Columbine Victims' Families Sue Drug Maker
Charge Anti-Depressant Influenced Attack
Posted: 2:58 p.m. EDT October 22, 2001Updated: 3:05 p.m. EDT October 22, 2001
DENVER -- Families of five Columbine High School shooting victims are suing the maker of the anti-depressant Luvox.
One of the student gunmen -- Eric Harris -- was taking it when he opened fire in April of 1999.
And the coroner's office in Jefferson County, Colorado, has said a therapeutic amount of the drug was found in Harris' system after he died.
Solvay Pharmaceuticals makes Luvox -- and the lawsuit by victims' relatives claims Solvay failed to warn Harris' doctor about side effects.
The suit alleges the drug caused Harris to become manic and psychotic.
Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and a teacher before taking their own lives in the school shootings.
The plaintiffs are each seeking over $75,000 in damages.
In 1997, Luvox, also known as fluvoxamine maleate, was the first of a group of anti-depressants called SSRIs to be cleared by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder in children and adolescents.
Prozac is currently the most widely-used SSRI (selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor), which are used to alter brain chemistry in the treatment of many psychological disorders.
The most common side effects of Luvox include gastrointestinal complaints, nervousness, insomnia, and occasional sexual dysfunction.
More On Luvox:
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Previous Stories:
- June 29, 2001: Kmart To Stop Selling Handgun Ammo
- April 20, 2001: Columbine Marks Second Anniversary
Copyright 2001 by WFTV.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



















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