Prozac Mania
© John McManamy
Early this year, in a non-jury trial, for the first time ever, a Connecticut judge acquitted Christopher DeAngelo, an insurance agent, of robbing a bank after his lawyer successfully argued that his client's state of mind was due to the Prozac he had been taking at the time. Listed in the manufacturer's warning as an "infrequent" adverse reaction is "akathisia," which may cause an unsuspecting victim to become mentally restless and lose all inhibitions about his actions.
Last October, Pfizer, makers of Zoloft, settled for an undisclosed sum with the estate of Brynn Hartman, who had shot her husband comedian Phil Hartman dead, and then killed herself. Ms Hartman had been taking Zoloft at the time of the murder/suicide. According to the lawsuit, Ms Hartman had complained to friends that she felt as if she were going to "jump out of her skin."
Then there are the well-publicized school shootings: One of the killers in the Columbine tragedy had been prescribed Luvox. Listed in the manufacturer's warning as "frequent" adverse reactions to Luvox are "manic reaction" and "psychotic reaction." Meanwhile, Kip Kinkel, who killed four people in Oregon, including his parents, had been on Prozac at the time.
Two years earlier, Michael Hutchence, lead singer of the rock group INX, was found hanging by his belt in a Sydney hotel room, a bottle of Prozac on his possession.
Is it fair to connect these popular antidepressants to these horrible events? Yes and no. For the most part we are simply speculating. Moreover, it is difficult, if not impossible, to separate an individual's condition from the drug. Common sense, after all, dictates that some Prozac users, many who are deeply depressed at the time, are bound to attempt suicide - 2,246 reported cases between 1987 and 1995, with the true figure probably many times higher.
But if Prozac were not to blame, then the suicide rate for Prozac users would be equal or lower than for other antidepressants, right? Maybe not. A UK study took the liberty of extrapolating from a small sample to conclude that 187 Prozac users attempt or commit suicide per 100,000 patient years, far higher than for older antidepressants.
In the past, Prozac has been tested only on unhealthy (ie depressed) people. But a recent Unversity of Wales (UK) study done on HEALTHY people found that between 10 to 20 percent of those taking Prozac can be affected by mania or mental restlessness and may lose inhibition about their reactions.
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