HOW PAXIL KILLED OUR SON

[Guest guest]

SSRI-Research@

Mon, 20 Sep 2004 18:06:02 -0400

Subject:[sSRI-Research] " HOW PAXIL KILLED OUR SON " NY Post

 

 

 

http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/30505.htm>http://www.nypost.com/news/nat\

ionalnews/30505.htm

 

 

HOW PAXIL KILLED OUR SON

 

By SUSAN EDELMAN

 

September 19, 2004 -- JAKE Steinberg had bitten his nails since

childhood, but when a doctor noticed the California college student's

antsy habit, he prescribed a medication to stop it: Paxil. " It was a

terrible mistake, " his father, Robert Steinberg, told The Post.

 

Just over a month later, Jake, 20, a talented glee-club singer, music

composer and student newspaper editor, began acting bizarrely on his

summer internship at the prestigious William Morris Agency in Manhattan.

 

On July 23, 2003, Jake smashed a chair through a window on the 24th

floor of 1325 Sixth Ave. and jumped to his death.

 

The shocking suicide was a mystery. The outgoing, ever-smiling redhead

was the last person his friends and family thought would kill himself.

 

" It was so out of character, " his dad said. " He was in love with life.

He couldn't wait for the next day to make his next plan. "

 

But his parents now contend that Paxil - prescribed for depression and

anxiety to millions of children and teens as well as adults - cauused

the psychotic behavior that led to his senseless suicide.

 

" We feel very strongly that Paxil caused his death, " Steinberg said.

 

His father and mother, Alice Erber, of Palo Alto, Calif., testified

last week before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which held

hearings on mounting evidence that antidepressants increase the risk

of suicide in young people.

 

Jake, who was to enter his senior year at Occidental College in L.A.,

had snagged one of the few internship slots at William Morris, the

world's largest talent and literary agency. He was thrilled to spend

the summer in the city his family had visited so often over the years.

 

" He loved New York - all of it, " his dad said.

 

In college, Jake was a student-government representative, arts and

entertainment editor of his college paper, a radio DJ, and avid member

of the globe-trotting Occidental Glee Club - which is still " reeling "

at his loss,, said member Jeffrey Bernstein.

 

" He had a very engaging smile, and was maybe the most optimistic

person I've ever known, " Bernstein said. " He was so amazingly

enthusiastic, not just about music but everything. "

 

After starting his Big Apple internship that June, Jake flew home for

four days to surprise his two younger sisters, Talia and Rachel, by

attending their graduations from high school and eighth grade.

 

While home, Jake told his mom that his hand ached from playing the

piano, and she found an internist to see him. The doctor noticed that

Jake's cuticles were red - from his nail-biting - and " thought Paxil

would help, " she said. The drug is often prescribed for anxiety.

 

Erber, who, like her son, also bites her nails, said the doctor spent

about 15 minutes with her son. She believes he and other doctors were

ignorant of Paxil's dangers.

 

When Jake returned to Manhattan, he called his family frequently,

raving about his internship and the fun he was having with friends,

going to concerts and movies.

 

" Every day he would call and tell us the day was more incredible than

the last, " his father said.

 

But Jake added that he wasn't feeling so well physically.

 

Jake took two weeks off to visit relatives in Israel with his father.

They had a great time, his dad said, but Jake complained of

stomachaches, diarrhea, and erratic sleep. Steinberg urged his son to

see a doctor when he got back to New York.

 

The last they heard from Jake was a phone call the morning of July 23,

he told his sisters his stomach hurt. But other wise, he seemed normal.

 

" That afternoon, we learned he had killed himself, " his mom said.

 

The parents said the city medical examiner's office informed them that

Jake had a normal dose of Paxil in his system.

 

The parents were told by William Morris employees that Jake was so

jittery and out of control that day he was asked to go home.

Supervisors even called a security guard to escort him out.

 

But Jake broke away and started running through the building, ripping

off his shirt before grabbing the chair and crashing through the

window, his parents were told.

 

Jake's restlessness, they have since learned, can be a symptom of

akathesia - or excessive movement, a common side effect of psychiatric

drugs.

 

" It's like you're on fire, and you can't sit still. You just want to

do anything to get out of the torment, " his dad said.

 

The couple is outraged that Paxil and other antidepressants could be

prescribed so loosely, and hopeful that Jake's story will spur

stronger warnings. " We can't bring Jake back, but it's something that

should never happen to another family, " his father said.

 

Jake wanted a career in the film and entertainment industry and might

have been well on his way to establishing a permanent home in the Big

Apple by

now.