NIU Shooter linked to SSRI medication Prozac

It grieves me to have to write this post. As an NIU grad who has spent 7 years in DeKalb, I was completely leveled by the Valentine’s Day Massacre as I watched it unfold live through my local television stations. Today the report has finally come out: the Prozac Nation can now add another school shooter to the list of SSRI patients turned psychotic. The news reports today say that in addition to Prozac, Stephen Kazmierczak had also been taking Ambien and Xanax. SSRI medications like Prozac have also been linked to several other school shooters.

In 2004 the FDA issued warnings saying that abruptly changing the dose of an anti-depressant (SSRI) drug, whether increasing or decreasing it, can produce hostility, psychosis, and/or suicide. There are over 10 million people on antidepressants in America. After all these years and all these shootings I continually ask myself when will the FDA step in and investigate the possible homicidal implications of improperly prescribing these dangerous drugs?

All three drug companies list disturbing potential side effects if the drug is not properly prescribed or administered. For example, the makers of Ambien warn that improper use may cause any of these serious side effects: worsening sleep problems; depressed mood, thoughts of hurting yourself; unusual risk-taking behavior, decreased inhibitions, no fear of danger; aggression, feeling agitated; hallucinations, confusion, loss of personality. Xanax manufacturers warn users to call their doctor if they experience the following side effects: unusual risk-taking behavior, decreased inhibitions, no fear of danger; depressed mood, thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself; hyperactivity, agitation, hostility, and hallucinations. Both Ambien and Xanax manufacturers warn against using antidepressants with their drug because it can heighten the adverse side effects of their products. A visit to the Eli Lilly and Company’s Prozac site lists no dangerous adverse side effects, despite the fact that Prozac (or other SSRI drugs) have been cited in nearly all school shootings under investigation in the last 10 years. The makers of Prozac did release the following statement in 2004, however:

POTENTIAL ASSOCIATION WITH THE OCCURRENCE OF BEHAVIOURAL AND EMOTIONAL CHANGES, INCLUDING SELF-HARM.

Pediatrics: Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial Data
Recent analyses of placebo-controlled clinical trial safety databases from SSRIs and other newer anti-depressants suggest that use of these drugs in patients under the age of 18 may be associated with behavioural and emotional changes, including an increased risk of suicidal ideation and behaviour over that of placebo.

The small denominators in the clinical trial database, as well as the variability in placebo rates, preclude reliable conclusions on the relative safety profiles among these drugs.

Adult and Pediatrics: Additional data
There are clinical trial and post-marketing reports with SSRIs and other newer anti-depressants, in both pediatrics and adults, of severe agitation-type adverse events coupled with self-harm or harm to others. The agitation-type events include: akathisia, agitation, disinhibition, emotional lability, hostility, aggression, depersonalization. In some cases, the events occurred within several weeks of starting treatment.

Rigorous clinical monitoring for suicidal ideation or other indicators of potential for suicidal behaviour is advised in patients of all ages. This includes monitoring for agitation-type emotional and behavioural changes. Discontinuation Symptoms Patients currently taking SSRIs or other newer anti-depressants should NOT be discontinued abruptly, due to risk of discontinuation symptoms. PROZAC has only rarely been associated with such symptoms. At the time that a medical decision is made to discontinue an SSRI or other newer anti-depressant drug, a gradual reduction in the dose rather than an abrupt cessation, except for fluoxetine, is recommended.

Perhaps we need to force the government to take a serious look at the lethal implications of mixing drugs for patients suffering from depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances.

• Read an excerpt from Peter R. Breggin’s book: The Anti-Depressant Fact Book: What Your Doctor Won’t Tell You about Prozac…. (http://books.google.com/) and another site from Breggin: http://www.breggin.com/luvox.html that discusses Eric Harris, the Littleton shooter who was also taking an SSRI drug.
• Visit: The International Coalition for Drug Awareness and view a video with Michael Moore after the Columbine Shooting. This website is hosted by a group of physicians, researchers, journalists and concerned citizens dedicated to educating about the dangers posed by many Rx medicines. http://www.drugawareness.org/home.html
• Read about The Minnesota shooting rampage by 16-year old Jeff Weise, also on Prozac: http://www.ahrp.org/infomail/05/03/25.php
• Read: SAM SMITH, PROGRESSIVE REVIEW - “In coverage of school shootings there has been one topic that has been kept off the table: the consistent use of anti-depressants by the murderers and the possible connection between the drugs and the deaths.” http://prorev.com/2007/04/elephant-in-morgue.htm
• And finally, take a disturbing peek at this site: http://www.ssristories.com/ It is a collection of 2100+ news stories with the full media article available, mainly criminal in nature, that have appeared in the media (newspapers, TV, scientific journals) or that were part of FDA testimony in either 1991, 2004 or 2006, in which antidepressants are mentioned.

UPDATE: New study confirms that Prozac works no better than the placebo in clinical trials:

Prozac, the bestselling antidepressant taken by 40 million people worldwide, does not work and nor do similar drugs in the same class, according to a major review released today.

The study examined all available data on the drugs, including results from clinical trials that the manufacturers chose not to publish at the time. The trials compared the effect on patients taking the drugs with those given a placebo or sugar pill.

When all the data was pulled together, it appeared that patients had improved - but those on placebo improved just as much as those on the drugs.

Printer friendly version

Related Articles:

• Scientists have discovered that Celiac Disease Can be the Root Cause of most Neurological Disorders (3)
• ADHD Video by Gary Null exposes Over Medication of Children in America for Hyperactivity (0)
• Study Shows Artificial Flavors, Colors, Preservatives make all Kids Hyper (2)
• Senate Report on Mercury in Vaccines says CDC and FDA are Guilty of Misconduct (1)

Caryn Talty

The editor of this website has a master's degree in English from Northern Illinois University and a bachelor of science degree in special education. She has taught students from early elementary school through college freshman level. Today she enjoys reading and writing about both hot topics and those not so commonly discussed on other websites. Most of her days are spent playing all kinds of make-believe with her three very young and active sons. | All articles by Caryn Talty.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.