Shyra Kallas - West Jordan Utah - Zoloft Suicide November 2002

[Guest guest]

FYI:

I wasn't aware of this family who lost their daughter until Vera wrote about

the case in her info alert today. I'll try contacting the family this

weekend.

Cassie

=================

=================

Dear P Manson,

Sorry - I tried to find you listed at the SL Tribune, but couldn't, so I

wasn't sure whether to address you as " Mr " or " Ms " ...

A friend just sent me your article on Shyra Kallas, the West Jordan teen who

committed suicide back in 2002. I am wondering if you have written any

other articles about Utah children who have committed suicide while on an

antidepressant. I'd very much like to bring these families together into a

support group. I'm going to contact her family this weekend.

I lost my own beautiful fourteen year old son in June 2000. His death

certificate also lists suicide as cause of death, but the investigation was

reopened in 2002 by Utah County Attorney, Kay Bryson, as a possible

homicide. He had been prescribed Prozac by a physician's assistant who

worked in our family doctor's firm. Soon into the course of treatment, my

son told me he didn't want to take this drug because it made him feel

" weird " . When I expressed this to our doctor, he told me that it took

awhile for the drug to kick in, and to just make sure he took it every day.

Six months later, and still complaining about the way the drug made him

feel, we went back in for a doctor visit, and you know what happened? The

doctor doubled his dose, saying that because my son was big for his age, he

probably had him on too low a dose...

As for the questiion about the cause of his death - the boy who found my son

was on Zoloft. That boy was my son's friend (it brings the

Pittman case to mind, doesn't it?) But, I didn't find out this boy was also

on an antidepressant drug until much later. You see, when the police came

to investigate at the time my son died, they told me the bullet that killed

him entered through the roof of his mouth and exited out the back of his

head. There was also a suicide note. And though there were many unanswered

questions, it did appear to be a suicide.

I eventually came to know of the dangers of these drugs, and I filed a

lawsuit in pro-se because I couldn't find an attorney here in Utah willing

to take my case. I did find an attorney in Baton Rouge who was willing to

help, but he wasn't licensed to practice law in Utah. It was because of his

eye for detail that I came to learn that my son was actually shot above and

behind the left ear; execution style - from a calculated distance of at

least eighteen inches away... This attorney insisted that I contact the

attorney general's office and have the case reopened. I found a forensics

lab in the United Kingdom who was willing to review all the evidence, but

guess what? The Orem police department destroyed it all.... They destroyed

the gun, the suicide note.... (but they still had the photos they took... I

wonder why they destroyed the gun and the suicide note, but kept the

photos). And so now, without any evidence they cannot even question the

prime suspect - the boy who led me to my son...

I now have three reports from experts who investigate questionable deaths;

one from the forensics department at the University of Lincoln in the United

Kingdom, one from Dr Dragovich (chief medical examiner from the state of

Michigan; the same that helped bring the infamous Dr Kervokian to trial),

and one from Sheriff Mack (a former Provo police officer) - and they

all agree that there are many unanswered questions involving my son's death.

All three believe homicide should not have been ruled out. His death

could have been the result of a suicide pact that went wrong... it could

have been an accident. It may have been a homicide, or a suicide. I'll

probably never know what really happened to my son, but I will always blame

these drugs for his death. What I do know is that two boys were given drugs

that were never approved for children (Prozac was not approved for children

when it was first administered to my son), and I have compelling evidence

why it should never have been approved for children.

I was never told about the serious adverse effects of Prozac; thus I did not

have the information I needed to make the best decision for my son. I later

found out the suspect had first been prescribed Ritalin when he was eight

years old. When that didn't work, he was switched to another drug, and then

another, and another.... At one point he had been on so many different

(legally prescribed) drugs that his mother said she felt he was being used

as a guinea pig...

I'm hoping you will do more articles concerning the dangers of

antidepressant drugs. I think every single suicide case (including adults

and children) should be re-examined to determine how many were on

antidepressants at the time of their death. As well, the prescription

history of those found guilty of murder should be examined.

