FDA Meets to Discuss Antidepressant Use and Suicide
This meeting was the culmination of research recently completed which reviewed 372 studies involving about 100,000 patients and 11 antidepressants, including the popular drugs Lexapro, Zoloft, Prozac and Paxil. In a document released prior to the meeting, the FDA said that when the results were analyzed by age, what became evident is there was an elevated, though small and short-term risk, for suicidal thoughts and behavior among adults 18 to 24. They found, however, that as the age of the patient rose, there was a shift. In patients over 30, the drugs actually had a protective effect, reducing suicidal thoughts and behavior.
According to an Associated Press report, the meeting was at times quite emotional, with relatives of suicide victims offering tearful pleas for the panel to take action.
The FDA plans new warning labels to reflect these findings and recommends that patients of all ages be monitored.
Comments
Oddly enough, I am age 61, on Ritilin and Wellbutrin (for 6 months) and have frequent thoughts of suicide. The fact that I have ADD has prevented me from being organized enough to make the deed fail-safe. I am smart enough to know that most people just botch the job and are even worse off. I won’t do it until I have my affairs in order and I know that will be at least a few years down the road. In any case, I wonder if my meds contribute to these feelings, considering my age.
I am 25 years old and I have been prescribed to almost every anti-depressant there is and not one ever helped my Major Depressive Disorder it only made everything worse especially suicidal thoughts and self-mutilation. I am currently on Nortriptyline and it gives me worse heart palpitations then before. Anti-depressants don’t work for me and I don’t know what else to try or do, I’d much rather be dead. Why am I fighting to live when I’m just living to die?
I found, in line with this, that the first time I experienced real suicidal thoughts for about three weeks was when I first went on the antipsychotic prolixin. The thoughts became overwhelming and required a real mental battle to overcome them. After about three weeks they were over, and after I had discontinued the Prolixing, and without using antidepressants, the thoughts didn’t come back for many years. After a second bout of such thoughts about 5 years later, truthfully, the medicine didn’t help, but prayer helped to overcome these thoughts, the second time it happened was the last, and that was in the year 1997. The medicine, for me, seemed to have the opposite effect of overcoming troubling thoughts such as suicide and I found that mentally strengthening exercises and attention to mental and moral hygiene were among the most effective tools in resisting such negative thoughts. Brisk walking outside daily, about 45 minutes every day also helped to overcome negative thinking and develop positive thought patterns. I hope this is helpful to some who might be experiencing any similar problems with depression or suicidal thinking.
John S.
I first got sick with depression at age 22 and went on an antidepressant.. Not only did it bring me out of my depression, it made me feel human again. At age 29 I was finally dx’d with Bipolar Disorder and my pdoc added a mood stabilizer to my mix. I believe that if you are suicidal to start with, anything can push you over the edge, whether it’s meds, movies, people, etc. I truly believe that meds DON’T cause people to feel suicidal. I have known 3 people that have committed suicide and they weren’t on anti depressants. One was going through a divorce, the other was an undiagnosed guy with bipolar and the third just lost her child. So, you really can’t convince me of this “theory.”