Antidepressant Not Certain Culprit in Girl’s Suicide

Question: My daughter committed suicide in 1988 one month after being put on a new medicine called Prozac. She was not depressed; Prozac was prescribed for an eating disorder.

We believe Prozac is responsible for her suicide. She did not seem suicidal before she started taking this medicine, and even the day before she hanged herself, she promised to take care of her neighbors’ cat while they were on vacation.

Have you ever heard of another case of someone committing suicide while taking Prozac?

Answer: We are so sorry to hear about your daughter’s horrible death, and we extend our sympathy. We know of no similar case.

Prozac (fluoxetine) has rapidly become the most successful antidepressant of all time. Several weeks ago it was featured on the cover of Newsweek magazine, and more than 650,000 prescriptions are filled each month.

What makes Prozac so popular is its side-effect profile. Instead of making people feel sluggish and drowsy, this new antidepressant is more likely to energize or stimulate. It is far less likely to cause constipation, dry mouth or weight gain. In fact, people on Prozac may actually lose weight.

Despite its swift rise to stardom, Prozac does have a darker side. It can cause insomnia and jitteriness. Some people complain of nausea, sexual difficulties, tremor and headache.

Of greater concern is a recent report in the American Journal of Psychiatry (February, 1990). Psychiatrists at Harvard report that six depressed but non-suicidal patients developed “intense, violent suicidal preoccupation after two to seven weeks of fluoxetine treatment.” Although none of these patients committed suicide, this report does suggest that doctors warn patients of the danger.

There is no way to tell if Prozac was responsible for your daughter’s act. The company assures us that it has no data indicating that depressed people are more likely to think about suicide while on Prozac than while on any other treatment.

Q: Can chromium supplements stabilize blood sugar?

A: New research suggests that chromium has a beneficial effect on glucose tolerance, a measure of blood sugar. Volunteers were given chromium supplements (200 micrograms) for 14 weeks. When they were tested at the end of the study, blood sugar rose only half as far as it had at the beginning.

The scientists will look next to see if chromium supplements can benefit Type II diabetics, who do not need to take insulin.