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CHANTIX
Chantix (Varenicline) is a new prescription medication marketed by Pfizer, Inc. to help adults quit smoking. Chantix effects the same receptors in the brain as nicotine. In theory, a person taking the drug would experience a similar feeling of well being as when they are smoking thus decreasing their desire for a cigarette.
Shortly after Chantix was approved by the FDA in May of 2006, stories began to surface about people having strange experiences while taking Chantix. These experiences range from drowsiness, bizarre or vivid dreams, aggression, and even suicidal thoughts or attempts. In November of 2007, FDA reported that they were conducting a safety review of these Chantix related reports. Then in January of 2008, Pfizer modified the product labeling to reflect these potential problems.
Finally, on February 1, 2008, the FDA issued a public health advisory warning about the possibility of severe mood and behavior changes in patients taking Chantix. According to the FDA’s website, symptoms can include "anxiety, nervousness, tension, depressed mood, unusual behaviors and thinking about or attempting suicide." The FDA has found it is "increasingly likely" that these symptoms are related to the patient’s use of Chantix.
Chantix Links:
FDA Public Health Advisory regarding Chantix
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/advisory/varenicline.htm
If your loved one killed themselves or someone else while taking Chantix, please contact us for an consultation regarding your family's potential claim, by clicking here.
PAXIL
"Can Paxil cause some people to become homicidal and/or suicidal?" This was the first question posed to our jury in the case of Tobin v. SmithKline Beecham. Their June 6, 2001, verdict answered with a resounding "yes" and an $8 million damages assessment.
Since that time, the world has changed for Paxil maker GlaxoSmithKline [GSK] as well as for our clients with Paxil related violence/suicidality problems.
Paxil, which was released onto the American market in 1992, was the third of the SSRI’s on the market in the U.S. Paxil (paroxetine HCl) is FDA approved for the treatment of depression and certain anxiety disorders. Paxil and the new Paxil CR (controlled release) generate over two billion dollars per year for GSK making it one of the company’s biggest sellers.
On March 22, 2004, Paxil was included in the FDA Public Health Advisory finally acknowledging the link between antidepressants and suicide. The advisory states "health care providers should carefully monitor patients receiving antidepressants for possible worsening of depression or suicidality, especially at the beginning of therapy or when the dose either increases or decreases." (link to FDA warning page).
Our firm carefully screens and then aggressively pursues legitimate Paxil related death and serious injury claims.
Paxil Links:
If your loved one killed themselves or someone else while taking Paxil, please contact us for an consultation regarding your family’s potential claim, by clicking here.
PROZAC
The first SSRI on the market in 1988, Eli Lilly’s Prozac is the "granddaddy" of all the SSRIs. According to Lilly’s Prozac website, Prozac has been prescribed for more than 40 million people worldwide. In recent years, Prozac has also become available in its generic form, Fluoxetine HCL.
The question of whether or not Prozac can cause some people to become homicidal or suicidal goes back many years. In February, 1990, two prominent Harvard researchers and psychiatrists, Drs. Martin Teicher and Jonathan Cole published an article in the American Journal of Psychiatry entitled: Emergence of Intense Suicidal Preoccupation During Fluoxetine Treatment. The article reported that "persistent, obsessive, and violent suicidal thoughts [had] emerged in a small minority of patients treated with fluoxetine." Since that time, many other researchers have published articles with similar findings. However, those articles have been largely ignored by the popular media and dismissed by the pharmaceutical industry.
In the meantime, various lawyers, including our firm, have amassed considerable damning evidence from the internal, unpublished files of Eli Lilly.
Although no civil wrongful death case has yet been won, on the flip side, Lilly has lost many battles on the issue of whether there is legally admissible, scientifically reliable evidence linking Prozac to suicide and other violent behavior.
Most of the civil cases involving Prozac have been settled short of trial. However, in the two cases which have gone to trial, Lilly has achieved "apparent" wins. The first was a 1994 case in Kentucky state court. Lilly got a 9:3 verdict in its favor and then publicized this verdict as a "vindication" of Prozac. However, it was later found that Lilly had quietly settled the case for an undisclosed sum before the verdict was returned. (See comments of trial Judge Potter in the Mind Games [H/L] video excerpts on our home page)
Andy Vickery (more) was the lead attorney in 1999 when Prozac was again brought to trial in Forsyth v. Eli Lilly. Bill Forsyth had been taking Prozac for 11 days when he stabbed his wife of 37 years, June and then himself. Documents released in the Forsyth trial proved that Lilly had known about this side effect for many years. Despite the explosive evidence presented, the jury returned with a seemingly unanimous, defense verdict. However, the Forsyths later found that Lilly had withheld important information about a patented new formulation which claimed to reduce or eliminate certain side effects of the original Prozac, including "self mutilation", "akathisia" "hostility", and "suicidality". (link to "Forsyths allege Fraud). The Forsyth case was settled on appeal.
On March 22, 2004, the question "Can Prozac cause suicide in some people?" was finally answered. Prozac was named in the FDA Public Health Advisory warning about the link between antidepressants and suicide. The advisory states "health care providers should carefully monitor patients receiving antidepressants for possible worsening of depression or suicidality, especially at the beginning of therapy or when the dose either increases or decreases." (link to FDA warning page).
Our firm will continue to pursue viable claims against the makers of both branded Prozac and its generic substitute.
