Tennesseans file Paxil suit

The Nashville City Paper ^ | June 04, 2003 | Amanda Wardle

[tdadams]

Nearly 40 Tennesseans have filed suit against pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, charging the company did not properly inform patients of potential addictive side effects of the antidepressant drug Paxil.

The suit, filed recently in Middle Tennessee’s U.S. District Court, asks Federal District Court Judge Todd Campbell to award damages of at least $1 million per plaintiff to individuals who say they suffered adverse physical and psychological effects akin to withdrawal symptoms when they stopped using Paxil, but had not been previously warned by the makers of the drug that such effects were possible.

Legal documents state that GlaxoSmithKline knowingly marketed Paxil in the United States as a drug with “mild” side effects when they actually knew that side effects could be severe. In addition, the suit claims that the company intentionally labeled what plaintiffs say can be acute withdrawal symptoms as “discontinuation” symptoms, in order to downplay the effects of the drug.

The suit is one of several federal lawsuits that have been filed since August 2001 in numerous states across the country against GlaxoSmithKline charging that the European company, which also markets such drugs as Advair, Imitrex, Valtrex, Tums and Nicoderm CQ, did not include in its list of potential side effects the possibility that patients could suffer withdrawal symptoms such as nausea, anxiety, dizziness, agitation, tremor, palpitations and sleep disturbances after discontinuing the drug.

Karen Barth, one of the lead members of counsel in this and other suits across the country regarding Paxil withdrawal, said nearly 10,000 people from across the nation have contacted her Los Angeles law firm reporting Paxil withdrawal problems since the first suit was filed more than a year and a half ago.

Paxil, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) of the same class as Zoloft and Prozac, was introduced as a prescription antidepressant medication in late 2002. This most recent suit claims that medical experts in the United States and Great Britain have reported the potential withdrawal side effects of the drug since nearly the month it hit the market. Some experts have reported that adverse withdrawal symptoms to Paxil were reported in 30 percent to 40 percent of subjects tested, and were markedly worse than withdrawal symptoms reported for Prozac or Zoloft by as much as 4-to-1.

The suit claims that the fact that Paxil was not administered with any warning of potential withdrawal connotes false and misleading advertising as well as irresponsible marketing of a product on the part of GlaxoSmithKline, who, attorneys say, did not even perform any internal, ongoing studies into the potentially addictive side effects of the drug.

GlaxoSmithKline has publicly denied charges that Paxil may be addictive since the filing of the first charges in 2001. Company representatives did not return phone calls Tuesday by press time.

The company’s Web site acknowledges possible side effects that Paxil users might experience while taking the drug, characterizing them as “mild to moderate,” which include constipation, decreased appetite, insomnia, nervousness and others.

GlaxoSmithKline reported multi-billion dollar sales and net profits for 2002.

[tdadams]

I guess in this overly litigious age, it should be no surprise that people can take a powerful mind and mood altering drug then feign genuine surprise that, golly, it has some side effects. Greedy lawyers are destroying America.

[kevkrom]

And people wonder why medicines are so expensive?

[martin_fierro]

Pity the area where class action lawsuits are the only growth industry.

[B-Chan]

Paxil is not a mind/mood altering drug. It is an antidepressant therapy drug. It does not induce euphoria or elevate mood; instead, it restores the brain to its proper chemical balance, enabling those with depressive disorders to attain the same "normal" emotional states that normal people feel. The reason people who go off Paxil therapy sometimes experience side effects is because their brains revert back to their normal chemical states; after a period of feeling normal, the experience of being back in one's pre-Paxil, depressed state can be extremely unpleasant.

Paxil is no more addictive than insulin. Just as some people are born with the inability to produce insulin, some are born with the inability to produce normal brain chemistry. In both cases, the drug merely provides something that should have been there in the first place.

[Cogadh na Sith]

What do you want to bet that this group is connected with the Church of Scientology?

[robertpaulsen]

If the day comes when marijuana is legalized:

"Nearly 40 Tennesseans have filed suit against pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, charging the company did not properly inform patients of potential addictive side effects of the drug marijuana."

[M0sby]

Surprise not feigned!!~

I was prescribed PAXIL for terrible post-partem symptoms.
I didn't make the decision to take PAXIL easily.
But I was really going bonkers! Couldn't sleep, make a decision or stop worrying about EVERYTHING!
PAXIL did not help though (made me feel evern weirder), so I gradually stopped taking it! VERY GRADUALLY! THE WITHDRAWL WAS HORRIBLE!

I actually saved a "to do" list that I made while going through the withdrawl so that if I ever doubted the severity of the symptoms I could look back at my state of mind and handwriting and remind myself that I was not "imagining" the symptoms.
I am really really "type A person"- big list maker etc..but this list was horribly disjointed and included inane things like - take a shower, eat lunch.

