Zyprexa's Link to Akathisia and Suicide

Seattle, WADespite evidence that Zyprexa is linked to an increased risk of suicidality, Eli Lilly is not pulling its drug from the market, arguing that Zyprexa's benefits outweigh any risks. Victims who have attempted suicide and families of patients who committed suicide are now investigating the possibility of a class action lawsuit against Lilly, alleging the company did not properly warn consumers about the risks associated with Zyprexa.

People who have had loved ones commit suicide after taking Zyprexa may assume that the reason they were taking the Zyprexa (for schizophrenia or depression) led to the suicidal act. However, there could be more to the story than that. A link between Zyprexa and akathisia has been documented, meaning that patients who take Zyprexa are at an increased risk of developing akathisia. Akathisia can be a precursor to suicidal thoughts and violence.

Akathisia is a side effect of antipsychotic drugs that is characterized by inner restlessness. Patients with akathisia are unable to sit still, often rocking while standing, fidgeting, crossing and uncrossing their legs and pacing. In mild cases, patients may feel a slight sense of anxiety and restlessness; however, in more severe cases patients are completely unable to remain at all motionless and suffer from severe anxiety and a sense of doom. In some cases, patients with akathisia act out with violence, throwing things, breaking things or harming themselves or other people.

Akathisia is often accompanied by insomnia, anxiety, panic and restlessness. In severe cases, the patient's sense of doom can be so overwhelming that the patient resorts to suicide attempts. Among the symptoms of akathisia are anxiety, tension, impatience, irritability, inner restlessness, and physical discomfort. Patients with akathisia may view death as a welcome relief to what they are experiencing.

Acute akathisia, which has been linked to antipsychotic medications, can begin in as little as a few hours after starting the medication that causes it. Tardive akathisia begins more slowly, up to three or four months after starting the medication, and can last for years. Unfortunately, akathisia can be difficult to diagnose and many patients are given higher doses of antipsychotic medications to treat the symptoms. Patients with akathisia are also noted to be more non-compliant than patients without akathisia, meaning that they are more likely to discontinue medication or stop seeking medical help.

Patients who have developed akathisia say that it is a terrible ordeal to go through. They note the frustration they feel from having the medical community either misdiagnose their akathisia or simply not believe that they have it and they say that akathisia itself is often more difficult to endure than the symptoms that their medication was initially treating.

People who take Zyprexa are doing so to treat very serious conditions, including schizophrenia. They do not expect that taking Zyprexa could actually cause even more serious conditions, including one that is linked to suicidality. Unfortunately, that is exactly what taking Zyprexa may lead to.