Risk of Violent Behavior Increases with Antidepressant Use, Study Says

By Elizabeth Rhein

Published on September 18, 2006

Paxil, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, was the specific drug targeted in the study, but experts say that the results apply to all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRI antidepressants. The study showed that patients taking SSRIs were twice as likely to become violent as those taking a placebo.

During the study, incidents of hostility occurred among 60 of 9,219 patients, or 0.65 percent. Only 0.31 percent of placebo-taking patients showed signs of hostility or violence.

SSRIs -- widely prescribed to children, teenagers, and adults -- have already been shown to have serious side effects. The Food and Drug Administration strengthened the cautionary labels on many SSRI antidepressants in 2004 after the agency concluded that the medications increased the risk of suicide among young people.

Recent reports have also shown that combining SSRIs with certain migraine drugs called triptans can bring on a dangerous condition known as serotonin syndrome, which causes nausea, rapid blood pressure changes, and hallucinations.

Pregnant women have been cautioned against taking SSRIs due to the drugs’ tendency to increase the risk of infant seizures, low birth weight, and fetal death.

Patients who are taking SSRIs and are concerned about possible side effects should talk to their doctors for more information.

Comment on this article →