Sara Carlin
On May 6, 2007, Sara Carlin, a beautiful 18-year-old girl with everything to live for, hanged herself in the basement of her parents house while under the influence of the antidepressant drug Paxil (Seroxat in the UK). Paxil/Seroxat is an antidepressant documented by international drug regulatory agencies as causing worsening depression and suicide particularly in children and young adults.
Sara's case was the first Paxil related suicide story I covered extensively, in fact it was the first of any of the antidepressant suicides I covered.
I've since been to see Sara's mom and dad, Neil and Rhonda. I've been to visit Sara's resting place and had a private moment with her.
Sara's story struck a chord with me and I almost felt compelled to write about her, sometimes staying up until the small hours, just to make sure I had my facts correct.
It's 7 years today since Sara left us. I am in no doubt that her suicide was induced by the Paxil she was taking. I am in no doubt that her inquest was used by lawyers and the Coroner as a means to defend Paxil and not to highlight how dangerous it can be. I dubbed the inquest, 'Glaxo & Friends Vs The Carlin Family', the duration of the inquest, the witnesses called defending Paxil and the way they played down its propensity to induce suicide proved me right to label it in such a way.
The Coroner, the witnesses, the lawyers and, to an extent, the mainstream Canadian press, all made sure that Sara's voice would be suppressed. For that they should be totally ashamed of themselves.
Sara was another victim who fell to the Paxil promotional pandemic, a pharmaceutical company and it's lust for greed took Sara away from her mom, dad, sister, brother, relatives and friends... and once again, in the shape of lawyers representing them at Sara's inquest, they [GlaxoSmithKline] denied any wrong doing.
The outcome saw the jury make recommendations. To date, not one single recommendation has been put in to place. This is not only disrespectful, it also makes a mockery of the coronial system and puts other lives at risk.
The tragic death of Sara has, I'm sure, helped others. It was a high profile case and Canadian doctors would have been careful not to prescribe Paxil during the time the Canadian press were reporting about her.
I created the following video for Sara back in 2009, before the outcome of her inquest. I sat on it for a number of months before making it public. It's sad, so very sad. To date, the video has had almost 15,000 views.
Quite fittingly, on the 6th May 2012, my granddaughter, Ruby, was born to my son and his wife. Five years, to the day, that Sara left us.
Nessun dorma (None shall sleep) Sara.
You can read more about the Sara Carlin Vs Glaxo & Friends Inquest at the following links:
Sara Carlin Inquest – Latest
Sara Carlin Inquest – Failure of Oakville Medical Profession
Sara Carlin – ‘Death by Paxil’ Inquest – The ‘Expert’
Sara Carlin Inquest – Coroner’s Witness In U-Turn… And That Man Shaffer!
SARA CARLIN Ontario, Canada
Coroner’s Inquest – Glaxo & Friends Vs The Carlin Family
Sara Carlin Inquest – Local MP Slams GlaxoSmithKline
SARA CARLIN PAXIL INQUEST VIDEO FOOTAGE
SARA CARLIN PAXIL INQUEST GLOBAL TV NEWS
SARA CARLIN INQUEST - What The Jury Should Know
Sara Carlin Inquest - "Paxil likely played important role in teen's suicide"
Sara Carlin Inquest - The Eli Lilly 'Links' & Today's Recommendations.
**Exclusive - Sara Carlin Inquest: The Bias Of Coroner's Counsel, Michael Blain & Coroner, Bert Lauwers?
Sara Carlin Inquest - We Know How, Now Tell us Why!
**Exclusive - Sara Carlin Inquest - Jury Returns With Recommendations.
Sara Carlin Inquest - The Influence of Terence Young
Bob Fiddaman
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