Possible Cause for the Increase in Murder/Suicide, Road Rage & Workplace Violence

by Rosie Meysenburg

Note: If you (or anyone you know) take these medications and are doing well on them, then do not be alarmed by this message. Never discontinue any medication on your own. Always consult your physician.

The first Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor to be released was Prozac in January of 1988. Since then we have had Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Effexor, Serzone and Celexa. We also have had SSRI's which are diet pills. These are Redux & the "fen" of phen/fen. The time frame for these new drugs is exactly the same as the time frame for the 7% rise each year in "road rage".

In his book, "Talking Back to Prozac" Peter Breggin, MD, says, "At my request, Bonnie Leitsch, then director of the national Prozac Survivors Support Group, summarized all the reports coming into the organization during 1991 & 1992. The information covered 288 individuals who had adverse reactions to Prozac during those two years." It continues, " The vast majority were related to violence against self or others (pages 138 & 139)." The book continues, " there were 133 cases of crime and violence, including 14 murders ( 6 by car), 39 violent actions (8 in cars), 54 violent preoccupations (5 in cars), " etc.

Breggin goes on... "There were 14 cases of Alcohol abuse developing or worsening on Prozac...Bonnie was impressed, as I (Dr. Breggin) have been, by the number of references to experiences associated with automobiles. Perhaps agitation and hyperactivity are especially susceptible to aggravation within the confines of a car and under the stresses of driving. In reviewing the media and survivor group reports on violence, keep in mind that violence and murder are quite rare among depressed patients."

There are now in the United States, approximately 36 million people who have taken an SSRI. - 30 million as an antidepressant and 6 million as a diet drug. That is one out of 7 Americans, both adult and children.

Considering that agitation, emotional lability, sleep disorder and confusion are listed as frequent side effects of Prozac in the latest edition of the Physicians Desk Reference (also in the insert to the Prozac bottle ) and that hostility, psychosis, akathisia, delusions, manic reaction and paranoia are listed as infrequent (but not rare) side effects, it does not surprise me a bit that we in this country have developed all the symptoms conducive to road rage. (The Physicians Desk Reference lists "alcohol craving" as an infrequent, but not rare side effect, for Paxil)

Murder/suicide:

According to the "Fresno Bee" newspaper on Saturday, Oct. 26, 1991 as reported by Stevan Rosenlind: In 1991 at the Gail Ann Ransom trial in San Jose California, Dr. Martin Teicher testified on her behalf. (She had strangled her mother). He said that Gail Ransom became more aggressive while taking the drug for six months before the slaying. "I would have considered it a warning sign" he said.

The Fresno Bee story continues, "Ransom underwent a 'very striking' personality change after taking the drug during therapy. Ransom's increased aggressiveness and her obsession with killing her mother were consistent with patterns he saw in other Prozac patients who became suicidal or violent, Dr. Teicher of Harvard University testified. Usually these patients were not aware of their behavior, he said. In 1990, Teicher published a study of six patients who became obsessive about suicide while taking Prozac. The study led to hundreds of additional reports of violent thoughts or behavior, he said. Although many depressed patients consider suicide, Dr. Teicher said, Prozac patients think of excessively violent ways to kill themselves or OTHERS. End of story from the "Fresno Bee."

Violence in driving continued:

The Gail Ann Ransom case is continued by Ann Blake Tracy, Ph.D. in her book, "Prozac: Panacea or Pandora." "A court appointed psychiatrist to this case, Dr. James Missett, soon discovered that Prozac had more to do with Gail's actions than he had felt possible before learning what he had from this case. As curiosity set in, Dr. Missett called in the 30 to 40 patients he had on Prozac. Armed with his newly acquired insight into the behaviors induced by the drug, he began interviewing his own patients with more pointed and deeply probing questions. He reportedly quickly discontinued the use of Prozac in two patients who admitted feelings of wanting to hurt or take the life of someone close to them. Then he discovered an additional aspect the patients were sharing with him - he had five patients wanting to ram cars on the freeway, and all had been given tickets for irrational driving and speeding. As soon as Dr. Missett was able to meet with Gail's fiancee, he questioned him about Gail's driving. Yes, her experience had been the same. In fact, on her way to murder her mother, Gail was stopped and given a ticket for speeding."

The book continues, "The reports from patients and their spouses about weaving in and out of traffic at top speeds in front of semi trucks, and blowing out engines while traveling at speeds of up to 110 mph, should be quite a warning to anyone that there is a problem with these drugs. As one ex-patient reported, "You are advised not to fly a plane while taking Prozac, but most patients do fly their cars!"

Workplace violence:

For further insights into how this drug (and all the copycat drugs, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Effexor, Serzone, Phen/fen & Redux) effects life in the U. S., read the book "The Power to Harm" by John Cornwell, a science professor and writer from Cambridge University in England who was asked by the London Times to cover the Wesbecker Prozac trial (Wesbecker murdered 8 coworkers and injured 14).

There is some scientific evidence that, during withdrawal from these drugs, there could be a temporary worsening of these hostility, etc., symptoms. This usually begins from 3 weeks to 4 months after discontinuing the drug and lasts from 1 month to 1 year. Even though the medication will no longer show up in a blood test or autopsy report, the brain neurotransmitters are still trying to "realign" themselves and symptoms can continue.

Thank you so much for reading this message. Please share it with whomever you think could utilize this information.

Rosie Meysenburg