Mother wondered if Zyprexa side effect helped kill son
January 5, 2007 16:06

At first the psychiatric drug Zyprexa may have saved a man's life who suffered psychotic episodes and hallucinations. The drug Zyprexa also contributed to his obesity and may have caused heart disease. After taking Zyprexa for 5 years, he gained 80 pounds. Weight gain is a common side effect of Zyprexa that has been played down by the manufacturer Eli Lily. Other severe side effects include diabetes and heart disease. The patient suffered from bipolar disorder affected by depression and mania that causes hallucinations and delusions. Eli Lilly found that compared with an older antipsychotic drug, Haldol, patients taking Zyprexa would be significantly more likely to develop heart disease, based on the results of a clinical trial comparing the two drugs. Exactly how many people have died as a result of Zyprexa's side effects, and whether Lilly adequately disclosed those risks, are central issues in the thousands of product-liability lawsuits pending against the company, and in state and federal investigations. Last year, Lilly paid $700 million to settle 8,000 lawsuits from people who said they had developed diabetes or other diseases after taking Zyprexa. Thousands more suits are still pending. (NY TIMES)