April 30, 1999
Eric Harris was taking Luvox
(a Prozac-like drug) at the time of the Littleton murders
by Peter R. Breggin, M.D.
On April 29 the Washington Post confirmed that Eric Harris,
the leader in
the Littleton tragedy, was taking the psychiatric drug Luvox at
the time of
the murders. On April 30 the same newspaper published a story
quoting
expert claims that Luvox is safe and has no association with causing
violence. In fact, Luvox and closely related drugs commonly produce
manic
psychoses, aggression, and other behavioral abnormalities in children
and
young people.
Luvox is a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) that
is approved
for children and youth (up to age 17) for use in the treatment
of obsessive
compulsive disorder. However, doctors often give it for depression,
since
it is in the same SSRI class as Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil.
According to the manufacturer, Solvay, 4% of children and youth
taking
Luvox developed mania during short-term controlled clinical trials.
Mania
is a psychosis which can produce bizarre, grandiose, highly elaborated
destructive plans, including mass murder. Interestingly, in a
recent
controlled clinical trial, Prozac produced mania in the same age
group at a
rate of 6%. These are very high rates for drug-induced mania--much
higher
than those produced in adults. Yet the risk will be even higher
during
long-term clinical use where medical supervision, as in the case
of Harris,
is much more lax than in controlled clinical trials. These drugs
also
produce irritability, aggression or hostility, alienation, agitation,
and
loss of empathy.
Reports suggest that Eric Harris may have had a relatively
good family
life. If so, it adds to the probability that he was suffering
from a
drug-induced manic reaction caused by Luvox. The phenomenon of
drug-induced
manic reactions caused by antidepressants is so widely recognized
that it
is discussed several times in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of
Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association and many
times in
The Physicians' Desk Reference.
I have lectured widely and written extensively about violence
in
association with taking SSRI antidepressants in Talking Back to
Prozac (St.
Martin's Press, 1994) and Brain-Disabling Treatments in Psychiatry
(Springer Publishing Company, 1997).
I have testified as a medical expert in three teenage cases
of murder in
which SSRIs were implicated in playing a role. In one case, a
sixteen year
old committed murder and tried to set off multiple bombs and incendiary
devices at the same time. I have also testified in cases of adult
murderers
who were under the influence of SSRIs, including one mass murder
of twelve
people followed by suicide. The comparisons to Littleton are obvious.
Psychiatric drugs including Ritalin and Prozac have also been
taken by at
least one other school murderer (Kip Kinkle). Psychiatric drug
use is only
one of the contributing factors to the episodes of school violence.
However, it is one of the most easily prevented factors. There
is strong
scientific evidence to support the view that SSRIs should not
be given to
children and teenagers.
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Prozac
by Peter R. Breggin,
MD