Suicide risks studied in drugs for physical ills

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR , Associated Press Writer, Medicine & Health / Medications

Andy Briggs, son of Douglas Briggs, is seen at his home in Washington, Friday, Aug. 8, 2008. Briggs was a doctor coping with pain from an old back injury. Such an ailment is a commonplace medical condition, not the kind that foreshadow a tragedy. Briggs' father, who committed suicide while taking a drug for pain relief, represents a growing number of prescription drugs on the market that have been linked to an increased risk of suicide.(AP Photo/Lawrence Jackson)

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(AP) -- Cody Miller was a high school football player who was allergic to ragweed. Douglas Briggs was a doctor coping with pain from an old back injury. Both are now dead, hanging victims driven to suicide, their families believe, when drugs prescribed to relieve physical symptoms upset their mental and emotional balance. Federal drug regulators are investigating to see if the families could be right.

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