Zyprexa: Suicide can be a Side Effect of Drugs

Washington, DCThe news is getting harder and harder to ignore. More drugs are being linked to an increased risk of violence and suicide. While some people would argue that, at least in the case of Zyprexa, it is the underlying condition of the patient that increases the risk of suicide, there are more drugs being linked to this risk, making it more difficult to deny that medications can cause people to commit suicidal acts.

LawyersandSettlements.com is still receiving complaints from patients who took Zyprexa that they experienced suicidal ideation while taking the drug. Furthermore, family members who have had loved ones commit suicide while taking Zyprexa are also writing to the website with their stories. They are often shocked, saddened and confused that a drug that was supposed to help may have caused a lot of grief.

Zyprexa is not the first drug that has come with a risk of suicidal thoughts or acts, which is why it is so surprising that some people would resist the idea that it could cause such problems for patients. Surely, if other drugs can be linked to a risk of suicidal thoughts, then Zyprexa can be, too.

In 2006, the FDA announced that antidepressants such as Lexapro, Zoloft, Prozac and Paxil increased the risk of suicidal thoughts in patients 18-24 years of age. A warning label was added to some of the drugs to include the risk of suicide in patients who take those drugs. The class of drugs, known as SSRIs, has been linked to a risk of suicide and depression. If these drugs are capable of causing suicidal thoughts and actions, then could Zyprexa not also carry such a risk? Why is it such a stretch to believe that a drug like Zyprexa could possibly cause suicidal ideation, especially when SSRIs now carry a warning about that risk?

More recently, a drug designed to help people quit smoking has also been linked to an increased risk of suicide. Some patients who used the drug, known as Chantix, allege they had suicidal thoughts after using the medication. Just like Zyprexa, the patients who make these allegations also say that they did not have suicidal thoughts prior to taking the drug. According to CBS news, the FDA is investigating 100 reports of smokers who experienced suicidal thoughts after taking Chantix.

There has been some media coverage about the link between SSRIs and suicide and the link between Chantix and suicide. However, there is still not much known about the possible link between Zyprexa and suicide. It may be that because the people who are prescribed Zyprexa, people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, are believed to be at an increased risk of suicide anyhow, the link does not seem that important.

But it is. No drug that is designed to help people should come with a risk of suicide. That is too high a price to pay. More needs to be done to understand the risk of suicide in patients who take Zyprexa. Hopefully, as more people come forward to share their stories, their concerns will be taken more seriously.