Children are being
forced to take Prozac today. Kip Kinkle, the 15 year
old boy who murdered his parents and shot several students in Springfield,
Oregon was a victim of Prozac. He couldn't refuse to take the drug
because he was a minor. However, because of the crime he was tried
as an adult. Prozac is KNOWN to cause both suicidal and homicidal
tendencies.
Guilty, murder by proxy:
Eli Lily's Prozac not only causes brain
tumours, but also helps cancer germinate
SCIENTISTS FIND
PROZAC 'LINK' TO BRAIN TUMOURS
By Steve Connor Science
Editor
The Independent
26 March 2002
Scientists have discovered that Prozac, the antidepressant taken by millions
of people around the world, may stimulate THE GROWTH OF BRAIN TUMOURS BY
BLOCKING THE BODY'S NATURAL ABILITY TO KILL CANCER CELLS.
An international team of researchers led by John Gordon, professor of immunology
at Birmingham University, found evidence to suggest CANCER CELLS CAN BE KILLED
BY "POSITIVE THINKING", which could be blocked when people take Prozac.
The study, to be published in the journal Blood next week, examined the effects
of Prozac and other antidepressants on a group of tumour cells growing in
a test tube. The researchers found that the drug prevented the cancer cells
from committing "suicide", thereby leading to a more vigorous growth of the
tumours.
Although an increased risk of cancer has not so far been detected in Prozac
patients, the latest findings could lead to a global re-evaluation of the
drug's long-term safety.
Prozac, a "happiness pill" that was first approved in the United States in
1987, is widely used for the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive
disorder and bulimia nervosa. Doctors in Britain issue about three million
prescriptions for it each year and worldwide sales reached £1.8bn in
1999.
The scientists tested other SSRIs such as Paxil and Celexa and found they,
too, had the same effect in stimulating the growth of a type of tumour known
as Burkitt's lymphoma.
"An exciting property of serotonin is that it can tell some cells to
self-destruct. We have found that serotonin can get inside the lymphoma cells
and instruct them to commit suicide, thereby providing the potential for
an effective therapy," Professor Gordon said.
The researchers found that Prozac blocked the entry of serotonin into the
test-tube tumour cells and therefore stopped them from committing suicide.
That raised the question of whether Prozac can do the same in the brains
of people taking the drug.
Further work is underway to test Prozac further in this field. In particular,
the scientists want to develop drugs that will mimic the cancer-destroying
feature of serotonin which is blocked by Prozac.
A spokeswoman for Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Prozac, said that the research
is too new for the company to make a detailed response. "It's not something
we can directly comment on because we haven't been involved in it," she
said.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_medical/story.jsp?story=278505
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