Antidepressants May Not Cause Suicide Risk Among Youths?

Antidepressants such as Prozac (fluoxetine) are found NOT to increase suicide risk among young people, according to a study made by researchers from University of Chicago. Such depressants often had ‘black-box warnings’ which warns users to be aware of the suicidal tendencies induced by the drug and to get help if they ever had one. The study involved analyzing data from clinical trials of Prozac, involving as much as 9,000 patients.

The ‘black-box warning’ was enacted in 2004 by the US Food and Drug Administration whenever the drug was found to increase risk of suicidal thoughts according to clinical trials. The special packaging helps consumers be aware of it, in hopes of reducing cases of suicides among users of antidepressants.

Prozac is made by Eli Lilly and was first approved by U.S FDA in December 1987, eventually becoming a marketing success in the U.S and other countries. But its history has been tainted by prominent cases of suicide and homicides committed by persons who use or had used the drug.

 

It should not be withheld due to risk of suicide

The study found out that Prozac is not linked to suicide among children and adults. Suicidal tendencies are one of the reasons why many people with depression shun antidepressants, says the researchers, and this study will help people with depression seek treatment. The data used came from 41 clinical trials, some of them unpublished. It is also found that it does reduce depression symptoms among children and adults.

 

It helps reduce negative image associated with antidepressants

The study is welcomed by many experts, saying that it will help reduce negative image on antidepressants. Though the study mentions that suicide risks aren’t possible among users, it is still important that medical providers still provide due care and attention to depressed patients.

Another antidepressant, Effexor (venlafaxine), is also found not to increase suicidal risks among older adults and seniors. Researchers say that most antidepressants actually reduce risk of suicide, because it helps ease patient’s depression. The greatest factor for suicide is untreated depression, they added.

The study appears in the February 2012 online issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

 

 

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