In today’s society, modern medicine has grown by leaps and bounds. We have gone from our ancestors ripping the heart out for a sacrifice, to replacing a heart to save a life. We have gone from amputations, due to infections, to creating artificial limbs. And we once believed it to be impossible to allow a blind person to see again, and we now have wonderful interface technology that uses the power of the brain to bring back sight.
Along with all these advancements we have come up with various drugs for various ailments. We have prescription pills for almost everything from depression and insomnia, to arthritis and erectile dysfunction. It seems, in today’s society, there is a pill for virtually everything. And we as Americans are more than content with the pills that are given to us. However, we seem to ignore the many risks involved in taking these various drugs. Many of them, which primarily deal with depression, insomnia, and mental problems, have been shown to be linked to violence. The side-effects listed in many of these drugs describe agitation, aggression, mood swings, and depression or thoughts of suicide.
This, of course, is not to say that all prescription drugs are bad and should not be taken. However, when we notice violent behavior, we tend to overlook the possibility of the side-effects of these drugs as being the cause. Many Americans are quick to blame other factors such as; video games, music, illegal drugs, and peer influence as the cause of violent behavior. And certainly these factors do play a part; however, prescription drugs are too often overlooked.
There have been many stories of school shootings where the assailant(s) were shown to have taken prescription drugs, more specifically, antidepressants. One such case was on March 21st 2005, a young man named Jeff Weise, who was 16, walked into his high school in Red Lake, Minnesota and proceeded to kill 7 of his schoolmates before turning the gun on himself. This was after he had killed his grandfather and one other individual. It was well known that he was on the prescription drug Prozac. (BBC News). Sadly this is not the first or only time such an incident has happened. And this is not the only time that the drug Prozac was involved.
In 2007, Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people and wounded several others before turning the gun on himself. This was the infamous shooting at Virginia Tech. It was said that he suffered from an anxiety disorder. For this, he was prescribed the antidepressant drug, Prozac. It seemed quite clear, as the media reported on Cho’s supposed personality, that he had clear mental problems. And since these problems did exist, would it make sense that he seek help and was prescribed medication? Yet, this seemed to be a non-issue to the media.
Another such incident was the famous Columbine Massacre that happened in Colorado in 1999. On April 20th, 1999 two boys, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, killed 13 individuals at their high school. One of the shooters, Eric Harris, was prescribed Luvox, which is an antidepressant. However, although Harris had the prescription for the medication, autopsy later revealed that there was no evidence of the drug in his system at the time. (CNN: http://articles.cnn.com/1999-04-29/health/). However, that is not to say that the prescription drug itself did not have a long-term effect on his psyche. The media claimed that violent video games and music were the cause of the two boy’s violent acts. There seems to be a pattern so far; a known fact that these in these cases, the shooter(s) were on prescription drugs, more specifically anti-depressants, thus the reason why many have suggested the link between prescription drugs and violent behavior. Another pattern seems to that the media completely ignoring these possible links. Could it be that the big pharmaceutical companies have some influence on our mainstream media outlets? Have you noticed that when watching Fox news, CNN, or MSNBC that most of the television ads are prescription drug ads?
There are much more recent shootings that have led to the questioning of prescription drugs. Such as the Ft. Hood shooting, where, the shooter himself was a psychiatrist and had access to these drugs. However, in that case, the media blamed the incident on Muslim extremism. Then there is the most recent shooting tragedy that happened in Tuscon, Arizona. The shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, went on a shooting spree in a shopping center, killing 6 people. However, there was no evidence of any prescription drug use, although he was known to use a drug called Salvia, which is legal in some states.
In most, if not all these shootings, there seems to be a pattern; the shooters were given prescription drugs for having some sort of mental problem. And in almost every case, it seems to be antidepressants and anxiety medication. Now, certainly someone who has a serious mental problems, they should seek medical help. But one only has to look at the side effects of these drugs to see the potential dangers within.
When you watch a drug ad on television, have you noticed something? The side-effects outweigh the benefits. And in most cases, especially with the various antidepressants, anxiety, and insomnia medications, the most common side-effects are generally mood swings, worsening depression and thoughts of suicide. It’s almost laughable to hear and read the information on these drugs. And there are various articles and reports that list specific drugs to violent behavior. One in particular lists the top ten prescription drugs that are linked to violence. These drugs are as follows:
1. Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) – An antidepressant which affects serotonin and noradrenalin, this drug is 7.9 times more likely to be associated with violence than other drugs.
