It happens too often to be just a coincidence. Over the years, a number of suicides among young people have been linked to the prescription drugs they took for such things as anxiety and depression. One case involved a 12-year-old girl who had been taking the antidepressant Paxil for about seven months. The girl, who before had acted fairly normally, soon became hostile and indifferent to everyone around her, including herself. Then, in summer 2001, she strangled herself to death with a bungee cord. Her mother was told the worst side effects the girl would experience would be no worse than those of the flu.

Since then, warnings have been issued along with many of these drugs, stating that those who are on them should be closely monitored for any changes in their behavior. But what happens when the children are no longer dependent on their parents and yet still take the drug? Their parents can’t watch over them forever.

Similar instances have occurred among adults. One case involved a middle-age woman who became extremely depressed and killed herself unexpectedly. When the family had the autopsy done on her body, they found, among other things, that she had been taking Paxil. Shortly after her death, her husband went on the same drug to help himself with his grief. After only a few weeks, he began acting strangely and talking about death and dying. His family, who had done research on the drug since his wife’s death, found out and ordered that he stop taking it.

Most doctors disagree with these allegations, claiming the benefits of the drugs almost always outweigh the risks. But when a drug is meant to help someone deal with problems and ends up actually increasing these problems, something not right is going on.

According to news sources, the use of Paxil in children was actually banned in England because they didn’t find the drug’s effectiveness to be totally credible. It’s fair to say there is some sense here, but the FDA does not see it that way. Dr. Graham Emslie, co-chair of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology’s SSRI Task Force, said “A failure to show effectiveness is not the same as proving ineffectiveness.”

But this statement contradicts itself. If something is not proven effective for a patient, it is therefore ineffective – at least for his or her purposes – and a hideous waste of time and money.

With each new drug advertised, it seems as if the commercials spend more time talking about the side effects than about the benefits. After seeing the commercial, it hardly seems worth it to take the drug anymore.

When doctors immediately put patients on medication, they give the impression that they no longer want to do their job. Drugs don’t make your problems go away, only the symptoms – and sometimes they don’t even do that much. Doctors can prescribe a drug as long as it’s legal, even if the effects of that drug have not been verified with the FDA. Explore your options first. There is no reason to put yourself in potential danger when there are other options.

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star staff.