sychiatric programs at Jefferson Hospital in Jeffersonville Ky., agrees with many that Prozac is way oversold as a cure-all when it first hit the market. "All of a sudden, Prozac was the medication for everything, then all of a sudden it was anything but. Almost overnight, a new phenomenon hit Louisville: Prozac panic. Instead of asking for, people were afraid to take it" (Aprile, 2). The change occurred in the weeks following Joseph Wesbecker's rampage, where he fatally shot eight people and injured 12, only to finally kill himself. After the shooting, lab tests revealed therapeutic levels of Prozac in his blood. Three other antidepressants and two other prescription drugs were also found in his blood in tiny amounts. Wesbecker's medical charts indicated that his psychiatrist thought Prozac might have been contributing to his worsening condition. At that time, Jefferson County Coroner Richard Greathouse rose speculation about Prozac's possible link to Wesbecker's violent behavior. No connection was ever established, although the inquest jury later ruled that side effects from various drugs "may have been a contributing factor" (2). Researchers from Harvard Medical school issued a sort of warning about Prozac in an issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. In a case study report of six depressed patients with complicated psychiatric histories, researchers from the school's psychiatry department describe what they call a "surprising" and unusual side effect of taking Prozac. "Persistent obsessive and violent suicidal thoughts" were experienced in-patients not having those thoughts prior to taking the prescription. Though they admit much further study is needed to determine whether this is a "widespread or valid concern," they urge other doctors to ask about suicidal thoughts in patients who the study suggests may be at risk, including those who develop intense fatigue, restlessness or hypersomnia while taking Prozac (4).In ...
