The list of drugs that cause people to consider suicide is growing: It used to be primarily a side effect of the class of antidepressants called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), but now includes other psychiatric drugs - specifically, Zyprexa, the antipsychotic used to allegedly relieve the symptoms of so-called bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. All of these drugs are dangerous to take, and to stop taking - don’t try quitting without the advice of a medical professional, and coordinate this with a drug detox counselor. However, judging by the fact that millions of people are using them every day, it is not generally understood just how dangerous they are.

Although the lawsuits on Zyprexa® are piling up, the largest class of drugs that carry suicide as a risk factor are SSRIs. These include Citalopram (Celexa®), Escitalopram (Lexapro®), Fluoxetine (Prozac®, Sarafem®), Fluvoxamine (Luvox®), Paroxetine (Paxil®), Paroxetine controlled release (Paxil CR®) and Sertraline (Zoloft®) - many of which you’ve heard about in TV and magazine advertising and, if you keep up with the news, in lawsuits. You may even know someone who’s had to go through medical drug detox to get off them.

Every one of these drugs lists ‘suicidal thoughts or behavior’ as a side effect (in case you find the word ‘behavior’ a little vague, it means actually attempting to kill yourself instead of just thinking about it) and every one of their manufacturers is more or less constantly being sued. Not just one or two isolated lawsuits, hundreds of them; some for suicide and some for other damage - damage that could have been prevented had the people taking the drug done drug detox so they could get off them.

Why would someone taking these drugs want to kill themselves? The mechanism behind that isn’t known from a scientific standpoint but, factually, so much is unknown about how these drugs work or what they really do to the body, that’s par for the course.

Some people might have the idea that those who are prescribed these drugs are more likely to attempt suicide than others simply because of the condition for which they’re being treated. In fact, that argument is frequently used to justify the risk and it’s exactly what the drug companies want you to think. However, giving someone who is suicidal a drug that will cause them to feel even more so is crazy.

To make matter worse, if that’s possible, the vast majority of people taking some of these drugs aren’t really at risk in the first place. They’re people just like you and me who happened to go to a doctor and complain about a problem that posed no or little real threat - headaches, pain, lupus, irritable bowel syndrome, arthritis, fatigue, anorexia (not anorexia nervosa, just lack of appetite), insomnia, Parkinson's Disease and even premature ejaculation. And yet, these people are now at risk for committing suicide and will probably need drug detox to safely stop taking the drugs.

Would someone with a headache or arthritis want to trade that condition for feeling like they want to kill themselves - and possibly doing it? Did their doctor tell them that there’s a chance that they’ll want to commit suicide if they take these drugs?

Do yourself and the people you care about a favor and get off these drugs. Contact a medical drug detox program that can help you do it safely. If your doctor recommends them, just say no - just like we’re told to do with street drugs. They’re no better and, in some cases, are even more dangerous.