Suicide Zoloft 24/10/2004 Utah 15 Year Old Girl Given Zoloft for 'Warts'
Summary:
Paragraphs 2 & 3 read: "In a suit filed in U.S. District Court, the parents of Shyra Marie Kallas say the 15-year-old shot herself in November 2002, less than a month after her family physician prescribed the antidepressant."
"The girl originally went to see the doctor for warts but said, as part of her patient history, that she felt overwhelmed with school work, according to Ken and Angela Kallas' suit."
http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2434365
Lawsuit blames Zoloft for teenager's suicide
By Pamela Manson
The Salt Lake Tribune
A South Jordan couple on Tuesday accused pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. of negligence in their daughter's "tragic, maddening, wrongful death" for allegedly failing to warn doctors of a link between its antidepressant Zoloft and teenage suicide.
In a suit filed in U.S. District Court, the parents of Shyra Marie Kallas say the 15-year-old shot herself in November 2002, less than a month after her family physician prescribed the antidepressant.
The girl originally went to see the doctor for warts but said, as part of her patient history, that she felt overwhelmed with school work, according to Ken and Angela Kallas' suit.
"Her doctor then did precisely what Pfizer's salesmen regularly encourage doctors to do, i.e., he (a) diagnosed 'depression' and (b) prescribed Zoloft," claims the suit, which seeks unspecified damages.
The legal action alleges Pfizer knew of an association between Zoloft and side effects that increase the risk for suicide. However, it claims, the company continued to overpromote the medication and misled the public about the risk, touting Zoloft as the "number one doctor-trusted antidepressant."
Pfizer representatives could not be reached for comment Tuesday.