Wetumpka mother campaigns for stronger drug warnings after death of 14-year-old son

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A Wetumpka mother whose 14-year-old son committed suicide after taking Prozac for seven weeks is on a crusade to warn parents about the dangers of certain types of anti-depressant drugs prescribed for young people.

"The reason I have to do this is I lost a precious possession and I know that there are other children out there and parents ... and this is happening to them," Terri Williams said. "I'm speaking for my son and other children who are unable to speak for themselves. That's why I do it."

In February, Williams attended a Food and Drug Administration public hearing in Maryland to testify about the drug and her son's suicide. In March, she and her husband flew to New York to tape Montel Williams' TV talk show on that topic. The program aired Thursday.

Later this summer, she'll return to Maryland to learn of any findings from the FDA hearing on suicide risks. Williams expects to testify again, pleading for authorities to require manufacturers to issue stronger warnings on the drugs and place labels with information on side effects.

Williams believes Prozac caused her son Jacob to kill himself after a pediatrician found him to have signs of depression and started him on Prozac in October 2000. Williams said Jacob soon started to have strange dreams and aggressive behavior and that he became short-tempered.

Williams said she didn't know that what she was seeing were side effects; she thought it was normal teenage behavior.

On Dec. 5, 2000, she found her son dead, hanging in the attic. It was only after Jacob's death that Williams learned there could be a link between teen suicide and anti-depressant drugs.

"You can only imagine the guilt that I felt," she said. "I trusted the doctor. My son trusted me."

In November 2002, she and her husband, Butch, sued the doctor and Eli Lilly and Co., the maker of Prozac. The case was resolved last December; their attorney said the terms cannot be disclosed.

Eli Lilly spokeswoman Tarra Ryker said the company does not discuss specific cases that have been settled. She said there have been a small number of cases, including the Williams' case, where Eli Lilly has made a business decision to settle. The company settled not because of the efficacy or safety of the drug, but so their scientists can concentrate on research and lifesaving efforts instead of litigation.

Ryker denies that Prozac prompts suicidal thoughts or suicide. Instead, the company believes it's the disease and not the medication that is to blame, she said. Prozac has been found to be effective and safe as an antidepressant, and it's the first and only drug the FDA has ap proved for use in the pediatric population, she said.

Williams' quest to educate people about commonly pre scribed antidepressant drugs and her son comes at a time when news coverage has placed the issue at the forefront.

Although the FDA has not concluded that these drugs worsen depression or cause suicides, it warns health care providers to be aware that worsening of symptoms could be due to the underlying disease of depression or might be a result of drug therapy, according to the FDA Web site. The agency also cautions that if there's a desire to discontinue treatment, patients should be tapered off certain medications rather than stopped abruptly.

In March, the FDA asked manufacturers of eight antidepressant drugs to include depression and suicide-related warnings on drug labels. The drugs include Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Celexa, Lexapro, Effexor and Remeron. They are a class of drugs called SSRIs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

Williams said the FDA's request is not mandatory, which is why she wants to see more stringent requirements. Had she known of the symptoms, she would have never allowed her son to take the drug. She said she was not told. "I'm not saying ban the drug; I'm just saying issue a warning," Williams said.

The FDA's March announcement and the February hearing come after British health officials last December said that all of the SSRIs except for Prozac should not be prescribed for depressed children. Prozac was excluded because it has been proved to aid with pediatric depression.

A team from Columbia University is examining data on antidepressant drug use among children, and is expected to present its findings this summer to the FDA.

Birmingham lawyer Craig P. Niedenthal, who handled the Williams' case, sees the issue mounting to court battles for some families. He's evaluating potential claims against manufacturers of antidepressant drugs to determine whether they are appropriate for a lawsuit.

He has another suit against Eli Lilly in Birmingham federal court involving a 19-year-old girl who was on Prozac and shot herself in 2002 after being on and off the drug for a few months.

Ryker said Friday that the company doesn't know enough about the suit to comment.

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Information from: The Birmingham News