The Zyprexa Chronicles: Interview With Mother Of Zyprexa Victim

The following is an interview with Ellen Liversidge, mother of Rob. He was a 39-year-old with bipolar disorder who died in 2002 after taking Zyprexa. Today is the fifth anniversary of his death.

Tell us about your son.

Rob grew up in Burlington, Vermont, Western Massachusetts, and Philadelphia. He was precocious, kind, and read at age 3. He became manic/psychotic at age twenty after going off to Cornell and having a hard time getting going every day. For the first three years, he was misdiagnosed as schizophrenic and took every possible "old" antipsychotic. He bounced in and out of the hospital like a rubber ball and was unable to accomplish much of anything. Finally, with his agreement, we found a very skilled psychiatrist who, in addition to diagnosing him correctly with manic depression, helped him get back up on his feet. He finished college and got a Master's at Cornell. He stayed on lithium all this time - for thirteen years - and although the symptoms broke through three or so times, he was able to get back up again.

How did he happen to start taking Zyprexa? What was he told about the drug?

It was during a rough period in Maryland when he was jobless that he signed on for the first time to Medicaid. The psychiatrist pushed him onto Zyprexa, saying that he needed a "stronger" drug and also saying that it was very safe.

We were very naive and trusting (this was the year 2000) and never thought of not believing the doctor. The doctor told us that the illness got worse the longer you had it (another reason to switch to "stronger" Zyprexa) but I have since found out that this is not true.

How long did he take Zyprexa for and what happened?

Rob gained almost 100 pounds. Two years later, he said one day that he felt "strange". Though he wanted to go to the hospital, I, to my eternal sorrow, didn't take him. Two days later, on September 30, 2000, he fell into a coma and never came out. He died on October 5, 2002, at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville , Maryland.

He was a much-loved, thirty nine year old man. The Medicaid care was lousy in addition to the fact that he died from it. He needed and got therapy but I think he felt very poorly while on the drug and this prevented him from getting, again, back on his feet.

We both fought hard, for a long time, but in the end were defeated by a poison drug. I miss him as if it were yesterday. Despite feeling poorly, and being "fat", and having his life not going so well due to the drug, he maintained a sharp intellect, a great sense of humor, and the ability to love.

After Rob died, how did you learn there might be a connection to Zyprexa?

The doctors knew Rob died of profound hyperglycemia but they didn't know why. They tested him for West Nile virus, AIDS, and a couple of other things. I found out what it was from an article written by Syd Wolfe of Public Citizen who, earlier that year, wrote of concern over the drug. He also said that two other countries, Japan and UK, had required Lilly to place warnings on the labels for diabetes, hyperglycemia, and death. This happened in Spring 2002. The FDA only acted in late 2003 partly due to huge frontpage articles in the Baltimore Sun, Wall St. Journal, and NYTimes and the label didn't only go on the worst drug, Zyprexa, but the FDA made all the atypicals put it on so as not to single out Lilly. But Lilly was scared so I think this is why they came up with Viva Zyprexa.

Did you sue Lilly and what was the outcome?

No discussion of lawsuit possible.

What should other people learn from your family's experience with Zyprexa, the mental health system and the courts?

If I had it to do again, I would definitely have investigated orthomolecular and other kinds of non prescription drug therapy. These areas have everything going against them, including the insurance companies. Right now I am reading a book about alternative therapies - however this should be attempted with a good guide and there are only but so many of these available. I would also listen closely to Syd Wolfe's advice :"Do NOT take a drug until it has been out on the market for seven years. It often takes this long to shake the truth out, to learn of the lethal side effects." I can understand someone who is dying of cancer trying something new, but people with mental illness are used as guinea pigs and their average life expectancy is shorter because of it. I have two friends who lost their only sons - in their twenties - from Zyprexa. Dying at such an early age will surely bring the average age of death down for people with mental illness.

Be very wary of Medicaid and Medicare. Many scams have turned up in these programs, such as bribing state officials to get a drug on the formulary. People who are poor are much more at risk. Beware of front groups such as NAMI. Who do you think pays for their offices in every state?

If something awful does happen to a family member, consider it a memorial to that person to battle back so as to save the lives of others. Not that many people take this stance but it is the stance I took from the start and I will remain that way for the rest of my life.

Help other people with mental illness in whatever way you find that is right for you.

Don't believe what you hear just because a doctor says it is so. Many doctors are on the take; psychiatrists have nothing left to do but prescribe pills now that they are no longer a "talking" profession.

Robert Passmore Liversidge III, May 15, 1963 to October 5, 2002

Posted by Philip Dawdy at October 5, 2007 12:05 AM
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