I speak candidly about my son's death on an interview with World Talk Radio

host, Annie Armen. If you're interested, you can listen to this archived

program at:

http://www.worldtalkradio.com/category.asp?cid=266

I've done several interviews and have written extensively about this issue

in an attempt to help the public understand what their own doctors are not

telling them. This is one of the letters I wrote a long time ago, even

before I began to question the cause of my son's death:

http://www.cultureshocktv.com/internews/2002/may21200200171.shtml

Did you know that Utah has one of the highest juvenile suicide rates in the

nation? Surprising, isn't it - when you consider the ratio of LDS adherents

who believe in a strict health code.

An article I came across reports " Suicide was the No. 1 cause of death in

Utah for 25- to 44-year-old men, and the second-leading cause of death among

men aged 15 to 24 " . Even more interesting is this important fact,

" Mirroring Utah's suicide rate is the level of anti-depressant usage. "

http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/37883

Thank you for your time,

Cassandra Dawn Casey

(formerly - Dawn Rider)

A.S.P.I.R.E.

http://www.aspire.us

Owner - SSRI medications

SSRI medications

Lehi, UT

=========================

=========================

http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2434365

Lawsuit blames Zoloft for teenager's suicide

By Pamela Manson

The Salt Lake Tribune - 10/27/04

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 Kallas' suit.

" Her doctor then did precisely what Pfizer's salesmen regularly encourage

doctors to do, i.e., he (a) diagnosed 'depression' and ( 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. In its

2004 third-quarter performance report released last week, the New York

City-based company said, " Zoloft is not approved for pediatric depression.

In fact, there have been no suicides in the Zoloft pediatric clinical

program.

" Pfizer remains confident in the proven safety and efficacy of Zoloft to

treat millions of patients with mood and anxiety disorders. "

In an Oct. 15 advisory, the Food and Drug Administration said all

antidepressants will now carry labels that include a boxed warning about the

increased risk of suicide they pose to children and adolescents.

Shyra was described in her obituary as a star athlete who loved art, nature

and camping with her family.

pmanson@...

[Guest guest]

FYI:

I wasn't aware of this family who lost their daughter until Vera wrote about

the case in her info alert today. I'll try contacting the family this

weekend.

Cassie

=================

=================

Dear P Manson,

Sorry - I tried to find you listed at the SL Tribune, but couldn't, so I

wasn't sure whether to address you as " Mr " or " Ms " ...

A friend just sent me your article on Shyra Kallas, the West Jordan teen who

committed suicide back in 2002. I am wondering if you have written any

other articles about Utah children who have committed suicide while on an

antidepressant. I'd very much like to bring these families together into a

support group. I'm going to contact her family this weekend.

I lost my own beautiful fourteen year old son in June 2000. His death

certificate also lists suicide as cause of death, but the investigation was

reopened in 2002 by Utah County Attorney, Kay Bryson, as a possible

homicide. He had been prescribed Prozac by a physician's assistant who

worked in our family doctor's firm. Soon into the course of treatment, my

son told me he didn't want to take this drug because it made him feel

" weird " . When I expressed this to our doctor, he told me that it took

awhile for the drug to kick in, and to just make sure he took it every day.

Six months later, and still complaining about the way the drug made him

feel, we went back in for a doctor visit, and you know what happened? The

doctor doubled his dose, saying that because my son was big for his age, he

probably had him on too low a dose...

As for the questiion about the cause of his death - the boy who found my son

was on Zoloft. That boy was my son's friend (it brings the

Pittman case to mind, doesn't it?) But, I didn't find out this boy was also

on an antidepressant drug until much later. You see, when the police came

to investigate at the time my son died, they told me the bullet that killed

him entered through the roof of his mouth and exited out the back of his

head. There was also a suicide note. And though there were many unanswered

questions, it did appear to be a suicide.

