FDA Warns of Link Between Antidepressant Use, Suicidal Behavior
By Ramsay Crooks
Published on July 22, 2005
A new warning issued by the Food and Drug Administration has helped to heighten concerns about the connection between antidepressant drugs and increased depression and suicidal thoughts.
Recent studies, cited by the FDA as the cause for its latest advisory, have shown that there is a higher possibility of such suicidal behavior in adult patients taking antidepressants. The warning recommends that people who have been prescribed with antidepressant medicine to combat their depression should be closely monitored by a physician, especially when prescriptions are changed or begun for the first time.
Patients who experience increased depression or suicidal thoughts while taking antidepressant medication should not hesitate to inform their doctor if they experience these changes in behavior.
The FDA's latest warning follows their March 2004 order for manufacturers to place a so-called "black-box" warning, their strongest cautionary alert, on the labels of all antidepressants believed to cause the risk of increased depression. Affected drugs include:
* Wellbutrin (bupropion)
* Celexa (citalopram)
* Prozac (fluoxetine)
* Luvox (fluvoxamine)
* Remeron (mirtazapine)
* Serzone (nefazodone)
* Paxil (paroxetine)
* Zoloft (sertraline)
* Lexapro (escitalopram)
* Effexor (venlafaxine)
In addition to the most recent warning, The FDA's website also reports that Cymbalta, the newest antidepressant from industry giant Eli Lilly, has shown in studies to have a "higher-than-expected rate of suicide attempts." This resulted from the drug's open-label trial for treating stress urinary incontinence (SUI); in trials of women using Cymbalta to combat depression, there did not appear to be a link to higher suicidality.
Due to these studies, as well as other studies that were not cited, the FDA has stated that it is undergoing a complete review of all available information in order to determine whether there is an increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior linked to the use of antidepressants. The agency expects the review to take over a year.
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