SSRIs, or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, are considered widely to contribute to violent or suicidal behavior, most significantly in children. SSRIs have long been used as anti-depressants for adults in the United States, but were never approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for patients under 18 years old. Any physician prescribing Celexa or pediatric patient taking Celexa or other SSRIs anti-depressants (with the exception of Prozac) are considered to be taking a known risk with the patient's safety.

This is because Celexa and other SSRIs have been linked to inducing violent and dangerous behavior in those under the age of 18, such as the high school student Jason Hoffman who wounded a teacher and three students in El Cajon, California. Other, similar cases have resulted in fatalities such as the notorious Columbine shooting. But what about the mothers prescribed Celexa while pregnant with their unborn children? Can they be considered to have knowingly taken a risk with their child's mental health? And what about the other patients who were over 18 years old that experienced symptoms such as increased depression, aggressive behavior, violent fantasies, impulsive actions and extreme worry to the extent of a panic attack and desires to caused fatal accidents? Aggressive and violent behavior is not the only devastating side effect linked to the use of Celexa. Birth defects and other problems in children born to mothers using Celexa make-up a large portion of these cases and strongly indicate that the drug manufacturers were indeed negligent in moving forward with production and distribution of this particular anti-depressant medication.

The high profile cases of juvenile violence linked to the use of Celexa have led to a heightened public awareness on the side effects of SSRI anti-depressants and an increasing number of Celexa-related lawsuits filed against Forest Pharmaceuticals and Forest Laboratories, the manufacturers of Celexa. These lawsuits are class actions formed by combining many small claims together. Not all class actions of this sort have been approved by judges; some have been rejected.

Those filing claims against Forests Pharmaceuticals allege that the manufacturers were informed about the side effects and risks of the drug, yet chose to ignore these dangerously fatal results and failed to issue adequate warnings. The increasing number of Celexa lawsuits indicates that it is possible that the initial independent research surrounding Celexa side effects was inaccurate and a higher percentage of patients stand a chance of suffering from dangerous adverse symptoms.

The large number of individuals willing to move forward with a lawsuit against a very large corporation also suggests that their claims are valid; after all, who would want to risk financial ruin by engaging in a difficult lawsuit against a mega-corporation, especially if there was a decent chance that their case would eventually be rejected?

If you or a loved one may have been harmed by taking Celexa, contact an injury lawyer familiar with Celexa side effects and class action lawsuits before moving forward with any claim against Forest Laboratories.