Paxil Suicide Risks

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a class of antidepressants patterned after Prozac (fluoxetine). The class includes Celexa, Lexapro, Luvox, Paxil, and Zoloft. These four drugs and two other non-SSRI antidepressants, Serzone and Remeron, are widely suspected of contributing to suicidal and/or violent behaviors, especially in children. This point of view has been adopted by the FDA somewhat more slowly than its British counterpart, the Medicines Control Agency. In England, for instance, use of Paxil in children has been banned, amidst allegations of a cover-up by the drug's manufacturer.

In the United States, use of these antidepressants for patients under 18 years has not been approved by FDA, with the exception of Prozac. This means that both the healthcare professional who prescribes or dispenses these drugs for children and adolescents and the pharmaceutical company that promotes this "off-label" (unapproved) use knowingly take a risk with the patient's safety.

The European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products has warned parents not to use SSRIs or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors to treat their children's depression. These types of antidepressant prescription medications were linked to an increased suicide-related behavior and hostility in children and teenagers. [CHINA VIEW]

SSRIs have become famous for their alleged ability to induce children to violence and suicide in such high profile cases as that of Christopher Pittman who ran away from his home in Florida to his grandparents in South Carolina at age 12. He is suspected of killing his grandparents and burning down their house after being treated with Paxil followed by Zoloft.

SSRI antidepressants have been implicated in a number of school shootings: Shooters alleged to have been on antidepressants at the time of their attacks include:

• 18-year old Eric Harris on Luvox who, along with Dylan Klebold, killed 13 and wounded 22 people April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.
  
  
• 15-year-old Kip Kinkel on Prozac killed his parents and then proceeded to school where he opened fire on classmates, killing two and wounding 22 others.
  
  
• 14-year-old Elizabeth Bush on antidepressants when she wounded one student at Bishop Neumann High School in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
  
  
• 18-year-old Jason Hoffman on Effexor and Celexa when he wounded one teacher and three students at Granite Hills High School in El Cajon, California.

Violent and suicidal behavior linked to SSRIs is not limited to adolescents. Fully one-third of all drug-related suicides since 1990 for which FDA has data are associated with Prozac use, according to Keith Altman of Fibonacci Group.

At the age of 35, David M. Zacher was charged with two counts of first degree murder for the deaths of his wife Karelin and 4-year-old daughter Halle. His defense team is looking into the possibility that Zacher's antidepressant drug use may have caused his violent mood swing. Zacher was taking the antidepressant Paxil which has been found to increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts among teenagers. [ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE]

While taking the antidepressant Paxil, 41-year-old Julie Rifkin shot her two sons, aged 12 and 13, and then shot herself to death. After informing doctors of her intensions, Memorial Hospital recommended that Rifkin be examined by a social worker and sent her home. [Denver Channel News]

The warning issued by the FDA in a "Dear Health Care Professional" letter against use of SSRIs in children appears to indicate a major shift in national policy that will have major impact on pending lawsuits in this area. - John Lehmann PhD, DrugIntel Nov 11, 2003.