I eventually came to know of the dangers of these drugs, and I filed a

lawsuit in pro-se because I couldn't find an attorney here in Utah willing

to take my case. I did find an attorney in Baton Rouge who was willing to

help, but he wasn't licensed to practice law in Utah. It was because of his

eye for detail that I came to learn that my son was actually shot above and

behind the left ear; execution style - from a calculated distance of at

least eighteen inches away... This attorney insisted that I contact the

attorney general's office and have the case reopened. I found a forensics

lab in the United Kingdom who was willing to review all the evidence, but

guess what? The Orem police department destroyed it all.... They destroyed

the gun, the suicide note.... (but they still had the photos they took... I

wonder why they destroyed the gun and the suicide note, but kept the

photos). And so now, without any evidence they cannot even question the

prime suspect - the boy who led me to my son...

I now have three reports from experts who investigate questionable deaths;

one from the forensics department at the University of Lincoln in the United

Kingdom, one from Dr Dragovich (chief medical examiner from the state of

Michigan; the same that helped bring the infamous Dr Kervokian to trial),

and one from Sheriff Mack (a former Provo police officer) - and they

all agree that there are many unanswered questions involving my son's death.

All three believe homicide should not have been ruled out. His death

could have been the result of a suicide pact that went wrong... it could

have been an accident. It may have been a homicide, or a suicide. I'll

probably never know what really happened to my son, but I will always blame

these drugs for his death. What I do know is that two boys were given drugs

that were never approved for children (Prozac was not approved for children

when it was first administered to my son), and I have compelling evidence

why it should never have been approved for children.

I was never told about the serious adverse effects of Prozac; thus I did not

have the information I needed to make the best decision for my son. I later

found out the suspect had first been prescribed Ritalin when he was eight

years old. When that didn't work, he was switched to another drug, and then

another, and another.... At one point he had been on so many different

(legally prescribed) drugs that his mother said she felt he was being used

as a guinea pig...

I'm hoping you will do more articles concerning the dangers of

antidepressant drugs. I think every single suicide case (including adults

and children) should be re-examined to determine how many were on

antidepressants at the time of their death. As well, the prescription

history of those found guilty of murder should be examined.

I speak candidly about my son's death on an interview with World Talk Radio

host, Annie Armen. If you're interested, you can listen to this archived

program at:

http://www.worldtalkradio.com/category.asp?cid=266

I've done several interviews and have written extensively about this issue

in an attempt to help the public understand what their own doctors are not

telling them. This is one of the letters I wrote a long time ago, even

before I began to question the cause of my son's death:

http://www.cultureshocktv.com/internews/2002/may21200200171.shtml

Did you know that Utah has one of the highest juvenile suicide rates in the

nation? Surprising, isn't it - when you consider the ratio of LDS adherents

who believe in a strict health code.

An article I came across reports " Suicide was the No. 1 cause of death in

Utah for 25- to 44-year-old men, and the second-leading cause of death among

men aged 15 to 24 " . Even more interesting is this important fact,

" Mirroring Utah's suicide rate is the level of anti-depressant usage. "

http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/37883

Thank you for your time,

Cassandra Dawn Casey

(formerly - Dawn Rider)

A.S.P.I.R.E.

http://www.aspire.us

Owner - SSRI medications

SSRI medications

Lehi, UT

=========================

=========================

http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_2434365

Lawsuit blames Zoloft for teenager's suicide

By Pamela Manson

The Salt Lake Tribune - 10/27/04

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 Kallas' suit.

" Her doctor then did precisely what Pfizer's salesmen regularly encourage

doctors to do, i.e., he (a) diagnosed 'depression' and ( 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. In its

2004 third-quarter performance report released last week, the New York

City-based company said, " Zoloft is not approved for pediatric depression.

In fact, there have been no suicides in the Zoloft pediatric clinical

program.

" Pfizer remains confident in the proven safety and efficacy of Zoloft to

treat millions of patients with mood and anxiety disorders. "

In an Oct. 15 advisory, the Food and Drug Administration said all

antidepressants will now carry labels that include a boxed warning about the

increased risk of suicide they pose to children and adolescents.

Shyra was described in her obituary as a star athlete who loved art, nature

and camping with her family.

pmanson@...