Epilepsy Drugs Could Cause Suicidal Tendencies, FDA Says
Epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and mood disorder are all intensely disruptive conditions that severely impact a person’s ability to have a normal productive life. For most patients who suffer from these illnesses, life is a constant cycle of swallowing pills by the clock. Without their medication, their lives would be severely hampered by seizures, mood swings, etc.
In what can only be called bad news for those already fighting off these diseases, the FDA has announced that drugs that are used to treat these conditions have been found to increase suicidal tendencies in patients who take them. The drugs mentioned include Depakote, Lamictal, Topamax, Lyrica, Neurontin and Keppra. According to the FDA, cases of suicide attempts were higher in patients who were given these drugs, compared to patients who were given placebos instead.
According to the findings, the effects of the drugs may appear as early as the first week on the medication and then never slow down. People with epilepsy were found to be more prone to these side effects.
The FDA is planning to add labels to these drugs, warning users of the potentially suicidal side effects. Also drug regulators have advised that any patient using these drugs should be continually monitored for behavioral changes.
Many of these drugs have been out for several years. Why is it only now that this potentially deadly side effect is brought to the public’s attention? The drug companies admitted that they saw similar trends in their own clinical testing, yet they failed to disclose these findings until the FDA results were announced. For all we know it could be too late for some patients who were not warned, and whose behavior was not monitored after they were put on these dangerous drugs. The drug companies should be held accountable for their actions so that next time they will report a serious problem with their product before it has a chance to claim lives.
Please, when taking prescription drugs, read all the warning labels and instructions. Also consult a doctor if any problems arise.
If you are the victim of any harmful side effects of a pharmaceutical drug, you need the help of a top California personal injury law firm. Contact a lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.
