Free Republic

Last week, a federal advisory panel urged regulators to warn parents that antidepressant drugs not only increase the risk of suicide in some children, but that most have a poor track record in curing their disease. The recommendation came after a yearlong debate over whether the drugs are as safe and effective as advertised. It was based on evidence that a small minority of children show increased signs of suicidal behavior when taking the drugs. Through it all, one of the drugs seemed somehow above the fray: Prozac. Although the warning is recommended for Prozac as well as other drugs,...

"In the United States, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants are advertised directly to consumers [1]. These highly successful direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) campaigns have largely revolved around the claim that SSRIs correct a chemical imbalance caused by a lack of serotonin."

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated a new warning label be added to antidepressants more than a year ago, cautioning physicians to pay close attention to patients taking the drugs for signs of suicidal behavior. Now the agency issued its second (much stronger) warning, urging the monitoring of adults who use antidepressants for signs of suicidal thoughts and deepening depression.FDA's New AdvisoryThe new warning, which is applicable to children and adults, was in the wake of recent studies that linked suicidal behavior in adults to their use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), the most commonly prescribed class of...

Efficacy of antidepressants in adults BMJ  2005;331:155-157 (16 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7509.155Joanna Moncrieff, senior lecturer in social and community psychiatry1, Irving Kirsch, professor of psychology2  1 Department of Mental Health Sciences, University College London, London W1N 8AA, 2 School of Health and Social work, University of Plymouth, PlymouthCorrespondence to: J Moncrieff j.moncrieff@ucl.ac.uk Most people with depression are initially treated with antidepressants. But how well do the data support their use, and should we reconsider our strategy?     Introduction TopIntroductionEfficacySeverity of depressionMethodological issues in...Effect of antidepressantsConclusionsReferences   The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recently recommended that antidepressants, in particular selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors,...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Alert Friends of Christopher Candle Light Vigil What: Candle Light Vigil in support of Christopher Pittman and all of South Carolina’s children. Who: Christopher’s young friends who live in Chester, SC and other supporters from around the southeast who are concerned about the persecution of children as adults will gather in Chester for a candle light vigil in support of justice for South Carolina’s children and in support of Christopher Pittman. When: Saturday, March 19, 2005 at 6:30 pm Where: New Hope United Methodist Church 2149 West Chester School Rd. Chester, SC 29706 Background: Concerned citizens...

  An anonymous source sent confidential drug company documents that had been missing for more than 10 years to the British Medical Journal. The documents, which suggest a link between Prozac (fluoxetine, made by Eli Lilly) and suicide attempts and violence, will be reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The documents went missing during a 1994 product liability suit. They include reviews and memos indicating that as far back as the 1980s, Eli Lilly officials were not only aware that Prozac had side effects, but also they attempted to minimize those negative effects.The liability suit surrounded...

Warning Dropping “cold turkey” off any medication, most especially mind altering medications, can often be MORE DANGEROUS than staying on the drugs. Tapering off very, very, very slowly- over months, not just weeks, has proven the safest and most effective method of withdrawal from this type of medication, thereby giving the body time to readjust its own chemical levels.

Federal regulators said for the first time yesterday that clinical trials of popular antidepressants such as Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft show a greater risk of suicide among children taking the drugs compared with those taking dummy pills. Although only one of these drugs has been approved for the treatment of children with depression, doctors are prescribing them to hundreds of thousands of American children every year. The new Food and Drug Administration analysis of the trials is starkly at odds with repeated assurances by the U.S. psychiatric establishment that the drugs are very safe. Regulators said the result of their...