2. Venafaxine (Effexor) - A drug related to Pristiq in the same class of antidepressants, both are also used to treat anxiety disorders. Effexor is 8.3 times more likely than other drugs to be related to violent behavior.
3. Fluvoxamine (Luvox)- An antidepressant that affects serotonin (SSRI), Luvox is 8.4 times more likely than other medications to be linked with violence
4. Triazolam (Halcion) – A benzodiazepine which can be addictive, used to treat insomnia. Halcion is 8.7 times more likely to be linked with violence than other drugs, according to the study.
5. Atomoxetine (Strattera)- Used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Strattera affects the neurotransmitter noradrenaline and is 9 times more likely to be linked with violence compared to the average medication.
6. Mefoquine (Lariam) – A treatment for malaria, Lariam has long been linked with reports of bizarre behavior. It is 9.5 times more likely to be linked with violence than other drugs.
7. Amphetamines (Various) – Amphetamines are used to treat ADHD and affect the brain’s dopamine and noradrenalin systems. They are 9.6 times more likely to be linked to violence, compared to other drugs.
8. Paroxetine (Paxil) – An SSRI antidepressant, Paxil is also linked with more severe withdrawal symptoms and a greater risk of birth defects compared to other medications in that class. It is 10.3 times more likely to be linked with violence compared to other drugs.
9. Fluoxetine (Prozac) – The first well-known SSRI antidepressant, Prozac is 10.9 times more likely to be linked with violence in comparison with other medications.
10. Varenicline (Chantix) – The anti-smoking medication Chantix affects the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, which helps reduce craving for smoking. Unfortunately, it’s 18 times more likely to be linked with violence compared to other drugs — by comparison, that number for Xyban is 3.9 and just 1.9 for nicotine replacement. Because Chantix is slightly superior in terms of quit rates in comparison to other drugs, it shouldn’t necessarily be ruled out as an option for those trying to quit, however.
As the list shows, Chantix is 18 times more likely to be associated with violence that the other drugs.
Other drugs that are linked to violent behavior include Ambien, Lunesta, and Ritalin. One may only need to look at the side-effects of these drugs to see the potential risks. Ambien and Lunesta, for example, have been known to cause hallucinations, agitation, and aggression, changes in behavior, and depression and thoughts of suicide. Ritalin has been known to cause anxiety, nervousness, insomnia, and in some cases, depression. Those who have overdosed on Ritalin, or who have become extremely dependant on the drug have experienced the following: Aggression, hallucinations, panic states, personality changes, symptoms of depression, and in chronic abuse, characteristics of schizophrenia are known.
Many of these symptoms, match that of the many other prescription drugs that are available. It’s as if we are being chemically altered in some way, to act out or behave in ways we normally wouldn’t, in order to be put on yet another mind altering drug. All this is not to say that prescription medication is bad, but as we advance further into western medicine we must be cautious as to how these drugs are affecting us mentally and physically. In the end, it seems that the big pharmaceutical companies are more interested in making money than actually curing diseases.
Furthermore, we must look into the link between the effects of these drugs and the violent behavior among those to whom they were prescribed. If we were to accept that as a factor, than we could possibly we could prevent future tragedies from happening. Imagine if we were able to stop the terrible shooting at Virginia Tech, or Columbine High, by collectively knowing that these have the potential to cause such violent behavior. It’s certainly a nice thought, but we cannot turn back time. What we can do, however, is begin to research the facts and demand answers. In addition, we can begin to look into alternative treatments to the various health issues that the prescription drugs are supposed to treat. For example: Insomnia is usually treatedby taking AmbienCR or Lunesta, which can have adverse effects that lead to violence. But what about Chamomile? Or Lavender? Both are common herbal supplements that are well known to help induce sleep and relaxation.
So instead of rushing to the pharmacy to pick up the latest mind-altering synthetic pill, we should be learning more about what causes the symptoms, and find a natural way to cope with them. If we cannot come to terms with the obvious risks that these drugs present and how, in so many cases, lead to violent behavior, then we will slowly slip into a medicated oblivion. And if we allow the big pharmaceutical companies to get by with presenting these drugs to the public, then what will they come up with next in the name of health? Will the next add be for a Cyanide pill to cure cancer? We as a culture are continuously loosing our humanity and poisoning ourselves in the name of health.
