Paxil Banned For 18 And Under In UK And Ireland
US FDA Evaluating Paxil For Similar Ban
Dr. Ann Blake Tracy, Executive Director,
International Coalition For Drug Awareness
& author of Prozac:
Panacea or Pandora? - Our Serotonin Nightmare
Office 801-282-5282
Cell 801-209-1800
6-18-3Last week Paxil was banned for the use in children and teens in the UK and Ireland. Warning letters were sent to all physicians asking that Paxil no longer be given to children or youth because of the potential for violence, suicide, self harm and medical damage. They also warned of the serious addictive potential and withdrawal with Paxil.
Our FDA is now evaluating the same NINE studies that have come to light in this UK investigation. Last Friday Senator Charles Schumer (Democrat-NY) asked our FDA to expedite their investigation and ban Paxil in the US as well to protect our children from any additional damage.
The studies in question have come to light TWELVE years after the first of the studies was completed. The manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, may be facing criminal charges as a result of not disclosing the results of these studies before now.
The authorities in the UK are continuing to evaluate all SSRI antidepressants for safety in all age groups and will be reporting as information is gathered.
After working on court cases involving these drugs for a decade and a half I have all the inside information on many of the high profile cases you have seen in the news. Cases in which the connection to these drugs was not disclosed.
In light of this latest information I believe the data on these cases should be made public. Families filing these wrongful death cases generally have gag orders placed on them after a settlement, but I don't. I also believe it is clear that this code of silence has led to many additional deaths that should never have happened.
There are a large number of tragic cases involving Paxil and children at this point. Although I wish I had never been forced to be made aware of any of them, I unfortunately can discuss the details of many at length. Just a few of them would be:
Cammy (15) and Logan Carr (10) killed their 6 year old brother in Dallas last summer and buried him out back (both were on Paxil).
Elizabeth Bush (14) shot her classmate at her Catholic school in PA two years ago while under the influence of Paxil.
Jarred Viktor (15), a CA boy who had never even been in a fight before in his life, stabbed his grandmother 61 times after only five days on Paxil.
In 1997 NJ Nick Mansies (15) invited a young boy (6) into his home while he was selling cookies door to door. Under the influence of Paxil Nick sodomized and beat the boy to death. Two months ago a 10 year old boy in NJ while on one of these antidepressants killed a 3 year old boy in the same way. The only difference is that younger and younger children are the ones committing these violent acts upon younger and younger children!
A 15 year old boy in TN shot and killed his father after 10 days on Paxil and then attacked his mother with a shovel
Chris Shannahan (15) from Rigby, ID killed a woman in a convenience store after three months on Paxil.
A 12 year old boy in Chester, SC shot his grandparents while they slept and then he set the house on fire.
Add to this all of the youth suicides and children suffering suicidal thoughts, cutting themselves, or going through terrible withdrawal.
During the past 14 years I have worked with thousands suffering serious adverse reactions and withdrawal effects as a result of these antidepressants. I have also written a thick book called "Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? Our Serotonin Nightmare," about the SSRI antidepressants, of which Paxil is one of the most potent. And as the executive director of a nonprofit educational group focusing on dangerous prescription medications (International Coalition for Drug Awareness - www.drugawareness.org) I have lectured about the many varied physical and psychiatric adverse reactions of antidepressants for many years now.
Over the past decade I have been interviewed by numerous magazines, newspapers, radio shows and television shows sounding a warning of the dangers of SSRI antidepressants - exactly the same dangers that the regulatory agencies in the UK and Ireland have just confirmed with this ban.
But I have never yet done an interview with you. Let's rectify that problem because the public desperately needs this information to protect their children. They also need to know how dangerous withdrawal can be for their children along with information about how to accomplish that safely!
I have been consulting in the Columbine tragedy and work closely with Mark Taylor, the first boy shot that day. He took 7 - 13 bullets in the chest that day collapsing both lungs. He is known as the "Columbine Wonder Boy" because he survived those deadly wounds. You saw him in Bowling for Columbine buying bullets at K-Mart.
In fact, if you would like to interview Mark as well he would love to do that. And it would be good to interview Corey Baadsgard as well. At first glance these two seem to be an odd couple. Why? Because Corey almost committed a Columbine at his own school in a small farming community in eastern Washington State while under the influence of these drugs.
Mark and Corey have become good friends and together are educating others about the dangers of these drugs. They know firsthand why school shooting happen. Mark has forgiven Eric Harris for shooting him and knows that Eric and Corey never would have been involved in a school shooting if it were not for these antidepressants.
FYI: I was also the expert in the Phil Hartman murder/suicide and worked closely with the family who is in full agreement with me discussing the details of that case whenever I can to raise awareness of these antidepressant dangers. That case was settled by Pfizer, the makers of Zoloft, several years ago.
Just a few other cases I have consulted in are the Andrea Yates case and many other mothers who have killed their children, the Atlanta Day Trader shooting, the NY City subway bombing, the Connecticut Lottery Shooting, the Edgewater Technologies shooting near Boston, the decorated NJ police officer, Edward Lutz, who shot five of his neighbors and attempted to kill his best friend, a police chief, before killing himself last year, etc., etc., etc.