When I called my doctor to talk about the symptoms I was told that the half life of PAXIL is really short, their are virtually NO SIDE EFFECTS or WITHDRAWL SYPTOMS since it is out of the body so quickly.

Let me tell ya, this couldn't have been farther from the truth!!!

To be clear, I think that the makers of PAXIL need to be forthcomming with the information that they have from their studies.
SHOULD THEY BE SUED?
Depends if they make the side effects and withdrawl symptoms clear to their customers. If you are taking PAXIL you probably think you need it for some reason, and if you experience weird symptoms, side effects and withdrawls and then are told their aren't any, this probably doesn't help your already "sensative" state of mind!

BTW, I never had the weird post-partem symtoms again, but it was truly horrible!
All my friends and family were truly worried about me as I am usually a very stable person and I was acting like a real "NUT JOB"!
I hope PAXIL works for other people, but the best thing I ever did was stop taking it~

[Cogadh na Sith]

The group suing are Scientologists-- after a bit of research:

George Murgatroyd 3 ($40,000 donation to the IAS) an attorney who litigated against Eli Lilly, of course without success. His lawfirm changed names often: Coale, Kananack & Murgatroyd, until December 1, 1990
Kananack, Murgatroyd & Baum, until January 29, 1993 (found in WISE 1997 list)
Kananack, Murgatroyd Baum & Hedlund, until May 14, 1996 Baum, Hedlund, Aristei, Guilford & Downey, probably until 2000 (death of Scientologist William Downey)
Baum, Hedlund, Aristei, Guilford & Schiavo Because of the current name I assumed Murgatroyd was out. But no: he is still in the lawfirm, but his name is gone from the title. He is at the bottom of the name list, he is neither "Partner", nor "Associate" nor "Shareholder", he is just "of counsel". This is really weird. How could he fall so low? I have no idea if they are a scientologist lawfirm, but they advertise in "Who?What?Where?" which is a scientologist business guide. Michael Baum, George Murgatroyd and Paul Hedlund are also investors in the previously scientologist-run company Digital Lightwave, Inc

Karen Barth works for this lawfirm: Baum, Hedlund, Aristei, Guilford & Schiavo

There you go. Of course no reporter would ever do their job well enough to find the $cientologist tie-in....

[lepton]

In both cases, the drug merely provides something that should have been there in the first place.

And like heroin (which mimics and overwhelms the effects of endorphins), its being used may throw the body's "base state" further out of whack.

There are a number of drugs which, once taken for a length of time, pretty much require that one keep taking them regardless of whether they solved the problem they were first prescribed for.

[tdadams]

I'll admit this story grabbed me because I have an aversion to civil litigation attorneys, shady people who seek to shirk responsibility for their own actions, and pharmaceutical companies.

I think America is way to overmedicated and getting worse. I think the pharmaceutical industry hastening this trend. Drug commercials seem to send the message, "You may have a problem you don't even know about. Here's a drug to help you."

I think too many people look for a drug as their first resort rather than making lifestyle changes to make them feel better. Rather than eat better and get excercise, we've got a pill for your cholesterol. Instead of taking time out to destress, we've got a pill for you. On and on. It's aggravating.

For what you went through, I sypathize with you.

[Cogadh na Sith]

I think too many people look for a drug as their first resort rather than making lifestyle changes to make them feel better.

Suicide ain't much of a 'lifestyle'....

There is no respite from clinical depression than either suicide or treatment.

Fortunately, these drugs keep a lot of people from killing themselves. Some still do kill themselves.

Did you even bother to notice that the group suing are $cientologists--whackos who do not believe in psychiatry because it prevents them from separating you from your money as you pay them to shine blinky lights in your face.

[tdadams]

Well, we're going to have a disagreement I see.

I do not believe depression is a physiological disorder any more than I believe ADD is. We all experience depression from time to time, such as when a loved one dies. But a continuing period of depression stems from someone feeling trapped in circumstances that are unpleasant or which they feel are uncontrolable. It takes courage and determination to make the changes that will alleviate depression, but it can be done.

Feel free to flame me. I can see it coming.

[Ferret Fawcet]

Ah, a fellow survivor. I was on Paxil for over 6 years, was going through a nasty divorce- and it DID help stop the crying jags. But the withdrawl symptoms were worse than the conditions/reasons I went on it in the first place! I'd been wanting to go off the Paxil for some time, and finally did it last July. After reading about (and experiencing) the hell of withdrawl, I soon realized that the doctor never gave me complete information about the negative side-effects and withdrawl symptoms.