Prozac Links:
If your loved one killed themselves or someone else while taking Prozac, please contact us for an consultation regarding your family’s potential claim, by clicking here.
ZOLOFT
Zoloft Links:
EFFEXOR
Effexor (Venlafaxine HCL) was released on the market in 1993 by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. It belongs to a class of drugs called SNRI which are thought to act on both the serotonin and norepinephrine receptors in the brain. Wyeth's Effexor XR website states "EFFEXOR XR is thought to work on both serotonin and norepinephrine -two chemicals in the brain linked to depression. Correcting the imbalance of these two chemicals may help relieve symptoms of depression."
In August of 2003, Wyeth warned physicians about about the link between Effexor and increased incidence of "hostility and suicide-related adverse events, such as suicidal ideation and self-harm." Doctors were warned via "Dear Doctor" letter to "be alert to signs of suicidal ideation in children and adolescents prescribed Effexor or Effexor XR" and to "reassess the benefit-risk balance when treating individual patients." (link)
Since that time, the FDA has acknowledged the link between Effexor and suicide issuing several public health advisories and requiring Wyeth to put a BLACK BOX WARNING on Effexor. The most recent FDA public health advisory on July 1st states:
Adults being treated with antidepressant medications, particularly those being treated for depression, should be watched closely for worsening of depression and for increased suicidal thinking or behavior. Close watching may be especially important early in treatment, or when the dose is changed, either increased or decreased. (link)
Effexor Links:
If your loved one killed themselves or someone else while taking Effexor, please contact us for an consultation regarding your family's potential claim, by clicking here.
CYMBALTA
Cymbalta (Duloxetine HCl), manufactured by Eli Lilly, is the newest antidepressant on the market. Cymbalta was approved by the FDA and released on the market in August of 2004. It is thought to affect the neurochemicals, serotonin and norepinephrine. Labeling for Cymbalta warns about the increased risk of suicide.
Cymbalta Links:
If your loved one killed themselves or someone else while taking Cymbalta, please contact us for an consultation regarding your family’s potential claim, by clicking here.
ADDERALL
Adderall is manufactured by Shire USA and is prescribed to treat ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder). Medications like Adderall are known to cause psychosis in a small number of patients. Unfortunately, this psychosis can sometimes lead to violent behavior. JusticeSeekers represents families who have been harmed by an Adderall induced psychosis.
Adderall Links:
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Court clears way for trial in Adderall-psychosis, wrongful death case
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Ehlis v. Shire USA, Inc.
Judge Lets Drugmaker Off the Hook In Spite of Fact that Drug-Induced Psychosis Led to Child's Death . . . Read the Order here. |
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Branson v. Shire USA, Inc.
Shire had 141 days from the time its Vice President Antonsson admitted Adderall’s role in Tyra Ehlis’s death (see Ehlis v. Shire Richwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc., above) until the day that Nathaniel Branson died |
If your loved one killed themselves or someone else while taking Adderall, please contact us for an consultation regarding your family’s potential claim, by clicking here.
LEXAPRO AND CELEXA
Celexa (Citalopram HBr) and Lexapro (Escitalopram Oxalate) are both members of the class of drugs known as SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) which also include Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft. Forest Pharmaceuticals received FDA approval for Celexa in 1998. Celexa was touted as having fewer side effects than earlier SSRI drugs. In 2002, Forest introduced a new drug, Lexapro. Lexapro was derived by isolating the citalopram molecule called an isomer. The manufacturers maintain that this makes Lexapro more effective with fewer side effects than Celexa.
Lexapro and Celexa have been included in the recent FDA Public Health Advisories on antidepressants and suicide. The FDA has also required the manufacturer, Forest Laboratories, to include a BLACK BOX warning about the increased risk of suicide in children and adolescents taking Lexapro or Celexa. (link to FDA warning page)
Celexa/Lexapro Links:
If your loved one killed themselves or someone else while taking Celexa or Lexapro, please contact us for an immediate consultation regarding your family's potential claim by clicking here.
ZYPREXA
Zyprexa is Eli Lilly's brand name for the psychotropic drug Olanzapine. Zyprexa was initially approved by the FDA in 1997. It is a type of psychotropic medication known as an atypical antipsychotic. Antipsychotic medicines treat the symptoms of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. Lilly markets Zyprexa for the treatment of schizophrenia and acute bipolar mania. They maintain that Zyprexa offers fewer side effects than older antipsychotics.
Unfortunately, Zyprexa can also cause an increase in a neurological condition known as akathisia, a precursor to suicide. In fact, clinical trial data suggests that the number of completed suicides on Zyprexa was higher than on a placebo. Even the DSM-IV TR recognizes the relationship between akathisia and suicide. However, Lilly has yet to warn the public of this increased risk.
Zyprexa Links:
If your loved one killed themselves or someone else while taking Zyprexa, please contact us for an immediate consultation regarding your family's potential claim by clicking here.
SYMBYAX
Symbyax is a combination of Olanzapine (marketed as Zyprexa) and Fluoxetine (marketed as Prozac). Lilly obtained approval for Symbyax in 2003 for the treatment of Bipolar Disorder. Both Zyprexa and Prozac are known to increase suicidal thinking in some people. In fact, the label for Symbyax now includes a BLACK BOX warning about the increased risk of suicide in children and adolescents.
Symbyax Links:
If your loved one killed themselves or someone else while taking Symbyax, please contact us for an immediate consultation regarding your family's potential claim by clicking here.
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