Parental heaven is when you see your child through the eyes of delight.
--John Breeding, Ph.D.

Open Letter to Terry Bradshaw

Dear Mr. Bradshaw:

I am writing this letter in hopes of educating you about the dangers of Paxil, the drug you have recently agreed to endorse.

As you may or may not know, on June 6, 2001, a federal jury in Cheyenne, Wyoming, after hearing all of the evidence both pro and con, found that "Paxil can cause some people to commit homicide and/or suicide". This verdict was influenced in part by a 1991 published article by GlaxoSmithKline's own expert, Dr. J. John Mann, who postulated that there is a "small vulnerable subpopulation" of patients who are at risk for these severe reactions. And keep in mind that there are millions of prescriptions written every year, so even if only a small percentage of those taking this drug have side effects of suicide or violence, thousands of lives are being destroyed.

I am the parent of one of those whose life was destroyed by Paxil, and I write to implore you to temper your own endorsement with balanced information in order to protect those out there who may be vulnerable. Children like my 12-year old daughter, Caitlin, who took her own life 9 weeks after being started on Paxil for depression. She was prescribed Paxil because she was having problems sleeping and difficulty adjusting to the 6th grade.

I understand that you feel you have been helped by this drug, but there are many others who have had bad experiences with Paxil, including the worsening of their depression or anxiety, psychosis, and suicidal and/or homicidal thoughts and actions often resulting in senseless tragedies. I am not talking about a few rare instances of severe side effects, but hundreds of cases like mine, some of which are posted on http://www.drugawareness.org/Archives/Survivors/survivor_index.html

Before you assume that these tragedies could not have been caused by Paxil (as the drug manufacturer would have you believe), please research the many lawsuits that have been brought against GlaxoSmithKline, the latest being the NY Attorney General’s. This civil lawsuit contends that GlaxoSmithKline engaged in persistent fraud by failing to tell doctors that some studies of Paxil showed that the drug did not work in adolescents and might even lead to suicidal thoughts. Far from warning doctors, the suit contends, the company encouraged them to prescribe the drug for youngsters. Additionally, recently released clinical trials done by GlaxoSmithKline show that over twice the number of children exhibited suicidal behaviors while on Paxil as those on the placebo.

For more information on lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies, including GlaxoSmithKline, visit www.justiceseekers.com. I also suggest you study www.drugawareness.org and www.breggin.com, for evidence of how dangerous drugs like Paxil can be, and www.alternativementalhealth.com for non-drug alternatives to depression and other mental health challenges.

Please Mr. Bradshaw, don’t allow yourself to be “taken in” or in anyway “bought” by a company whose actions have demonstrated that it puts profits over human life.

Instead, I urge you to use your fame and celebrity to educate people of all ages to improve their mental health with non-drug alternatives, of which there are many, instead of risking the potentially tragic side effects of psychotropic drugs.

Search your heart and conscience and back away from promoting a drug that has been proven in clinical trials to cause suicidal urges in an unacceptably high percentage of the children who take it.

If you cannot do this, then I call upon you, in the name of fairness and full disclosure, to state in each promotional talk the amount of money you are being paid by GlaxoSmithKline to endorse Paxil, and to also report what side effects you yourself have experienced. I do not want those listening to your testimonials to be left with the impression that Paxil is some sort of wonder drug. Believe me, Mr. Bradshaw - it’s not.

Glenn McIntosh, father of Caitlin Elizabeth McIntosh (b1987 – d2000)

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