Furious Seasons

February 22, 2006

Wellbutrin May Be Bad-Butrin In One Case

There have been stories going around for over a decade about people doing crazy shit soon after being put on anti-depressants. I am talking violent things. This used to be most prominently whispered about Prozac and Paxil. Researchers have long claimed no connections between violence and anti-depressants and juries have never bought the "Prozac Defense." But these stories pop up often enough where you've got to think there's something dark and inexplicable here that needs to be understood and explained. So here's a sad story from a city 50 miles south of Seattle, where an 82-year-old man stabbed his wife of 60 years soon after starting on Wellbutrin. There is no record of previous violence in either the marriage or the man's life--in fact, the wife, who survived, is desperate to see him but the courts won't allow it because they are classifying the case as domestic violence. Whatever you make of side effects of meds, something screwy is up here and I hope it gets resolved before these poor folks get any older.

On a related front, we could really use some kind of reliable predictors of how people will react to psych meds, especially whether said meds will spin patients up and make them do crazy things. I know that's a naive point. But I am sick of running across cases like these and the benign silence of docs who refuse to take this nasty business seriously. I mean, have you ever heard of someone going psycho on Plavix? Patients have got to be monitored far more closely than is the current medical practice. It's as simple as that.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at February 22, 2006 12:02 AM

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Comments

My daughter is more of a paradoxical effect than remedy. Doctors refuse to look at the psychiatric side of the side effects, printed by the pharmaceutical company themselves. The doctor's all quickly agree, that dry mouth, metallic taste, even twitching and tremors are OK with them, but when my daughter was delusional on Haldol, they refused to accept that as a side affect. I called a neurologist and asked him, if she could have paradoxical effects from Ativan, then why not delusions from Haldol? he said, of course.
The psych's want to treat symtoms, have favorite med of choice, and once reaching "the top" having a Chief of Staff watch my daughter's medications, he refused to acknowledge her all night, no sleep for 10 days as a side effect of 800 mg of seroquel.
He was truly befuddled. I was not. I have lived with her for 18 years.
Come on. I was told if I took Prozac to take the "edge" off of moving to a new house...'things will roll off your back'...it was a nightmare, right down to the 5pm stomach pains, the shooting stars from the finger tips, nightmares, etc..My daughter revs up on cough syrup..I also believe that once on an antipsychotic, may not be able to go off of it, regardless of why placed on it. Off soap box.(not for long).

Posted by: Stephany at March 12, 2006 01:06 AM

I totally agree with all the about, I've seen this happen to lots of people. In fact I think Haldol is one of the worst med's ever given. Most don't even need it. Thanks.

Posted by: Kevin at April 5, 2006 01:53 AM

Thanks , Kevin. Yes, the docs added Haldol back into her mix (along with zyprexa, hmm one antipsychotic at a time please)because the doc said they saw her 'less aggressive' on it...claiming 3 mg per day of Haldol was OK. Well.If kicking,punching,scratching and biting is less aggressive, then what? not to mention her deluisions have taken flight again. So crappy.

Posted by: Stephany at April 6, 2006 08:36 AM