Eli Lilly Settles Prozac Lawsuit

The lawsuit says that a human enzyme dubbed CYP2D6 normally metabolizes or breaks down Prozac and similar drugs in the body, but fails to do so in a minority of people. In their bodies, the active ingredient in Prozac builds up to high levels, putting them at risk of violence and suicide, the lawsuit says.

I don't know about all that but the new Eli Lilly commercial that says you might be Bipolar and does not attempt to market any specific drug is telling. They are trying to lay the groundwork to blame the cases of mania, mayhem, and murder at the feet of an unreported manic problem. It is strange that these people are just depressed and have never had manic symptoms before they started the SSRI's? When they stop the SSRI's they don't have any manic symptoms? Only when they are on the drug do they have manic symptoms. It must be the person is manic and not being caused by the drug. Logical right?

I would love to see what Eli-Lilly documents the plaintiffs lawyers got during discovery. I will bet those documents are covered by a major non-disclosure agreement.

Fyi

Good, I am glad she is getting Lily to pay up for peddling this poison.

It is a pity because had this drug been properly marketed (NOT FOR MIGRANES AND PMS) and controlled, Eli Lilly could have made boatloads of money and not caused the mayhem that has happened due to their bogus marketing and indifference to the welfare of others.

One pill makes you larger,
And one pill makes you small,
And the ones that Eli Lilly gives you,
Makes you delirious to all,
Go ask Alice,
When she's getting ready to fall...

I agree that the drug companies are not always on the up and up, but I'd like to see what:
1. The doctors use as a basis for prescribing the drugs.
2. What the tendency of the person was BEFORE taking the drug.
3. Whether there is any indication that the person abused the drug.

That lawsuit, in which Vickery is assisting the plaintiff, was brought by William H. Shell, the widower of LaVerne M. Shell. She shot herself to death at age 63 in November 2000, 11 days after starting on a prescription of Prozac to treat migraine headaches.

One to watch....interesting that there was no history of depression mentioned here. Bet this case never sees a courtroom.

Thx for the ping.

Bet this case never sees a courtroom.

Hell no it won't. I bet there is a body of evidence out there that is incredible showing just how much Lilly knew early on about the "side effects" of this drug. I would be very interested to read the results of the studies that Eli Lilly commisioned and spiked because the results did not come out the way Lilly told the researcher to have them come out! (Those researchers don't get any more lucrative drug research if they don't play ball)

The Eli Lilly commercial; have you seen it?

I don't know about all that but the new Eli Lilly commercial that says you might be Bipolar and does not attempt to market any specific drug is telling.

When doctors prescribe medications, they typically only have a person's self reporting to go on. This makes people who suffer from depression take a moment and reflect on their overall behavior, thus giving themselves a chance to give a more accurate report.

Lilly said in a statement that it "made a business decision to settle ... for factors completely unrelated to the safety and efficacy of Prozac," The Indianapolis Star reported in a story Saturday.

Yeah, right.

11 days? I was under the impression that Prozac took almost that long to start working.

The doctor, who prescribed Prozac for WEIGHT LOSS, should be the one hit with liability. But of course in this country, people are allowed to sue the deep pockets rather than the guilty party.

Prozac can take anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks to have an impact. If it does, it usually takes up to 6 months for the effects to fully make themselves know. And, that's assuming that it even works. Never did a darn thing for me!

For someone who is sensitive to it, the effects can occur within a few days. For people with a normal metabolism according to Lilly it can take up to 6 weeks. Of course they have a much higher incidence of suicide during this period than the placebo in studies. Of course that is not the drug causing the suicides, the placebo is just more effective at controlling depression initially. < /sarcasm>

That was exactly my first thought. Since when is Prozac a weight loss drug?

But then again, people cry and moan about the FDA getting in the way of using drugs for purposes other than which they were intended (ie, aspirin to treat heart attack victims). Well, this is why.

Varies from person to person, but Prozac IS the longest acting of the SSRIs. Half-life is about a week. From the stuff I've read, I recall that it does take longer than 11 days to "work" for most people, but I suspect 11 days is within the normal distribution on time to efficacy, albeit on the low side. I'll have to check on that, though.

Paxil, OTOH, is the shortest acting. Half-life is less than a day, which is the reason so many interdose withdrawal problems have been reported for it.

Of course that is not the drug causing the suicides, the placebo is just more effective at controlling depression initially. < /sarcasm>

Or, more logically, there are issues that come up when the drug starts lifting the depression. Depression dampens the energy needed to do a lot of things. Certainly suicide is something taking initiaitive.

When doctors prescribe medications, they typically only have a person's self reporting to go on. This makes people who suffer from depression take a moment and reflect on their overall behavior, thus giving themselves a chance to give a more accurate report.

Sooooo, after marketing this drug for how long now????? They all of a sudden are putting this commercial out to the PUBLIC????? What about the denial to doctors and everyone that mania is a significant side effect of their drug for 10+ years. Oh that's right it is a preexisting condition. How handy.

They aren't talking about preexisting conditions here! What this commercial is saying is if your go wild on this drug tell your doctor. Of course the mania from Prosac is a wonderful feeling until you wake up with your credit cards maxed out, remembering that you slept with a half of a dozen different guys in the previous week, and have acted totally out of character. Eli Lilly is not selling a drug here (which is what they do), it is not a public service announcement; it is damage control. They are now settling these cases out of court (which they did not do for years) because there is a damning body of evidence out there that they don't want in front of a jury.

These bastards are on the run after years of denying and hiding what their drug has done to some people. they could have been up front and not marketed it to everyone from 5 year olds to PMS sufferers, to geriatrics, but instead they said it was a cure all and hid the damage. I hope they reap what they sow.

Or, more logically, there are issues that come up when the drug starts lifting the depression.

Yeah that is the ticket. How about fact that FROM THE BEGINNING Lilly should have been recomending a mood stabilizer if this was the case!

This drug is a godsend for some but Lilly has hidden the side effects to market their biggest money maker to EVERYONE.

I am glad nothing happened to you while taking this drug. That has not been the case for several near me.

Or, more logically, there are issues that come up when the drug starts lifting the depression. Depression dampens the energy needed to do a lot of things. Certainly suicide is something taking initiaitive.

I've argued your position. My 10 year old son was prescribed paxil for extreme anxiety. We worked with a therapist for more than 2 years before trying the medication. One week after a dosage increase he was manic and trying to kill himself at school.

Luckily all we suffered was incredible fear and upset as the child was hospitalized for two weeks. He suffered major humiliation as this happened at school.

I want the truth. I want to know if the drug companies knew their meds could produce mania in patients who are not bi-polar, and if they have lied about it.

I was willing to take a risk. As far as I understood it, the risk was 1%.