Product Liability Attorney Blog

Alongside the intense attention that the SSRI Paxil has received for the birth defects associated with its use in pregnant women, there is also the worrying evidence that it may have strong links to the development or aggravation of suicidal thoughts. In the case of Canadian teen Sara Carlin, this link is being brought up following her untimely death by hanging herself.

Ms. Carlin was a student at the University of Western Ontario at the time of her death. She was taking Paxil for a year prior to the event, had been hospitalized for drug and alcohol abuse and had expressed verbal and written thoughts about her difficulty with continuing living.

According to Ms. Carlin's family and their attorney, she was an outgoing and largely happy person before the medication. They stressed adamantly that Sara was not depressed before she was prescribed the medication. Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK), the manufacturers of Paxil, has presented their counterargument via Sara's doctor's testimony. Her physician claimed that Sara had felt better after starting Paxil, had started sleeping better and begun engaging more with her schoolwork and personal activities.

The link between Paxil and suicidal fixations is not yet a conclusive one. The matter remains murky and difficult, partly because GSK has engaged in the usual defenses of its product and resisted the allegations of affected parties. However, a number of studies have demonstrated increased suicidal considerations among 12-19 year olds who are exposed to the medication for an extended period of time. The attorneys involved in the case stressed the point that the U.S. FDA requires Paxil packaging to carry the strong black box warning explaining the potential for increased suicide risks.

Ms. Carlin died in 2007. The case between her family and GSK is as yet unresolved, and looks as if it will continue into the court system proper instead of resolving via settlement.

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