Panacea or Pandora by Ann Blake Tracy PhD, page 315

 

Fluoxetine and the other SSRIs may reduce the risk of suicide in

depressed patients. However, there have been a few reports that

fluoxetine may actually induce suicidal thoughts in selected patients,

although this has not been confirmed. Public Citizen's Health Research

Group petitioned the Food and Drug Administration in 1991 to require a

box warning in the professional product labeling for fluoxetine

warning doctors that a small minority of persons taking the drug have

experienced intense, violent, suicidal thoughts, agitation, and

impulsivity after starting treatment with the drug. You should not

take this drug for mild depression or anxiety, or as a sleeping pill.

Worst Pills Best Pills by Sidney M Wolfe MD and Larry D Sasich PharmD

MPH, page 235

 

Because of her suicidal and self destructive behavior her dosage of

Prozac was increased, and along with that increase came an increase in

suicidal ideation and self mutilation. Finally her doctor read Dr.

Tiecher's report, immediately called her and told her he felt her

problem was Prozac. She argued that she must " need " this

antidepressant because of her odd behavior. Then as the evidence

became clear to her, she asked, " You mean to tell me I have gone

through this Hell because of an anti-depressant?!! " Rhonda Hala went

off Prozac and returned to a normal mental and emotional state.

PROZAC Panacea or Pandora by Ann Blake Tracy PhD, page 216

 

I continued to check in with Joanne daily. The suicidal preoccupation

subsided quickly and was completely gone within a week. Given what had

happened, Joanne did not want to try another antidepressant. I wasn't

feeling that bad before I started Prozac. " Indeed, Joanne did fine

without medication.

Prozac Backlash by Joseph Glenmullen MD, page 146

 

" I became obsessed with death, with my sickness. I became obsessed

with the idea that I was a sick person who would have to be on

antidepressants all my life. I became obsessed with dying. I thought

dying was the only way out, and I had never contemplated suicide

before that time. "

PROZAC Panacea or Pandora by Ann Blake Tracy PhD, page 266

 

" Eli Lilly's staunch defense of Prozac "

Presumably Prozac's advocates were afraid any change in the

prescribing guidelines for antidepressants, even a general warning,

would have caused further public relations problems for the

pharmaceutical industry. Public fear was already running high. Prozac

was alleged to be associated with suicides, murders, murder-suicides,

and even mass murder-suicides like Joseph Wesbecker's shooting spree

at Standard Gravure. Numerous lawsuits had been filed in deaths

associated with Prozac. Given how high profile the issue had already

been, any suggestion that antidepressants could cause severe agitation

that needed to be controlled with sedatives would only raise more

questions. Pharmaceutical companies spend hundreds of millions of

dollars developing and launching a drug like Prozac. By 1991, Prozac

was already the number-one best-selling antidepressant, with sales

near $1 billion a year. The stakes were indeed high. So the

pharmaceutical industry and drug advocates decided to defend Prozac at

all costs, despite the risks to individual and public safety.

Prozac Backlash by Joseph Glenmullen MD, page 162

 

Teicher and his colleagues went on to recommend that, " the

practitioner be attentive to the possible emergence of suicidal

ideation, even in those patients without a previous history of

suicidal thoughts or actions. Patients who have previously been

treated with other antidepressants or who develop intense fatigue,

hypersomnia, or restlessness while taking fluoxetine [Prozac] may be

at risk. "

PROZAC Panacea or Pandora by Ann Blake Tracy PhD, page 154

 

Healy himself has continued to publish on the subject of suicidality

and violence associated with Prozac. He has published numerous

articles and several books, including a recent one on the Prozac-type

antidepressants. The antidepressant Era, published by Harvard

University Press. In court declarations, Healy reports Lilly has been

guilty of " bald mischaracterization " of his statements and work. Healy

says Lilly's " refusal to mount or countenance further investigation "

of Prozac's causing suicide and violence " must say something about

their perceptions of what the likely outcome would be. "

Prozac Backlash by Joseph Glenmullen MD, page 179

 

Suicidality was more frequent among patients receiving Prozac than

among those receiving older, tricyclic antidepressants. " The relative

risk of suicidality was 3.3. Interestingly, the proportion of patients

with treatment-emergent suicidality on Prozac in this study was

similar to that reported by Teicher " in his original article calling

attention to the problem.

