Zyprexa on List of Deadliest Drugs

Baton Rouge, LAPatients who take Zyprexa are often dealing with serious health issues such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and anxiety. They expect that when they take Zyprexa they will feel better and notice an improvement in their health. They do not expect that taking Zyprexa could result in them attempting to commit suicide or developing akathisia, which has been linked to violence and suicide. However, this is exactly what is happening to some people who take Zyprexa.

A 2007 study conducted by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices and the Division of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine found that Zyprexa has one of the highest number of suspect drug deaths, coming in thirteenth on the list of deadly drugs. Furthermore, over the eight years of the study, Zyprexa was linked to 1,005 deaths and 4,110 adverse events. The information was taken from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System and was published in the September 10, 2007 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Zyprexa is an atypical antipsychotic, approved to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Literature about Zyprexa for medical professionals notes that suicide attempts are "inherent to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder." However, as an article [by Evelyn Pringle] notes, "Persons on atypicals have been found to commit suicide two to five times more frequently than the schizophrenic population in general." She further cites author Bob Whitaker, who says that the death rate among people with schizophrenia has doubled since atypical antipsychotics were approved for use.

Some patients, writing on patient blog sites, noted they attempted suicide after as little as two weeks taking Zyprexa. One Zyprexa patient who wrote into LawyersandSettlements said that he has had suicidal thoughts continuously and attempted suicide three times since he started taking Zyprexa.

According to an article found online at thestreetspirit.com, during a six-week clinical trial sponsored by Eli Lilly, maker of Zyprexa, 20 people died, including 12 people who committed suicide.

Despite the mounting evidence that Zyprexa is no safer than conventional antipsychotics, and may in fact be far more harmful, Zyprexa remains on the market. Furthermore, it has been pushed for off-label uses that it was never approved to treat. Even though evidence continues to mount that Zyprexa is a dangerous drug, Lilly continues to make money off of it and people continue to be harmed by it.