Finally reports are being made of deaths of children due to the toxicity
associated with Prozac. Below is an abstract on the death of a child due to
Prozac (fluoxetine). If you have not read my article entitled “The Next
Generation of Medical Guinea Pigs – Our Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil Babies” be
sure to do so. It is on our website and was published in the summer of 1998
and warns of the deadly effects of this liver enzyme system and children on
the SSRIs.
Ann Blake-Tracy, Executive Director,
International Coalition for Drug Awareness
www.drugawareness.org
__________________________________
“Fluoxetine-related death in a child with cytochrome P- 450 2D6 genetic
deficiency” Sallee FR, DeVane CL, Ferrell RE J Child
Adolesc Psychopharmacol 10(1):27-34 (2000)
ABSTRACT:
The clinical course of a 9-year-old diagnosed with attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Tourette’s
disorder and treated with a combination of methylphenidate, clonidine, and
fluoxetine is described. The patient experienced over a 10-month period,
signs and symptoms suggestive of metabolic toxicity marked by bouts of
gastrointestinal distress, low-grade fever, incoordination, and
disorientation. Generalized seizures were observed, and the patient lapsed
into status epilepticus followed by cardiac arrest and subsequently
expired. At autopsy, blood, brain, and other tissue concentrations of
fluoxetine and norfluoxetine were several-fold higher than expected based on
literature reports for overdose situations. The medical examiner’s report
indicated death caused by fluoxetine toxicity. As the child’s adoptive
parents controlled medication access, they were investigated by social
welfare agencies. Further genetic testing of autopsy tissue revealed the
presence of a gene defect at the cytochrome P450 CYP2D locus, which results
in poor metabolism of fluoxetine. As a result of this and other evidence, the
investigation of the adoptive parents was terminated. This is the first
report of a fluoxetine-related death in a child with a confirmed genetic
polymorphism of the CYP2D6 gene that results in impaired drug metabolism.
Issues relevant to child and adolescent psychopharmacology arising from this
case are discussed.
