I am the sister of Eric Pop and I am writing this before the first anniversary of his death. Eric ended his life on June 6, 2024. He was 53 years old, his physical health was excellent, and he was eligible to retire from the state of California air quality control division. He was successful, married, and had many friends and family.

Four days after starting gabapentin, he shockingly killed himself at home. His wife found him. He had been struggling with insomnia, and a board-certified licensed internal medical physician had been providing him with a variety of psychotropics over the past few months. We found the history of all this in his room. For more than six months this physician had him on escitalopram, lorazepam, trazodone, mirtazapine and then the fatal prescription of gabapentin. Four of those five have "increased risk of suicide" as the number one adverse effect. Was this discussed with him? Was his wife made aware? No she told me, distraught, with a sense of betrayal by the healthcare system.

It has been a long hard year, and I want to add my brother's story to this website with the hope that maybe people will see this site while doing research before taking these psychotropic medications. Perhaps then my brother's death will not have to be only a negative event in our lives. Maybe his story, and all the others, will prevent more suicides and harms from these medications.

As an American, I see that true informed consent of the dangers of these medications is not made clear when they are prescribed. Not all people are the same. Some are helped. But not all, clearly, as this site shows.

it is my belief that my brother was not in his right mind when he ended his life. His neurotransmitters were altered in a negative manner, or perhaps the side effects of gabapentin, while withdrawing from the previous cocktail of medications, caused him great suffering. These pharmaceutical products, as well as his physician, therapist, and the large healthcare system pharmacy failed him. They just doled out pills in bottles to him, assuming business as usual. One-size-fits-all medicine.

Eric was a kind, soft-spoken, and deliberative man. He made decisions slowly, and with great thought. Except that brutal morning. His death was impulsive. He was stolen from his own life. May he rest in peace - and I hope he can know there are many of us here who love him always, and miss him greatly.