HEALTHStudy questions SSRI link to suicideThe close monitoring of patients on antidepressants, especially adolescents, remains essential, researchers warn.By Susan J. Landers, amednews staff. Jan. 30, 2006. Washington -- Antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, appear to lower the risk of suicide among adults and adolescents being treated for depression, according to a study in the January American Journal of Psychiatry. The finding addresses concerns raised two years ago that the antidepressants Paxil (paroxetine hydrochloride) and Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride), as well as others in their class, were responsible for increased risk of suicide attempts, especially among adolescents. The concerns resulted in black-box warnings for the SSRIs as well as a decrease in use. The study, "Suicide risk during antidepressant treatment," examined 65,103 patients in a large health plan who filled prescriptions for antidepressants between 1992 and 2003. The findings indicate that there was a decrease in suicide rates, not an increase, during the months following treatment with a range of antidepressant drugs, said Robert Freedman, MD, editor-in-chief of the psychiatric journal. Nonetheless, the FDA's cautions calling for close monitoring of patients on the drugs should still be taken seriously, he said. "There are some people who become impulsive on these drugs. And that impulse can include suicide." [...]Full text of American Medical News content is available to AMA members and paid subscribers.
Copyright 2006 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
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