As someone who has survived the suicide of a family member who was prescribed an SSRI which precipitated the suicidal act, I feel I should point out that there is a very specific condition caused by these medications which can be observed, reported and, one hopes, quickly treated to prevent successful suicide. The condition is akathisia — an intense restlessness; a state in which the sufferer cannot find relief, cannot rest or sleep, and, when severe enough, sees suicide as the only escape.

My sister was suffering with akathisia, was actively suicidal (searching for guns), and was admitted to a mental health facility. Unfortunately the facility saw fit to discharge her AMA at seven days (when her insurance ran out), whereupon she obtained a weapon and killed herself.

Pharmaceutical companies would like us to believe that suicides completed while on SSRIs are due to the original depression for which the medication was prescribed rather than the medication-induced akathisia, thus little attention is paid to this condition or effective treatment for it.

Chantix needs the suicide warning, and behavior changes warning.. It is also important to look out for ANY behavior changes.. If someone you love takes this medicine.. you have to watch them closely.. This is not a safe drug..

The dilemma you point out is an important one. SSRIs will lead some people to be agitated. The surge of serotonin can have a stimulant effect. It might be better to prescribe a sedative to help deal with the period when the body adapts to the drug. I am not a fan of these drugs, but they do seem to work for some people. Deciding to avoid a drug, because it has serious side effects, requires an assessment of the possible benefits, too.

A friend of mine attempted suicide after being put on Zoloft. It increased their motivation – and what they were thinking about doing was committing suicide.

A simple question, this is not rocket science, and a little intelligence would have prevented this.

Danielle was 32 years old, born on March 7, 1976. She was my heart & soul. At five years old she tested out at near genius level. Danielle had lapis blue eyes, natural ringlets’ curly auburn hair and a smile that would light up any room. She got married at 18 years old to a wonderful young man. He joined the USMC, while he was gone Dani developed severe mental illnesses, unbeknownst to anyone. We did not know the signs and would never have guessed that she was so ill. They divorced when he got home. Then came alcohol & drugs – she went through several treatment centers, even had 6 ECT’s done on her. Since she was “an adult” under the law, I had no say so with her care.

Danielle was diagnosed with PTSD, severe depression, agoraphobia, Board Line Personality Disorder and board line sycophantic tendencies. This all took hold of her between 18 and 20 years old. Several times I had her live with me but she could not live with my rules (which were very few) and then would move on. She had such a good and giving heart that many, many times – she was taken advantage of by many people, in many ways. Board Line Personality is tough – the best book on it is “I Hate You, Don’t Leave Me”.

Dani had been on SSI since she was 20 years old, therefore the mental health care was at no cost. We live in the country and I suppose she was rather isolated, just me, my husband, three dogs and three cats (counting hers). I would take her to all her appointments, as she would not drive anymore. We gardened together, enjoyed the same type of TV shows and she had chores to do on a regular basis. Due to Danielle being on SSI the state of Kansas appointed a primary care doctor to her. Three times we went to her office, never did she see my child, only ARNP’s. The first nurse “shooed” her out of the room and would not answer a list of questions that she had written down. Danielle smoked but cut down so much here, smoking is allowed only outside, so she decided she wanted to quit altogether. The second nurse wrote out not one but two prescriptions for the drug by Pfizer – CHANTIX. The nurse never told her any possible side effects and who reads all that little tiny type on the drug inserts? I know the Coroner in Topeka, and I called him and asked about Chantix after seeing a commercial on TV. He called four labs of which none of them test for the drug, he also did research concerning the interactions with the medications she was taking. I am not in denial of my daughter’s suicide BUT I do believe that Chantix was a huge factor in her choice. Complaints have been filed with the Kansas Medical Assoc. and Kansas Nursing Board.