Zyprexa Off-Label Uses Risky

Everett, WAIn addition to the risk of suicide and diabetes in patients taking Zyprexa, Eli Lilly has another group of people to contend with: those for whom Zyprexa was prescribed off-label. Specifically, Lilly may soon find itself in a battle with the families of elderly people diagnosed with dementia who were given Zyprexa.

Rodger P.'s mother was one such person. During a series of months in which Rodger's mom had numerous, serious urinary tract infections, she was diagnosed with dementia. She was then prescribed Zyprexa, a drug that is not meant to be given to elderly people with dementia.

The reason Zyprexa should not be given to elderly patients with dementia is that there is an increased risk of mortality in such patients. In fact, the risk of either cardiovascular or infectious deaths in elderly patients with dementia is 1.6 to 1.7 times higher in patients taking Zyprexa than those taking a placebo. The Zyprexa labeling information includes a warning about this risk; however, Eli Lilly, maker of Zyprexa, has come under fire for marketing its drug for off-label uses. Although prescribing a drug for off-label use is not illegal, marketing it for such use is.

Rodger's mother did not die after taking Zyprexa, but her life changed drastically. Rodger says his mother was once an active woman, able to walk on her own and take care of many things herself. She was also a calm, friendly woman. He says that after she took Zyprexa she became extremely combative and developed blood sugar problems. After a series of setbacks, including falling and injuring herself during a dizzy spell, Rodger's mother is now bed-ridden and requires 24-hour care.

Rodger says his mother often repeated the phrase "I can't go on," while she was on Zyprexa. She has since been taken off of it, but did express suicidal thoughts before the medication was discontinued. He notes that the one positive of her being bedridden is that she was unable to commit suicide, although he says that he has little doubt that she would have tried if she had been capable.

"My mother was given Zyprexa off-label, but we were never warned about the side-effects," Rodger says. "No one ever told us about what could happen to her. Now I have to care for her 24 hours a day. It's been a real financial hardship. I gave up my career and had to declare bankruptcy."

"Zyprexa really messed up my mother," Rodger says. "She just became out of control. She was combative and yelled and screamed a lot. Now, she can do nothing for herself."

In addition to promoting Zyprexa for off-label uses, Eli Lilly faces possible lawsuits from family members of patients who committed suicide while taking Zyprexa. Much like Rodger, they note that after their loved ones started taking Zyprexa, their personalities changed. In many cases the patients gave up on life and became disconnected from the people around them. They, too, say they and their loved ones were never warned about the serious risks associated with taking Zyprexa.