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Editor: Robert Binstock
Profession: Paxil Side Effect Attorney

Category: Side Effects

With crazed gunmen committing mass murders becoming more and more common these days it is probably time to really look for a cause of these actions. Many believe that prescription antidepressants other psychoactive drugs are to blame for these heinous acts. Just Sunday a man killed four in murderous rampage in two different Colorado cities. It is not yet clear whether the shooter was taking antidepressants or other medications, but if the traditional profile established by recent school shootings and mass murders holds true he was likely taking a mood-altering prescription medication.

http://shop.wnd.com/store/item.asp?ITEM_ID=2123Last Wednesday 19 year-old Robert Hawkins opened fire on innocent civilians in an Omaha Mall, killing eight and wounding five more before turning the gun on himself. It has been confirmed that Hawkins had been treated for ADHD and depression in the past. This is a familiar pattern those who have been analyzing school shootings and similar events by adolescents for the better part of the last 10 years. We have seen 10 recent school shooters with confirmed ties to psychiatric drugs, most commonly antidepressants.

Eric Harris, one of the shooters at Columbine in 1999, was on the prescription antidepressant Luvox. After killing 12 and wounding 24 he and the other shooter, Dylan Klebold, took their own lives. The Virginia Tech shooter's records have not been released yet due to an ongoing investigation, but reports of prescription drugs for treatment of psychological problems have been reported.

One of the most widely prescribed antidepressants today is Paxil, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline.

Paxil's known "adverse drug reactions" according to the drug's own 2001 FDA-approved label include "mania," "insomnia," "anxiety," "agitation," "confusion," "amnesia," "depression," "paranoid reaction," "psychosis," "hostility," "delirium," "hallucinations," "abnormal thinking," "depersonalization" and "lack of emotion," among others.

With a rap sheet like that, no wonder pharmaceutical companies are nervous about liability lawsuits over the "rare adverse effects" of their medications. In 1998, for example, GlaxoSmithKline was ordered to pay $6.4 million to Donald Schnell's surviving family members after the 60-year-old man, just two days after taking Paxil, murdered his wife, daughter and granddaughter in a fit of rage.

The American government can no longer sit back and watch these horrible events play out. These drugs are dangerous and have very serious side effects that could cost the lives of dozens of more people if they are not addressed. We cannot allow big pharma to continue to poison society and especially our youth who will one day be the leaders of the free world. The FDA has warned about the side effects of antidepressants and has expressed that doctors should be very cautious when prescribing antidepressants to minors, yet these occurrences seem to be becoming more frequent in recent years. Maybe the FDA should consider a ban on prescribing these drugs to children as other countries have already done.