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Newsday reports that Nassau District Judge Rhonda Fischer reiterated that "she will permit a defense expert witness, a psychiatrist, to testify at trial that a withdrawal from Zoloft, a widely prescribed antidepressant, could cause a person to become hostile and aggressive." On trial is Brandon Hampson, whose defense attorney says his client's Zoloft withdrawal was a "contributing factor—if not directly responsible" for his actions. Hampson allegedly tackled and then kicked his then-girlfriend in the head, face and back two years ago; defense attorney Eric Bernstein said, "This is not a joke or gimmick-type defense. This is very serious, very legitimate and is going to get a lot of traction. You're going to be seeing more of this, because it's real." (Hampson was convicted of assaulting another former girlfriend in 1995 and prosecutors say there's no evidence of him taking Zoloft back then.) The prosecution, which objected to allowing the Zoloft defense and the defense witness supporting it, has a Massachusetts psychiatrist ready to testify that the drug doesn't cause violence—and Zoloft maker Pfizer is paying the doctor $7,500 a day to testify.
Nassau Judge Okays Zoloft Defense In Assault Trial
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"I'm on the Zoloft to keep from killing y'all!"
Mike Tyson
Good call
Phil Hartman's wife was on Zoloft when she killed him and then killed herself. Her family subsequently sued Pfizer, which settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
I heard she also had a cup of coffee that day. Should have sued Starbucks, too.
If she did, she could have been represented by a Barista...
Thank you folks, I'll be here all weekend.
what ever happen to common sense and personal responsibility. the devil, the dog, the tree made me do it.
Note to self: If I ever want to kill someone and get away with it, make sure to either start or stop taking some kind of anti-depressant immediately before. Or eat some Twinkies.
So a drug designed to change human behavior is not capable of changing behavior?
Here's the warning Pfizer was compelled to add to Zoloft recently:
"Antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in short-term studies in children and adolescents with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders. Anyone considering the use of Zoloft or any other antidepressant in a child or adolescent must balance this risk with the clinical need. Patients who are started on therapy should be observed closely for clinical worsening, suicidality, or unusual changes in behavior. Families and caregivers should be advised of the need for close observation and communication with the prescriber. Zoloft is not approved for use in pediatric patients except for patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)."
Drugs like this can do strange things to people, especially if they suddenly stop taking them instead of tapering off. Zoloft has a short half-life, so this effect can be magnified, as opposed to something with a longer half-life like Prozac.
This may not be the best case, as this guy has a history of violence, but I don't doubt that some of the other well-known cases are related.