Prozac Backlash by Joseph Glenmullen MD, page 163

 

Although Prozac was reported to have fewer side effects than most

antidepressants, and this was the basis for the aggressive marketing

that has pushed Prozac to the top of the charts, the FDA lists

approximately 575 side effects. Additionally, Lilly admitted to the

FDA on April 20, 1990 that they did not include " suicidal thoughts " as

an adverse event and therefore, did not look for that as a side effect

in their clinical trials on Prozac.

PROZAC Panacea or Pandora by Ann Blake Tracy PhD, page 54

 

In the mid-1980s, the German food and drug administration notified

Lilly that they were not going to approve Prozac " because of their

concern with suicidality and agitation, " said Dr. Lord. She continued,

" They [the Germans] said that people became agitated before the

antidepressant effects came on, and that increased the risk of

suicide. They wrote a memo concerning damaging effects, and Lilly then

went over there and looked at the data again and pulled out cases that

they didn't think were suicide. How are they to know? The investigator

[researcher] thought it was a suicide attempt. They said, well we

don't think it is. " Difficulties in other European countries were

handled in a similar way.

Prozac Backlash by Joseph Glenmullen MD, page 169

 

" Some research studies and government organizations have ties to the

pharmaceutical industry "

Britain's Dr. David Healy mentioned in a lecture at U of T that Prozac

may trigger suicide in some patients. This has raised a real stir

among scientists as Prozac's manufacturer, Eli Lilly, is an important

private donor to a mental-health research institute affiliated with

the university.

PROZAC Panacea or Pandora by Ann Blake Tracy PhD, page 280

 

One of the latest flaps in psychiatry circles that has spilled into

the public press, deals with the safety of the SSRIs. Occasional

suicides and violent behavior in children have led to calls by some to

follow the lead of the British equivalent of our FDA in banning all

SSRIs for children except Prozac, and early in February 2004 the FDA

was scheduled to hold hearings on the issue. Days before the hearing,

a group of researchers from the American College of

Neuropsychopharmacology, headed by two prominent academic

psychiatrists, released a preliminary analysis of their Task Force on

SSRIs and Suicidal Behavior in Youth. It concluded that

antidepressants did not increase the suicide risk in children, and

that the benefits of SSRIs outweighed their risks.59 Their report was

immediately criticized because nine of the ten panel members allegedly

had " extensive ties to the pharmaceutical industry. " 60 Some critics

labeled their report " junk science " ; others were less restrained.61 At

the hearing, FDA regulators testified that their analysis did suggest

that in clinical trials the risk of suicide in children was increased

over those taking placebos with some of the SSRIs.62 So far, the FDA

has decided only to require a warning about possible suicide

tendencies in descriptions of these drugs.

On The Take by Jerome P Kassirer M.D., page 127

 

Had the FDA decided to add a warning on suicide and violence to the

label of antidepressants, this would have necessitated closer

monitoring of patients, markedly reducing Prozac's unique appeal for

primary-care clinicians.

Prozac Backlash by Joseph Glenmullen MD, page 167

 

All of these drugs by reducing 5HIAA serotonin levels should,

therefore, produce any or all of the listed behaviors associated with

low 5HIAA serotonin levels, ie: suicide, arson, violence, alcoholism,

depression, insomnia, impulsive behavior, etc. These are many of the

symptoms which patients are encouraged to take these drugs to

alleviate. This has been a most incredible deception. Whatever the

reason for patients, many physicians, the FDA, Congress, any of us, to

have been kept in dark about the critical similarity of these

antidepressant drugs to the psychedelic drugs and their potential to

induce these behaviors is absolutely inexcusable.

PROZAC Panacea or Pandora by Ann Blake Tracy PhD, page 109