Ryan and Lisa,

Thanks so much for your ministry and your willingness to share truth no matter the consequences.  Below you will find an edited version of the letter I sent to a legal firm regarding my brother’s suicide on June 4, 2006.  Please use whatever pieces from it that you find useful.

++++++++++

As the birthday of my brother William draws near, I think of him and want to share with you who he was.  I realize that one of the most difficult aspects of your job is to decide whether or not you can win a case and therefore, whether or not a client is worth taking on.  In light of this, I not only feel the need to simply express to you WHO my brother was to give you insight into him as a person, but to make clear the toll Lexapro had on William, resulting in his untimely death on June 4 of this year.

He was my brother and probably the “favorite” sibling of all remaining six siblings.  He was the peace maker in our family as he brought a calm to any situation.  He had a tremendous intelligence that aided him in earning his BA in Mechanical Engineering from Cleveland State University.   His greatest aspiration was to design roller coasters and was known among his family, friends and coworkers as Cedar Point’s number one fan!  He had a passion for music that ran deeper than most and he had a passion for pursuing Truth and understanding for himself and for others.  He loved with his entire being and there was not an ounce of maliciousness in him.  He was a faithful friend to all who knew and loved him and a beloved Uncle to my sons.  He was a person who longed for peace on the inside for himself and others.  On the surface, he was an accomplished person with a gainful employment at an architectural firm in Cleveland, Ohio.  They regarded him as one of the best in what he did and cannot define enough the void that is left behind without him there.

He was cherished deeply by numerous friends and family and his untimely death can never make sense to any of us.  His suicide was SO opposite of who he was.  It still does not make any sense and it is still the greatest tragedy in my life so far.  I pray nothing surpasses it.  He had SO much life left to live.  He had SO many ambitions, SO many places to still visit, SO many dreams to build, SO many lives to affect.

He had taken a sabbatical from his workplace to sort out the direction he wanted to head in his life.  His boss and friend was more than happy to support him in taking time off, in making sure that William had the space personally and professionally to make the right decisions for himself. Because of several medications he was taking for his health, he had begun to have anxiety, trouble sleeping and trouble concentrating at work (one of the reasons he sought a sabbatical), which, upon closer inspection of these drugs’ websites seems to be a common side affect of these drugs.  He sought medical counsel to help with his thoughts which led to the prescription of Lexapro.  What troubles me is that the Doctor would prescribe such a mind altering chemical to my brother based on one brief introductory visit with him and further, that he was literally left alone during his first month of use of this drug.  Even their website states (under “Important Safety Information”), “Patients started on therapy should be observed closely for clinical worsening, suicidality, or unusual changes in behavior, especially at the beginning of therapy…Families and caregivers should be advised of the need for close observation and communication with the prescriber[1].” Indeed, I sincerely feel that perhaps a malpractice lawsuit might be in order against this Doctor.

Why weren’t we as his family informed?  Why didn’t the prescribing Doctor care enough to ensure that Willaim was responding positively to the drug that was prescribed and ensure that he was not experiencing devastating side effects?  Reading that caution makes me feel sick and empty inside as I can look back on William’s behavior in the month leading up to his death and note such drastic changes in his behavior; the way he isolated himself, the tone of his voice in my last conversation with him that seemed like he was so distant and unlike himself.  His behavior so concerned me that I frequently asked our brother who lived two doors down from him and saw him frequently how he was doing, only to see in his face and responses an echo of my concern for William.  He had said that William wasn’t himself since he started taking Lexapro, like he was a zombie and totally indifferent all the time. There was a point in which phone calls and emails from myself and other siblings were no longer answered by him.  Our brother's concern along with William’s non responsiveness via phone and email, only deepened my own concern.

How does a kind, lively, ambitious and rational young man change so  quickly? How does a rational person make such an irrational decision to take his own life?  To the family and friends that loved him dearly, it seems that the link between William's use of Lexapro and his suicide, lierally, a month later was what clouded his mind and brought him to his lowest low in which suicide made sense to an otherwise sensible person.

Your site lists some of the many side effects of Lexapro use, one of them being “Impairment of Judgment.”  It seems to me that William concluding that suicide was a logical course of action is probably the most grievous of all impaired judgements.  My brother's use of Lexapro cost him his life.

It will never be ok that William is gone.  The untimely death of my favorite brother and my soul mate best friend will never stop hurting.

 

[1] http://www.lexapro.com/english/safety/default.aspx