Pennsylvania Court Rejects Claim That Prozac Side Effects Led to Murder

Susquehanna County, PAProzac side effects and potential birth defects have been suggested by a number of studies and warnings released by the US Food and Drug Administration.

However, despite these risks, a Pennsylvania judge recently ruled to dismiss a lawsuit claiming that Prozac side effects were the underlying cause behind a man allegedly deciding to murder his father 15 years ago, the Patriot-News reports.

According to the news provider, Kurt Danysh, who has been accused of murdering his father, waited too long to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer of Prozac, Eli Lilly & Co. The ruling to dismiss the case was issued by Judge John E. Jones III, the news source said.

The 33-year-old Danysh is reportedly in the midst of serving a prison sentence of between 22 and 60 years after pleading guilty to third-degree murder one year after the incident reportedly took place.

In the lawsuit against Eli Lilly, Danysh reportedly claimed that the murder occurred while he was under the influence of the drug Prozac, and was thus not in proper control when he committed the murder.

According to the news source, officials with the drugmaker have reportedly denied the accusations that Prozac can be associated with such behavior. Rather, the drug company claims that the medication effectively lowers tendencies toward violence.

Still, the news source reports, the FDA has reportedly required that a warning be placed on the label of Prozac indicating that such antidepressants can potentially lead to suicidal thoughts in children, teenagers and young adults.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), experts are still not certain how much of a risk Prozac has for developing such thoughts. Still, people who begin to experience suicidal tendencies while taking Prozac are encouraged to contact their doctor or physician right away, the NCBI reports.

While the antidepressant has been associated with suicidal thoughts in some instances, another potential risk linked with the drug is the birth defect persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns (PPHN).

According to a 2006 release from the FDA, a study found that PPHN was six times more common in babies born to mothers who had taken Prozac or other similar antidepressants after the 20th week of pregnancy than those whose mothers did not take such a medication.

As such, the FDA warns pregnant women to consult their doctors to determine whether or not it is safe to take antidepressants such as Prozac.