Nervousness
Nausea
Insomnia
Weight Loss
One of the most dangerous side effects of these medications, suicidal thoughts/ideation, doesn't even make the 5 bullet-pointed list. The Guide does, however, add the following: "Watch for worsening of depression and thoughts about suicide."
The DCF Approved Medication List writes:
"The DCF Approved Medication List is a list of psychotropic medications that has been carefully established by the Psychotropic Medication Advisory Committee, a group of DCF and community professionals."
Sheila has since investigated other advocacy groups that were concerned about the off-label prescribing of psychiatric medications to youths in state custody. This is where she stumbled upon Children's Rights, a non-profit charity based in New York City.
In 2005, Children's Rights employed ten (10) attorneys and a staff of 31. It claims to use its expertise to change child welfare red tape and scrutinize failing systems. If the child welfare system fails to respond, Children's Rights files a lawsuit. If successful, it enforces reform and then monitors its implementation.
In 1989, Children's Rights had in fact filed a suit against William O'Neill and the Connecticut State Department of Children and Youth Services [DCYS].
The suit charged that an overworked and underfunded DCYS failed to provide services, including abuse and neglect investigations, adoption, foster care, mental health care, caseloads, and staffing. The case has been pending for over twenty (20) years, and while there have been numerous arguments that DCYS should be more inclusive or has failed to provide certain services, the issue of massive off-label prescription of psychotropic medications has never been brought to the court's attention.
Children's Rights is chaired by Alan C Myers, a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom, a billion dollar law firm which represents the pharmaceutical industry in mass torts and class actions. Myers is also co-head of the firm's REIT Group [Real Estate Investment Trust].
Also, listed on the Children's Rights website are individuals and law firms that have served as co-counsel on Children's Rights' legal campaigns to reform America's failing child welfare systems, including:
Missouri - Shook Hardy & Bacon - Eli Lilly Co. and Forest Labs, defended the original Wesbeker Prozac trial in Kentucky and still defend Prozac, Celexa and Lexapro.
New Jersey - Drinker Biddle & Reath - GlaxoSmithKline attorneys - defended Paxil as local counsel in Philadelphia cases.
Oklahoma - Kaye Scholer LLP - provides work in Pharmaceutical Products Liability defense and employs an attorney who was former General Counsel of Pfizer, Inc.
A particular success for Skadden Arps occurred in 2010 when it secured a summary judgement ruling for Pfizer Inc. in a suit filed by two insurance companies who sought $200 million in damages for Pfizer's predecessors alleged "off-label" marketing of its epilepsy drug, Neurontin.
Furthermore, in February 2011, Skadden Arps secured the dismissal of over 200 cases in a multi-district litigation pending against their client, Pfizer Inc. The plaintiffs had alleged injuries related to the use of Pfizer's anti-epilepsy drug, Neurontin.
Neurontin (the generic version is called gabapentin) is prescribed by psychiatrists for a variety of "off-label" indications. It is often tried as an alternative treatment when patients are unable to tolerate the side effects of more proven mood stabilizers such as lithium. [2]
Gabapentin has also been associated with an increased risk of suicidal acts or violent deaths.
