2003
This is Survivor Story number 17.
Total number of stories in current database is 77
7/15/2003
16-Year Old Has Violent Nightmares on Paxil and Effexor, Takes Rifle to School
Antidepressants
“The first day he took his 300 mgs is also the day he walked into school with a rifle. He fortunately gave up the rifle, before harming himself or others.”
After complaining of anxiety and depression we took him to a Psychologist, who then suggested taking him to our GP and having Corey placed on medication. The medication was Paxil. After 10 months on 20 mgs. of Paxil, Corey said he wasn’t feeling any better. The GP upped his dose to 40 mgs of Paxil. For 2 months, Corey was on 40 mgs of Paxil and then complained that he was still feeling bad. He was taken to the GP, who then abruptly discontinued Paxil and placed Corey on a rising dose of Effexor. The first week, he took 75 mgs, second week 150mgs, third week he went up to 225 mgs and on the beginning of the fourth week he was to reach his highest dose of 300 mgs. The first day he took his 300 mgs is also the day he walked into school with a rifle. He fortunately gave up the rifle, before harming himself or others.
A Forensic Psychiatrist was hired, who had also worked with the Prosecutor. After months of research, the Psychiatrist found Corey in diminished capacity, because of the abrupt discontinuation of Paxil and the significant dose of Effexor. The Doctor also found that the Psychologist had misdiagnosed Corey clinical depression. It was actually situational depression and these drugs should not be give for that. He also mentioned that these drugs were not approved for children under 18. Corey was 16 yrs old at the time of his arrest. After 14 months in detention, a lesser plea of assaults was found and Corey was released on time served and has 5 yrs. probation.
Corey has no memory of getting the rifle, driving to school, being in the classroom or being arrested and taken to Detention. His next memory is someone coming to his cell and asking him a question.
Because of the community outcry and no contact order, we had to move to another part of the state of Washington.
We found that Corey had been afraid to tell us about the abnormally violent nightmares of going to school with a rifle, which took place a year before the incident.
Corey had also experienced visual and audio hallucination, depersonalization, aggressive behavior and amnesia. Corey had never used illegal drugs or alcohol. He told us, he was afraid to tell us, because he thought he was going crazy”. It was these drugs that drove him crazy. Before this happened, Corey was always our sensitive, loving and huggy kid and he is still loving and huggy.
