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Depression Community

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Effexor kills more than just people using it

by jamesfriends, Jun 24, 2008 01:40PM
We have joined this forum seeking help. Not for our or other’s symptoms, conditions, or withdrawals but for help in creating a defense for a young man currently awaiting trial, charged with first degree murder. The State is seeking the death penalty.
Let me explain briefly the situation. We am limited on the details that we can share because this case is still open and because of the possibility of damaging  the case. Real names are not give, real dates are not given. The information that is given is true to the best of our knowledge and most of it verifiable by autopsy results.
On June 5, 2007 James woke up to find his girlfriend Sarah, dead lying beside him.
James claims that he and her had been drinking the day before. He was drinking beer and Sarah was drinking wine. Sarah has a history of excessive wine consumption. James states that when Sarah was drinking,  she would never just stop drinking. Instead she would drink until she passed out or went to bed. Sarah, not James, also smoked marijuana as regularly as her budget would allow.
When James lay down to go to sleep on the night of June 4, Sarah was still awake, smoking marijuana and drinking wine to excess. The known prescription drugs that Sarah would take for depression, anxiety, and a thyroid condition were Effexor (Venlafaxine), Levothyroine Synthroid, and Xanax. The autopsy showed ethanol in her blood and Venlafaxine. No other drugs were shown to be present including marijuana.
Five months earlier, mid February, Sarah was taken to a hospital ER for an Effexor overdose in a suicide attempt. She had consumed over 60 Effexor tablets and had been drinking alcohol. She was revived and released within 32 hours. Sarah had at least one other suicide attempt several years prior by leaping from a moving vehicle.
On September 2, 2007, James was arrested for first degree murder. The method he is accused of is strangulation. Based on the autopsy, Sarah’s left side of her neck, in an area of 2”x1” there were 10-15 tardieu-like spots with no pattern and scattered petichiae. No trauma to the right side of her neck.
As with any criminal case, there are many stories, reports and theory’s. Too many to print in this forum. The information shared above will hopefully be enough to help us in our mission. That is, to attempt to find similar cases or stories on sudden death involving Effexor, (Venlafaxine) mixed with alcohol. Documentation would of course be the most helpful, however, we have had little success in finding documented cases hence the need for help.
If any forum members have any information regarding death in this manner or any link ideas that may lead us to additional information, it would be very helpful in assisting us in saving the life of yet another Venlafaxine victim.
Thanks to all in advance.
Member Comments (4)

by mcmcorp45, Jun 27, 2008 09:41AM
1st...60 effexor pills + alcohol and she was released in 32 hours from the hospital? After being revived?? Was this a real hospital? In the US/Canada

2nd..... If your looking for information on effexor and alcohol and death.. you mention nothing about the liver results from the autopsy.

3rd.. you said she was smoking weed before bed, however non was found in the drug tests.... how long after the death was the tests?

4th.. First degree murder means they have a reason/proof, to believe it was pre-meditated. Correct? So is there a history with this guy?


And finally this is a forum for people looking for help, not a good idea to place a story like that in a forum here. It could scare someone away from treatment.

by jamesfriends, Jun 28, 2008 02:22PM
To: mcmcorp45
Thank you for your response. Let us address some of your questions and concerns.
1. The hospital that you are questioning is a real hospital and one that is highly accredited in the US. No more is known by us concerning the reasons for her release or for any follow up process that may have been initiated.
2.The autopsy states: The liver weighs 1475 grams. The capsule is in tact. The parencharul is fatty yellow-brown withour tumor, granulomas or infarcts. The gullbladder contains minimal bole and is without stones.
3.Cannibis was not tested for and not mentioned in the autopsy.
4.No history of violence of any kind with James. Clean record save minor traffic violation(1).
Finally: This may not be the best forum for this request for help. We are seeking help however, and the nature of this event is and should be one that anyone who is using venlafaxine combined with alcohol, marijuana or any other substance, should be aware of. This is a known, dangerous drug with potential serious side-effect to include death. Many times that information, as stated on the warning label, is ignored and often not even read. It is "must know" information about this drug. There is much more starteling information to be found about Effexor at www.effexoractivist.com. Perhaps, armed with actual case information, people will be scared away from this type of treatment. It could save their life.

Thank you again, Friends of James

by AnnaE, Jul 04, 2008 01:46AM
To: jamesfriends
On the contrary, Effexor helps many people. This is the wrong forum for this.

by AnnaE, Jul 04, 2008 01:54AM
To: jamesfriends
The forum here is really not a place for this kind of inquiry. Sounds like effexor bashing. It belons in a place for substance abuse. Google it and forensic pathology.

Sounds like you need to consult forensic pathologist.
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