Prozac and Zoloft May be Leading to Suicides
Several articles and stories have recently come to light concerning a
connection between certain antidepressant drugs such as Prozac and Zoloft, and
suicides. In the May 15th 2000 issue of the Boston Globe appeared a story that
revealed the links between these drugs and suicide. This article cited internal
documents from Eli Lilly and Co., showing that the makers of Prozac had known
for years that its best selling drug could cause suicidal reactions in a small
but significant number of patients.
According to Lillys own numbers, 1 in 100 previously non-suicidal patients
who took the drugs developed a severe form of anxiety and agitation causing them
to attempt to commit suicide during the study. Dr. David Healy, an expert on the
brain and director of the North Wales Department of Psychological Medicine at
the University of Wales estimates that, "Probably 50,000 people have
committed suicide on Prozac since its launch, over and above the number who
would have done so if left untreated.” Lillys own figures from 1984
indicated that severe agitation which can lead to suicide occurs in at least 1
in 100 cases. It should be noted that Lilly got more than 25% of its $10 billion
income in 1999 from Prozac.
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