Commonly-Prescribed Antidepressants Are Extremely Dangerous for Some

Kahn Gauthier Swick is investigating possible lawsuits due to side effects, against GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer of Paxil (paroxetine), to recover for suicides or homicides--some completed, some only attempted--by patients in the first few days or weeks after they were prescribed Paxil. Paxil medication is in the same family, called SSRIs, for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Paxil is commonly prescribed for depression, and Paxil works by increasing the amount of a chemical called serotonin in the brain.

The actions against the drug companies claim that the companies knew--but failed to warn physicians and patients--that a small number of patients will experience side effects such as a condition called akathisia, an overwhelming physical and mental restlessness, shortly after they begin taking Paxil. Other patients may, after beginning Paxil, find themselves suffering side effects such as being sufficiently energized to harm themselves, but not yet helped enough by Paxil to control their destructive thoughts. Attorneys representing the patients or their survivors in Paxil Side Effects Lawsuits have discovered documents the companies hid--documents showing that these risks exist for Paxil and its side effects.

Withdrawal side effects suffered by patients attempting to discontinue Paxil include jolting electric "zaps," dizziness, light-headedness, vertigo, lack of coordination, gait disturbances, sweating, extreme nausea, vomiting, high fever, abdominal discomfort, flu symptoms, anorexia, diarrhea, agitation, tremulousness, irritability, aggression, sleep disturbance, nightmares, tremor, confusion, memory and concentration difficulties, lethargy, malaise, weakness, fatigue, paraesthesias, ataxia, and myalgia.

Paxil, which was introduced into the U.S. market on December 29, 1992, is a well known antidepressant medication in the same class as Zoloft and Prozac (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs). Paxil is approved for marketing in the U.S. for conditions such as depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder.

If you would like to file a claim because of how Paxil side effects harmed you, click here.