The Story of the Accidental Advocate

I never set out to do this work, but sometimes life's greatest purposes choose you.

Twenty years ago my life looked very different than it does today. I was happily married to my best friend, Woody, traveled the world with my advertising career, and was in the process of starting a family. However, all of that changed with one phone call.

On August 6, 2003, my husband of almost 10 years was found hanging by the rafters of our garage, dead at age 37.  Woody wasn’t depressed nor did he have a history of depression or suicidality or any other mental illness.

Woody loved life and all that this world had to offer. He was a compassionate, loyal husband, son, brother, uncle, godfather and friend. He was outgoing, gregarious, athletic, smart, and had a huge personality. Everyone loved him.

Woody had just started his dream job as Vice President of Sales with a start up company two months prior and started having trouble sleeping which is not uncommon for entrepreneurs.  So Woody went to see his doctor and was given the antidepressant Zoloft off-label for insomnia. The doctor said Zoloft would “take the edge off and help him sleep.”

Five weeks later, Woody took his own life.

The 3-week Pfizer-supplied sample pack that Woody came home from the doctor with automatically doubled the dose unbeknownst to him from 25 to 50mgs after week one. At this time, there were no suicide or other cautionary warnings on antidepressants about the need to be closely monitored when first going on the drug or dosage changes. In fact, I was out of the country on business for the first 3 weeks he was on the drug.  

“Help me, help me.  I don’t know what is happening to me. I am losing my mind.” —Woody Witczak

Within days Woody experienced many known side effects like profuse night sweats, diarrhea, trembling hands, and worsened anxiety.  He also experienced other side effects like akathisia known only to drug companies/FDA but not to Woody, his doctor or his family. Woody was extremely sensitive to foreign substances in his body and deadly allergic to penicillin.  He didn’t like to take over-the-counter medications (like Sudafed, Excedrin, or Nyquil), or to drink caffeine, or have more than one glass of wine or beer.

Shortly before Woody died, I found him curled up in fetal position on the kitchen floor, holding his head like a vice, crying, "Help me, help me.  I don’t know what is happening to me. I am losing my mind. It's like my head is outside my body looking in.”

We calmed him down and Woody called his doctor but was told he needed to give Zoloft 4-6 weeks for the drug to kick in.  Over the next week, Woody, optimistically, was looking for ways “to beat this feeling in his head.”

A week later, I was out of town for work and when I hadn’t heard from Woody all day, I asked my dad to go to our house and check on him.

I will never forget my dad’s words that changed my life forever,

“Woody’s dead.”

Woody and I always left notes for each other when we traveled. However, on this night, there was no note from him. How could he take the biggest trip of his life and not leave a note to say goodbye?

Later that evening, the coroner called me and asked if Woody was taking any medication. The only thing Woody was taking was Zoloft. The coroner then proceeded to tell me that she needed to take the bottle with her. It might have something to do with this death. Clue #1.

Ironically also on the same day, the front page of our local newspaper Minneapolis Star Tribune had an article that said, “UK finds link between antidepressants and suicide in teens.” Clue #2.

Later that same evening my brother-in-law Googled “Zoloft and Suicide” and was shocked to learn that the FDA held public advisory committee hearings in 1991 on the link between Prozac and the emergence of suicide and violence. At the time, the FDA decided not to add warnings but told the company to study suicidality. The FDA never followed up and eventually went on to approve Zoloft and Paxil in the 12 years prior to Woody’s death.

I believe without a doubt the God-given mission was handed to us that evening.

**FDA Blackbox Suicide Warnings must get added to all antidepressants***

While it was too late for our family, if another family was helped, then Woody’s life and death mattered. And Woodymatters was born.

Woody’s story has been featured in major media around the world including BBC, CNN, ABC, New York Times, Washington Post, Star Tribune, Fortune Magazine, Minnesota Monthly, Readers Digest and many more.

Today, I continue speak out for the unsuspecting public at large and represent the voice of those who live every day with the consequences of a failed drug safety system. No family should ever have to learn the hard way, like ours did many years ago.