 "Prescription Drugs Associated with Reports of Violence Towards
Others, " identifies 31 drugs linked to 1,527 acts of violence...
After two decades of
contentious denials about the suicidal risk posed by certain psychoactive prescription
drugs, numerous drugs now carry label warnings about suicidal behavior.
Now, a new study in
PLoS One , identifies 31 drugs in FDA's MedWatch adverse drug reports that are disproportionately linked to 1,527 acts of violence--defined as "Homicide," "Physical assault,"
"Physical abuse," "Homicidal ideation" or
"Violence-related symptom."
The violence events in these widely prescribed drugs--for diverse patient populations--were reported to the FDA between 2004 and Sept. 2009.
The authors, Thomas J.
Moore, Joseph Glenmullen, MD Curt D. Furberg, MD, identified 1,937 reports
of violence submitted to FDA's MedWatch that met a restrictive criteria:
The violence cases
included 387 reports of homicide, 404 physical assaults, 27 cases indicating
physical abuse, 896 homicidal ideation reports, and 223 cases described as
violence-related symptoms. The patients were 41% female and 59% male with a mean
age of 36 years (SD=17.9)
Of all currently marketed
prescription drugs, those linked to most of the violent events reported to the
FDA are drugs that increase dopamine and /or serotonin in the brain-- irrespective of the patient population.
The worst offender with the
strongest association to uncontrollable, murderous violence--within days of ingesting
the drug--is the smoking cessation drug, Chantix (varenicline), which increases
dopamine: it ranks 18.0 in the proportional reporting ratio (PRR) with 408 cases
of violence--including murder. There are
two other smoking cessation drugs that do NOT pose serious risks of violence.
The next drugs most often
linked to unprovoked violent outbursts--some resulting in murder--are 11 of 13 SSRI
antidepressants. These not so, "magic bullets," whose mode of action
(reuptake inhibition) increases serotonin, were involved in 578 cases of
violence.
Two drugs within the SSRI
class--Prozac and Paxil--have been linked to the greatest number of reported cases
of violence toward others: Prozac ranks 10.9 in the PRR, with 72 reported cases
of violence, and Paxil (Paroxetine) ranks 10.2 in PRR, with 177 reported cases
of violence.
The authors note that there was no signal for violence linked to mood stabilizers such as valproic acid,
carbamazepine, and phenytoin, even though these drugs are commonly used in
bipolar patients who may experience psychosis in the acute manic phase
and therefore be more prone to violence. On the other hand, SSRI's, which are clearly linked to violent actions in patients with no history of violent behavior, are being prescribed for patients with bipolar disorder. That is a prescription for disaster.
The other class of drugs
that are demonstrably linked to violence are 3 drugs prescribed for ADHD--amphetamines, atomoxetine and methylphenidate--and 5 hypnotic /sedatives.
Only 0.25% of all
serious adverse drug events met the PLoS study's restrictive criteria of violence.
Thus, it is likely that the number of cases included in the analysis is understated.
Not only does the FDA disregard the precautionary principle of medicine--"First, do no harm"-- the agency is unleashing drugs whose mode of action--accelerating dopamine and or serotonin in the brain--poses serious threats of violence to bystanders in the community! Think of the school shootings....the postal shootings...the troop "friendly fire" deaths...
The list of brain-altering drugs (mostly
psychotropics) statistically related to violence (listed in decreasing order of
likelihood of correlation in FDA’s AERS reportage [the number behind the name
of the drug is the relative risk of drug-induced violence, including
homicidality and suicidality]:
Chantix
(Varenicline) _________18.0
Prozac
(fluoxetine) __________10.9
Paxil
(paroxetine) ____________10.3
Amphetamines
_______________9.6
Mefoquine (Lariam) ___________9.5
Strattera
(atomoxetine) ________9.0
Halcion
(triazolam) ____________8.7
Luvox
(fluvoxamine)__________ 8.4
Effexor
(venlafaxine) __________8.3
Pristiq
(desvenlafaxine) ________7.9
Zoloft
(sertraline) _____________6.7
Ambien
(zolpidem) ____________6.7
Lexapro
(escitalopram) ________5.0
Celexa
(citalopam) ____________4.3
Abilify
(aripiprazole) ___________4.2
OxyContin
(oxycodone) ________4.1
Wellbutrin/Zyban
(bupropion)____ 3.9
Geodon
(ziprasidone)__________ 3.8
Ritalin/Concerta
(methylphenidate) 3.6
Remeron
(mirtazapine) _________3.4
Neurontin
(gabapentin) _________3.3
Keppra
(levetiracetam) _________3.3
Valium
(diazepam) _____________3.1
Xanaz
(alprazolam) ____________3.0
Cymbalta
(duloxetine) __________2.8
Klonopin(clonazepam)
__________2.8
Risperdal
(risperidone) _________2.2
Seroquel
(quetiapine) __________2.0
Read the complete article at PLoS One , "an
interactive, open-access journal for the communication of all peer-reviewed
scientific and medical research,"
Vera Hassner
Sharav
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