Seroxat Faye Elliott on antidepressants for years before Seroxat marketed

WOMAN'S DEPRESSION DRUG ADDICTION CLAIM









10:30 - 19 August 2002



"if I had known how much anti-depressants would change me, I would never have taken them," said Faye Elliott.



"trying to come off them has been an absolutely terrifying experience."



Mrs Elliott, 57, of Tuffley, has been taking the anti-depressant, Seroxat, for eight years and claims she is addicted.



Along with more than 700 others, she is suing manufacturer Glaxo SmithKline for claiming that the drug is "not addictive."



In 1972, Mrs Elliott's mother committed suicide, leaving her family's life in tatters.



Then Mrs Elliott was dealt a further blow when both her grandmothers, and her 31-year-old cousin were killed.



To add to her misery, in 1978, her nine-year-old died of pneumonia.

Mrs Elliott slipped into a deep depression, and unable to cope, her life began to fall apart around her. Finally, her relationship with her husband broke down, and he left.



Mrs Elliott's memory of this period in her life is hazy - dulled by the daily diet of anti-depressants from her GP.



By 1982 she had developed agoraphobia, and became paranoid that anyone who came into her life would disappear again.



She said: "I couldn't answer the door, let alone go out of it. I would see the doctor, and they would prescribe me different drugs, each promising to make me better.



"I was really on a merry-go-round."



Then, in 1994, she was introduced to Seroxat. Her GP said it was the latest treatment, and could be the answer to all her problems.



She said: "I was suffering from severe panic attacks and was ready to try anything that might work.



"All it did was lift the mood. It didn't cure the panic attacks or the agoraphobia."



Since then, Mrs Elliott has been trying to stop taking the pills, but has found the withdrawal symptoms crippling.



She said coming off Seroxat leaves her with "electric shock-like sensations," in her head, dizzy spells, disorientation, agitation, nausea, aggression and confusion.



Mrs Elliott said: "It is the most difficult thing I have ever had to cope with. It is like being a heroin or a crack addict."



Solicitor, Mark Harvey, is leading the action against Glaxo SmithKline (GSK).



He said: "I am receiving a dozen or so more enquiries a day from users of Seroxat who say they are addicted.



"All over the patient information sheet, GSK says you cannot become addicted to Seroxat.



"There are so many people all over the country who have the same story to tell, so I believe the suggestion that it is not addictive is nonsense."



Dr Mike Roberts, GP at the Rosebank surgery, Stroud Road, said: "Seroxat is a very good anti-depressant and it works very well. A very small minority of people have suffered side effects, but I would always recommend users try to come off the drug very slowly."



A spokesman for GSK said: "There is no reliable scientific evidence that Seroxat leads to addiction or dependency.



"Seroxat is a safe and effective treatment with experience in more than 100 million patient treatments worldwide since its launch over 10 years ago."



n Have you experienced problems with withdrawing from Seroxat? Contact The Citizen's health reporter, Alison Short, on 01452 420 630.