Antidepressants Can Lead to Deeper Depression and
Suicide.
Antidepressants are the standard first-line
treatment for people suffering from depression, a common menopause symptom. Yet,
taking these antidepressants actually places people at risk for increased
depression and an increased risk of suicide.
The FDA issued a public health advisory this week warning of worsening
depression and suicidality in patients treated with antidepressant medications.
On March 22 the FDA asked that 10 popular antidepressants carry a label
warning that using these antidepressants can lead to deeper depression and
suicide.
The FDA identified these antidepressants to carry the depression and suicide
warning;
- Prozac (fluoxetine).
- Zoloft (sertraline).
- Paxil (paroxetine).
- Luvox (fluvoxamine)
- Celexa (citalopram).
- Lexapro (escitalopram).
- Wellbutrin (bupropion).
- Effexor (venlafaxine).
- Serzone (nefazodone).
- Remeron (mirtazapine).
This is not a new revelation. For years doctors and drug manufacturers have
known about the increased risks associated with antidepressants. Anxiety,
agitation, panic attacks, insomnia, irritability, hostility, impulsivity,
restlessness, hypomania, and mania have also been reported with antidepressant
use.
Antidepressants are also believed to have the potential for inducing manic
episodes in patients with bipolar disorder. The FDA also recommends that health
care providers adequately screen their patients to determine if they are at risk
for bipolar disorder before starting antidepressant treatment.
The FDA also recommends that health care providers instruct patients, their
families and their caregivers to be alert for the emergence of agitation,
irritability, and the other symptoms described above, as well as the emergence
of suicidality and worsening depression, and to report such symptoms immediately
to their health care provider.
The FDA recommends that health care providers closely monitor adult and
children treated with these antidepressants for worsening of depression or
suicidal tendencies, especially at the beginning of therapy or when the dose
either increases or decreases.
Although health care providers regard antidepressant medication as effective,
a 2002 analysis of published clinical trials indicates that 75 percent of
patients respond the same or better to placebo sugar pills.
The report analyzed the efficacy data submitted to the FDA for the six most
widely prescribed antidepressants approved between 1987 and 1999. The
antidepressants analyzed were Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, Serzone and Celexa.
All six of these antidepressants are named in the FDA’s recent warning.
And then there is the case against Serzone;
This month the Public Citizen, a national nonprofit consumer advocacy
organization, sued the FDA over its failure to act on a petition by Public
Citizen. This petition, filed over a year ago, requested the ban of the
antidepressant drug Serzone (nefazodone). Serzone has been associated with
increased deaths and serious injuries caused by liver failure.
The lawsuit asks the court to rule that the FDA’s delayed actions posed a
danger to public health, claiming that the FDA allowing doctors to continue
prescribing Serzone is an example of gross negligence. Canada and Europe have
already removed nefazodone from their market and Australia and New Zealand are
in the process of removing it from their shelves.
There were almost 25 million doctor visits in 2002 for depression. Doctors
prescribed medications for nine out of these 10 patients. Yet, these drugs are
shown to be dangerous and no better than a sugar pill in the majority of people
who take them.
Why do doctors prescribe these potentially harmful and dangerous drugs? Who
knows. Why do doctors continue to prescribe hormone replacement therapy knowing
full well that these drugs place women at great risk?
Deprex is safe and effective for depression. Deprex works and it has no
harmful side effects.