Lost 4 weeks of my life that I will never get back. I had never been so sick- it was complete and utter hell. The zaps were the worst- short, intense dizzy sensations behind the eyes, almost like an electrical shock. I could barely walk, and driving was out of the question. I was so dizzy, I feared sliping and cracking my head open in the tub when I'd try to shower. And that was just part of the fun- I also had night terrors, intense sweating, cold chills, fever, muscle cramps, nausea & vomiting, diarrhea, severe mood swings, extreme confusion and loss of cognitive ability, and hypersensitivity to motion, sounds, & smells (just to name a few!) Though I knew these were typical symptoms of withdrawl, I still could not escape the feeling that I was going insane. It was HELL- my worst hangover was nothing compared to what I endured for many weeks.

I considered joining a class-action lawsuit, but I did not want to release my medical records. I just wanted to get better! I'm proud of the other Paxil survivors who are successfully bringing suits against GSK. It is despicable and shameful the way they mislead the public, and omitted important information re: withdrawls. "Not habit-forming" -my ass!

I agree with your statement that Paxil can be good for some people, and I'm glad it does help them- I know several people who have had wonderful results from taking Paxil. The best (and most dificult) thing I've ever done is quit the Paxil. I'm proud to be a survivor, and want other people to know that they owe it to themselves to fully research ANY drug before taking it. It may be easy to pop a pill, but there are many other ways to cope with emotional/psychological problems, including diet modifications, herbal suppliments, excersise, coping skills, and prayer.

To anyone now taking Paxil- be VERY CAREFUL if/when you decide to discontinue! Some people can stop taking it without these nasty side-effects, but they are the exception to the rule! For 95% of people, IT IS HELL!

I owe my life to the fine people at www.paxilprogress.org for helping me through the scariest time of my life.

[Mannaggia l'America]

Without getting into why, I took Paxil for a few months about 1.5 years ago. The doctor explained what was available and told me Paxil was not addictive. I was on the lowest dosage (10mg).

I have to say, I never felt better in my life while I was on it. But I did not want to permanently be on any kind of medication if I did not have to be, so I stopped taking it after a few months. I didn't stop cold turkey - I halved it for a few weeks and then stopped.

I guess I was either lucky or wasn't on it long enough, but I experienced no withdrawl symptoms. But I can see how it could become addictive.

[drhogan]

the "church of scientology" is an evil, sociopathic organization. however, from what I have heard from people who were on Paxil, it can be hell going off of it, and the experience is apparently much worse than most of the other antidepressants. i went off a different antidepressant awhile ago, and i had a pretty bad week or so, even though I had started taking another one while I was going off the first. but my experience was not nearly as bad as what some people experience with Paxil. I think it is a true withdrawal syndrome, and psychiatrists who prescribe these drugs are aware of this problem. all patients should be told about this issue, and it is irresponsible for the drug company to play it down.
i still hate the scientologists, who are evil, more than the drug companies, who are merely greedy liars who do provide us with helpful medicines.
the antidepressant I am on now is also known to be very hard to discontinue, but it works pretty well, so I am perfectly willing to use it.

[drhogan]

depression can be triggered by serious life problems, such as the loss of a job or the loss of a loved one. this can happen to anyone. but some people are biologically predisposed to be depressed, and will go in and out of serious depressions all through their lives, no matter what their life situation is. at first, the depressive episodes are triggered by life events, but after some time they can just come over the person with only a slight triggering event, or even no trigger event at all. these depressions need to be treated medically.
ADD is also a true disorder, but it may get diagnosed in a kid who doesn't really have it, if a professional is enept.

[jmc813]

"Nearly 40 Tennesseans have filed suit against pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, charging the company did not properly inform patients of potential addictive side effects of the drug marijuana."

You know, I bet you there are plently of scumbag lawyers out there who would sue on account that the "muchies" pot gave their clients caused them to become obese.

[Doctor Stochastic]

...whackos who do not believe in psychiatry...

There are other groups than the Scientologists who do not believe in psychiatry. Some still recommend beating the mentally ill.

[John H K]

I guess I was either lucky or wasn't on it long enough, but I experienced no withdrawl symptoms. But I can see how it could become addictive.

Adverse side effects from stopping a drug suddenly doesn't mean the drug is "addictive."

NOBODY is addicted to Paxil.

EVERY SINGLE ADDICTIVE drug in the country has somebody selling them on a streetcorner somewhere, or people breaking into places they can steal it.

Neither of the above two things has EVER happened with Paxil, or any other antidepressant.

[Grammy]

"I do not believe depression is a physiological disorder any more than I believe ADD is."

What you are referring to as "depression" would be better labeled "the blues".

My daughter is clinically depressed. She tried to kill herself 4 times, and was a cutter as well. This is a girl who was brought up in a fine home and had no major problems. What my daughter went through was a complete breakdown, to the point of reverting to the age of 2. Antidepressants have saved her life and allowed her to resume normal living. Now, before you tell me she was just "blue" let me tell you that her grandmother also was clinically depressed, and back in those days they had no antidepressants. She went through shock therapy to finally relieve the multiple breakdowns.