Comments: Is There A Zyprexa Link To Suicides?
I was put on abilify for a few weeks, for nothing related to schizophrenia, and I experienced a mild form of akathisia. I think the worst part of it was that I wasn't told this could happen! I just felt like I was going crazy, and soon stopped the medication.
Kudos, Philip, for pointing out in an earlier entry that it still is controversial to diagnose children with bipolar disorder. I think that was the last straw in terms of my general belief in good intentions on the part of pharmaceutical companies. I cried when I read about Rebecca Riley, thinking about what inner chaos that girl must have experienced in her last days (or most of her brief life for the matter). How can anyone possibly swallow this garbage? It is terrifying to me to think there are people with degrees in psychiatry who have been so brainwashed.
Even when I was in high school (a mere two years ago, class of 05'), I was taught in my psychology class that the symptoms of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia don't appear until early adulthood, around 18 at the earliest.
Posted by NAP at October 22, 2007 11:44 PM
This is not surprising considering my daughter's primary complaint [besides the weight gain] was increased agitation on Zyprexa, and the withdrawals were worse.
The study is referencing Autistic children, taking Zyprexa into the Risperdal zone for approval from the FDA for use in Autistic kids.
Considering the entire Zyprexa scandal and danger of this medication widely known due to the lawsuits, I personally cannot imagine why this drug is allowed to be tested in children at all.The fact that the cold medications are being scrutinized and not antipsychotics--blows my mind.
Posted by Stephany at October 23, 2007 12:00 AM
These drugs remove inhibitions. You remove the inhibitions of someone who is depressed and they lose fear of suicide and do it. My limited experience with zyprexa involved an increase in appetite so incredible that I can only imagine what other parts of behavior it tweaks.
Also, being told you need to take a drug that is going to make you diabetic and bankrupt you if you ever lose your health insurance (assuming you have it) and make you die 25 years early, and that because of whatever symptoms you are having, the trade off is worth it is truely devastating to a human and the sort of thing that can cause suicide.
Posted by Sally at October 23, 2007 03:38 AM
I can confirm that there is something to this link first hand.
I've been diagnosed with a severe but very rarely diagnosed heavy metal intoxication; as this gets worse, the metal in question displaces other metals acting as coenzymes (that is they allow enzymes to work) in the body, which renders these enzymes inert. In other words, the chemical processes that constitute "human life" don't work as they normally do in people with serious heavy metal problems. This in turn means that medications generally cause bizarre and often vehement side-effects.
I had the misfortune of retaining the services of a psychiatrist who felt he was something close to God's gift to humanity, and refused to believe that I was having the side-effects I was having. ("Just because it's listed as a side-effect doesn't mean it happens" is an original quotation.) He also was adamant that I should not get a second opinion, in fact he saw to it that my request to change doctors as an inpatient was torn up, telling my clueless parents that this would only "encourage" my malingering.
The only reason I am alive today, is because I, out of spite of this "doctor," decided to take my life only after I had gotten off of zyprexa rather than while on it.
Malpractice attorneys told me that in cases of such egregious misconduct, records are generally tampered with, and that pursuing any action was futile. Perhaps the most regrettable part of the whole sordid story is that I am fairly confident that if I'd confront the b****rd today, I strongly doubt he'd have any insight into the fact that his care was disastrous.
Sometimes psychiatrists are more psychotic than their patients.
Posted by steven at October 23, 2007 04:32 AM
I am quite glad nowadays that my body reacted so harshly to Zyprexa when first prescribed and I asked, and was, taken off of it immediately.
I did have some wild dreams on it though. I could live with that.
Posted by Nathaniel at October 23, 2007 01:23 PM
Steven, your story is shocking. If you're absolutely 100% sure you are telling the whole truth (i.e. there's no possibility that you misheard him), you should post the shrink's name. I did that to one of my shrinks and it definitely had an impact (he's still talking about it 3 years later).
Posted by Francesca Allan at October 25, 2007 04:33 PM
Francesca,
The exact quote was that "If I write the PDR and tell them that I've seen the medication make people grow hair on their teeth, then they'll put "makes hair grow on the teeth" as a side-effect into the PDR.
My request to get a second opinion was torn up, and he did tell my parents that getting a second opinion would only encourage my malingering.
Unfortunately, publishing this would only open up cans of worms.
Posted by Steven at October 31, 2007 10:14 AM
Steven, when my daughter at age 17 fired her pdoc due to the pdoc ignoring her request to go off of Zyprexa, after reading about diabetes herself-- it took that pdoc 2 weeks to send the file over to the new pdoc, and that was after I finally called and said 2 things: 1.give me 1 ethical reason why you are holding the file 2. send it over today or see you in court. It was finally sent over to the new pdoc. It was ridiculous.
Posted by Stephany at October 31, 2007 11:10 AM