Question:

>The Washington Post (4/29/99, A1) reports that Columbine >gunman Eric Harris was on a prescription antidepressant, >a new drug called "Luvox." A net search finds that Luvox >"can activate mania in susceptible patients" (source: >http://www.begin.com/redoak/medications/luvox.html) >The manufacturer’s prescription insert says: "LUVOX Tablets >should be used cautiously in patients with a history of mania." >http://www.ocdresource.com/ocdresource.nsf/pages/Diagnosis+Luvox >Symptoms of "mania" include: "Provocative, intrusive, or aggressive >behavior" (see: http://mentalhelp.net/articles/grohol/bipolar.htm)

 It’s important to note that The Washington Post article  says Eric Harris was the leader of the two dead gunmen.  So Dylan Klebold was following his friend who was on  a psychotropic drug that’s known to activate mania,  which can manifest itself as aggressive behavior.  Dr. Ann Blake Tracy, author of "Prozac: Panacea or Pandora?,"  lists "aggressive or violent behavior" as a side effect of  antidepressants such as Luvox. Dr Tracy states that long-  term users of antidepressants can loose the distinction  between reality and dream. She says some patients enter  an "anesthetic sleep state" where they do things that  later they can’t believe or recall they did (see:  http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/3568).  Searching the MEDLINE database at the National Library  of Medicine website (http://igm.nlm.nih.gov) I found a  study by doctors from the Hadassah-Hebrew University  School of Medicine in Jerusalem, Israel that came  to this conclusion about Luvox, or fluvoxamine:    "Our case series suggests that fluvoxamine    may have the ability to induce or unmask manic    behavior in depressed patients. Clinicians are    alerted to monitor for this ’switching’ effect…"    STUDY TITLE: Fluvoxamine-associated manic behavior:    a case series.    AUTHORS:  Dorevitch A; Frankel Y; Bar-Halperin A;    Aronzon R; Zilberman L    SOURCE: Ann Pharmacother 1993 Dec;27(12):1455-7    CITATION IDS: PMID: 8305775 UI: 94138126    TITLE: Mania and fluvoxamine.    AUTHORS: Burrai C, et al.    SOURCE: Am J Psychiatry. 1991 Sep;148(9):1263-4.    CIT. IDS: PMID: 1909099 UI: 91353783    TITLE: Fluvoxamine-associated mania/hypomania    in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.    AUTHORS: Jefferson JW, et al.    SOURCE: J Clin Psychopharmacol. 1991 Dec;11(6):391-2.    CIT. IDS: PMID: 1770160 UI: 92121482  There are a dozen or more studies on Prozac-induced  mania (http://igm.nlm.nih.gov). Both Prozac and Luvox  are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). GODDARD’S JOURNAL: http://www.erols.com/igoddard/journal.htm — Reach beyond your grasp!

Response:

    Thanks Lynda for your informative and interesting note.  These observations emphasise the importance of monotoring the patient’s response to medications by the perscribing physician.     Unfortunately, the Columbine shooting might have been averted if a neigbour of one of the assailants had been listened to by police the previous year.  There had been overt signs of trouble for a considerable period of time.     I have been thinking about the concept of a sick society.  That thought has already been expressed by the father of one of the shooting victims (this is with respect to the Taber shooting in Alberta last week).  But I wonder if it could it be that if everyone sites a, sick society, as the root cause of these problems, we are each abdicating our own responsibility?     With respect to the Taber shooting, the assailant had been teased to the point of requiring home schooling.  He was in effect banished from the school community by the bullies there.   Such mental cruelty, which I imagine each of us on this ng have been the unhappy receipient of at some time in our lives, ought to be taken more seriously by us all.  It is a part of the sickness that exists in our society, and it behouves us to act positively. Thanks for listening, Peter

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->The Washington Post (4/29/99, A1) reports that Columbine >gunman Eric Harris was on a prescription antidepressant, >a new drug called "Luvox." A net search finds that Luvox >"can activate mania in susceptible patients" (source: >http://www.begin.com/redoak/medications/luvox.html) >The manufacturer’s prescription insert says: "LUVOX Tablets >should be used cautiously in patients with a history of mania." >http://www.ocdresource.com/ocdresource.nsf/pages/Diagnosis+Luvox >Symptoms of "mania" include: "Provocative, intrusive, or aggressive >behavior" (see: http://mentalhelp.net/articles/grohol/bipolar.htm) >  It’s important to note that The Washington Post article >  says Eric Harris was the leader of the two dead gunmen. >  So Dylan Klebold was following his friend who was on >  a psychotropic drug that’s known to activate mania, >  which can manifest itself as aggressive behavior. >  Dr. Ann Blake Tracy, author of "Prozac: Panacea or Pandora?," >  lists "aggressive or violent behavior" as a side effect of >  antidepressants such as Luvox. Dr Tracy states that long- >  term users of antidepressants can loose the distinction >  between reality and dream. She says some patients enter >  an "anesthetic sleep state" where they do things that >  later they can’t believe or recall they did (see: >  http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/3568). >  Searching the MEDLINE database at the National Library >  of Medicine website (http://igm.nlm.nih.gov) I found a >  study by doctors from the Hadassah-Hebrew University >  School of Medicine in Jerusalem, Israel that came >  to this conclusion about Luvox, or fluvoxamine: >    "Our case series suggests that fluvoxamine >    may have the ability to induce or unmask manic >    behavior in depressed patients. Clinicians are >    alerted to monitor for this ’switching’ effect…" >    STUDY TITLE: Fluvoxamine-associated manic behavior: >    a case series. >    AUTHORS:  Dorevitch A; Frankel Y; Bar-Halperin A; >    Aronzon R; Zilberman L >    SOURCE: Ann Pharmacother 1993 Dec;27(12):1455-7 >    CITATION IDS: PMID: 8305775 UI: 94138126 >    TITLE: Mania and fluvoxamine. >    AUTHORS: Burrai C, et al. >    SOURCE: Am J Psychiatry. 1991 Sep;148(9):1263-4. >    CIT. IDS: PMID: 1909099 UI: 91353783 >    TITLE: Fluvoxamine-associated mania/hypomania >    in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. >    AUTHORS: Jefferson JW, et al. >    SOURCE: J Clin Psychopharmacol. 1991 Dec;11(6):391-2. >    CIT. IDS: PMID: 1770160 UI: 92121482 >  There are a dozen or more studies on Prozac-induced >  mania (http://igm.nlm.nih.gov). Both Prozac and Luvox >  are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). > GODDARD’S JOURNAL: http://www.erols.com/igoddard/journal.htm > — > Reach beyond your grasp!

Response: