Antidepressants/Suicide and Teenagers

[lsyorke]

I'm not sure if this should be posted here, but its a subject that has hit my home.
They have now discovered unpublished documents that show that the risk of suicide is higher than originally thought when SSRI's (Paxil,Zoloft,Effexor,Lexpro) are prescribed to children. The risk is highest when the dosage is changed or discontinued rapidly. There is also a very long period of weaning when discontinuing these drugs to avoid some very nasty side effects.

This is a very important subject to me since my DS16 was on Paxil for 13 months and attempted suicide twice in March while we were weaning him off the medication. Please pass this information on to anyone that has children on SSRI medications. Its very sad to find out after researching this that thousands of children have had debilitating side effects, died or are now incarcerated(violence is one of the other side effects of withdrawal) for murder.

Thanks

 

[MAC3]

I have nothing to offer except a {{hug}}. I'm so sorry for what you must endure with your child.



I Hope things get easier for you & your child,
Lisa

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by lsyorke
I'm not sure if this should be posted here, but its a subject that has hit my home.
They have now discovered unpublished documents that show that the risk of suicide is higher than originally thought when SSRI's (Paxil,Zoloft,Effexor,Lexpro) are prescribed to children. The risk is highest when the dosage is changed or discontinued rapidly. There is also a very long period of weaning when discontinuing these drugs to avoid some very nasty side effects.

This is a very important subject to me since my DS16 was on Paxil for 13 months and attempted suicide twice in March while we were weaning him off the medication. Please pass this information on to anyone that has children on SSRI medications. Its very sad to find out after researching this that thousands of children have died or are now incarcerated(violence is one of the other side effects of withdrawal) for murder.

Thanks

----------------------------------------
Hi there! I sure hope things are going with better with your son now.. Sixteen is a very difficult age for both child and parents..

I'm curious about your source of information though.. "Thousands" of kids seems like an extremely high number (my DD works with many teenage girls on antidepressants) and I was just wondering what the source of that information is and why the reports are unpublished.. Although my DD hopes to change jobs, I'm sure she would like to pass this information along to the staff so they can look into it a bit further.. These girls have become "her" girls over the years they have been in her facility..

Thanks!

 

[grinningghost]

I'm no expert on anti-depressants and kids, but here's a hug to help you through your day. You need it. Good luck to you and your DS.

 

[hercamore]

Hi,

Yes, my DD is on Paxil (20 yo) for anxiety disorder and this is scary news.

ICAnn, I did a search today on google and read some of the reports the OP is referring to.

herc.

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by hercamore
Hi,

Yes, my DD is on Paxil (20 yo) for anxiety disorder and this is scary news.

ICAnn, I did a search today on google and read some of the reports the OP is referring to.

herc.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Exactly what did you type in to find these reports? I'd like to take a look see..

Thanks!

 

[Feralpeg]

They had something about this the other day on Montell. A couple of months ago, a doctor wanted me to put DD on Paxil. She's been a little emotional lately. Not unexpected since we are moving half way across the country and she's 16. I decided against it. I really don't like the trend in this country to lean on drugs when things get tough. Now, don't flame me. There are legitimate uses for these drugs. Sometimes, people really need the help. My doctor recently told me that Prozac is the number one prescribed drug in this country. That just seems wrong. Do these people stay on these drugs for the rest of their lives? If they go off, what happens the next time their lives get tough. IMHO, we need to learn to face our problems, not drug ourselves to the point of not caring. Okay, start the flame throwers!

 

[Beauty]

Well I've been on Paxil since I was 21 so 11 years now and I don't know what I think about the suicide while taking them becuase I am 100% sure I would have committed suicide had I NOT taken them. I was having horrible panic attacks all day everyday. I honestly COULD NOT FUNCTION. The Paxil definatly has helped me. I'm living a normal life now and have possible a few panic attacks a year.

Now the withdrawel is HORRIBLE! I have done tons and tons of reading on anxiety and panic and I still think I could possibly come off of the Paxil but I simply can't. The withdrawl is horrible. You feel spaced out and nauseated and mad and sad.....I can't even stress how bad it is.

Hugs for your child. I can't imagine how hard that must be. I will agree 100% though that in some cases its just to easy to say here, take a pill and it will be better. In my case though, I don't think I would be here without paxil.

 

[tidoublegger]

lsyorke~ Thanks for bringing to light a very important subject.

My DS, now 18, exhibited suicidal behavior after being on Paxil for a number of months. He was even worse on Celexa. He is now medication-free and doing (knock on wood) better than he has been in years!

There are many horror stories associated with SSRI drugs and adolescents. However, there are also many success stories, where these drugs have saved lives.

I think the key is to be followed very carefully if on any antidepressant! They can not be prescribed without a whole support system in place...from parents to primary care physician to a mental health professional! Parents need to be in tune with even subtle behavioral changes and report them to the prescribing doctor!

My heart goes out to you....it's so difficult to deal with this situation...it's heartbreaking, emotionally draining and sometimes you can feel so alone~ I hope everything works out well for your family!!

 

[lsyorke]

First thanks for the good wishes for my son. The SSRI nightmare has been going on for a while and is now coming to light.Here's a few links to verify what I've said. My son was under the regular care of a psychiatrist. This information is specific to children.SSRI'S in adults provide great relief, but the patient must be informed of the withdrawal that can be devastating.Glaxo was forced to remove the "Non habit forming" from their advertising.

http://www.nj.com/business/ledger/index.ssf?/base/business-0/1082702080191780.xml

http://www.drugawareness.org/home.html

http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/03/22/antidepressant.warning.ap/index.html

www.paxilprogress.org

I've now become very active in the fight to have a mandatory ban on this catagory of drugs for children. They were never recommended for children(Prozac is the only one that was an authorized use for children)The UK has issued this ban.

My sons experience is not unique! Baum Hedlum is a law firm in California that is handling alot of the Paxil cases and has had to limit their cases to "successful suicides" because of the number of people who contacted them. Yes suicide is usually related to withdrawal from the drug or at dosage changes. That information is not widely known and was never told to me by my sons psychiatrist when he started to wean. While on Paxil I watched my sons grades deteriorate to failures,withdrawal from friends, obsession with death and an "I don't care" attitude about everything.
Some people have no problem with these medications, but people need to be informed about the possible reactions!

The first link is the most recent information that has been verified that some of the clinical trials were not presented when the application was made to the FDA. The rate of suicide was much higher than was reported.

Yes this is scary stuff!! I am a nurse and knew nothing about this when my son was put on Paxil. I trusted the medical professional(psychiatrist)who told me "This is probably a temporary situation that need a short term use of Paxil". If I knew then what I know now!!

 

[tidoublegger]

My son had what he described as horrible "electric" shock feelings in his head as he was withdrawing! The withdrawal process was very difficult! I am going to check out your links...thanks for the info!

 

[lsyorke]

"I'm curious about your source of information though.. "Thousands" of kids seems like an extremely high number"

OK it took me a little while but here's the link to a report on the presentation made to the FDA that mentions the thousands of people affected.

http://www.baumhedlundlaw.com/media/ssri/paxil/FDAHearing/FDA.htm

The result of these hearings was the FDA putting out the warning regarding Antidepressants and suicide.

 

[Bashful2]

lsyorke, if the ban succeeds, my teenage daughter will probably not live to see adulthood.

In 7th grade, she was diagnosed with OCD & Depression. She was started on Zoloft, did well for about 1 1/2 years, then it stopped working. She became severely depressed and was hospitalized twice within a 4 month period. Afterwards, her outpatient psychiatrist continued to work very closely with her until he was able to find the right combination of antidepressant and mood stabilizers to stabilize her.

Her problem is a chemical imbalance and not from outside factors. Therapy, although helpful in learning to deal with some related problems, will not reverse her depression. Only the medications will do that.

I'm sure there have been bad reactions to these drugs and they've probably been overprescribed. I also don't doubt that there are major problems with withdrawl. Maybe there needs to be tighter regulations on prescribing these medications for young people. However, an outright ban isn't the answer. If that happens, young people like my daughter will be without hope for recovery.

 

[VampHeartless]

This particularily scares me, since my counselor has just reccomended I start taking anti-depressants. I have an appt. with the Doctor May 10th. I've been suicidal a couple times in my life...I'm hoping the drugs make things better for me, not worse.

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by lsyorke
"I'm curious about your source of information though.. "Thousands" of kids seems like an extremely high number"

OK it took me a little while but here's the link to a report on the presentation made to the FDA that mentions the thousands of people affected.

http://www.baumhedlundlaw.com/media/ssri/paxil/FDAHearing/FDA.htm

The result of these hearings was the FDA putting out the warning regarding Antidepressants and suicide.

---------------------------

Hi there!

I hope you didn't think that I was questioning you about the authenticity of what you were saying.. I just wanted the sources so that I could read them and pass them on to my DD, so she in turn could pass them on to the proper people at the agency..

To be honest, I haven't had the time to read them yet - feeling a little depressed myself this week - but I'll get to it - I promise!

A few years back I was on Prozac myself (for severe depression) but eventually had to go off of it because it made me SOOOOO physically tired - even at the lowest dose.. However, for the time I did take it, I felt 100% better! They've tried others, but I'm extremely sensitive to meds and as of yet we haven't found anything I can tolerate.. No suicidal thoughts or anything - just knocks me out or makes me VERY sick to my stomach and faint..

Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.. I understand your concern - it's tough when our kids are having problems..

 

[holycow]

Thank you for the information...I also just read (on a thread here) that Allegra causes depression...I had no clue...that is a med that my 15 yr old takes! ...

(((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))) to you and your DFamily!

LIsa

 

[Beauty]

The electric zaps are awful feeling, been there to many times. I am so mad that when I started taking these back in 1993 that I was told they were non habit forming, that was an out and out lie. I am embarassed to say I'm terrified of what would happen to me even if I tried weening myself slowly.

I don't know what I think of the ban because I honestly believe that there are people out there that NEED these drugs. Its awful!

 

[MAC3]

Originally posted by holycow
Thank you for the information...I also just read (on a thread here) that Allegra causes depression

WOW! Is that true ? I take Allegra nad I'm never depressed! But I take is sporatically! Or as needed.

 

[2bemarried]

Unfortunately every drug that is prescribed has side-effects sometimes even life threatening. However, many of the doctors and patients are not considering whether they want to live with a life threatening disease or live with the side of effects of the drugs used to treat the disease. Yes...depression is a disease.

I will refrain from getting into the discussion on the ban and lawsuits b/c I work a large pharmaceutical company, but I do want to say that I believe there should be more restrictions on how many children are given medications for ADHD, ADD, and depression. A cousin of mine was diagnosed as ADHD for three years before his psychiatrist finally realized that he is actually bi-polar.

There's my .02

 

[luvdzny]

Bashful2 ~ I totally agree with you. My 15 year old DD was diagnosed with OCD/Depression in 4th grade. She has spent weeks in the hospital and gone through many SSRI's trying to find the right medication for her. Right now she is doing great on her medication. Without the SSRI's my daughter would either no longer be alive or would not be capable of functioning in the real world, she would have to remain in the hospital. It is a tragedy that some kids have committed suicide while on SSRI's, but I think it would be a greater tragedy if SSRI's were completely banned, who knows how many young lives would be lost without the help of these medications.