Resource Tag: FLUOXETINE

~

The Treatment for Adolescents With Depression Study (TADS) evaluated the effectiveness of fluoxetine, cognitive-behavioural therapy, & their combination in adolescents with major depressive disorder. The authors report effectiveness outcomes across a 1-year naturalistic follow-up period. 66% of eligible subjects participated in at least one stage of the follow-up. The benefits seen at the end of […]

~

This article includes a discussion between J Mann and J R Cornelius.

The associations between suicide rates & dispensing of fluoxetine in the United States during 1960-2002 were examined. Suicide rates fluctuated between 12.2 & 13.7 per 100,000 for the entire population from the early 1960s until 1988. Since then, suicide rates have gradually declined; this decline is significantly associated with increased numbers of fluoxetine prescriptions dispensed. […]

The authors report the case of a 22-year-old woman presenting major depressive episode with severe akathisia after an increase in fluoxetine. The patient developed severe restlessness & suicidal ideation approximately 1 week after the dosage of fluoxetine was doubled, 1 year on from when the drug was first introduced. The clinical implications are discussed. A […]

This paper examines the empirical evidence for a possible association between fluoxetine use & either violent or suicidal behaviour, based on a literature review of 62 references from 1988 to 1995. The author finds that the evidence supports only an equivalent or decreased risk for emergent suicidal ideation or aggression during fluoxetine therapy as compared […]

For commentary on this paper, please see SIEC #2005-0137

All published papers on Medline & other databases linking serotonin, SSRIs & aggression were reviewed. Results showed that a small proportion of patients treated with SSRIs may become akathisic & others may show increases in anxiety in the initial phases of treatment, but no increased susceptibility to aggression or suicidality could be connected with fluoxetine […]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of 4 treatments among adolescents with major depressive disorder: 12 weeks of 1) fluoxetine alone, 2) cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) alone, 3) CBT with fluoxetine, or 4) placebo. Among the findings, clinically significant suicidal thinking, which was present in 29% of the sample at baseline, improved […]

This article summarizes the research studies that have found no link between fluoxetine & suicidal ideation, & examines the court cases & legal implications surrounding this issue.

For a reply to this article, please see SIEC #2003-0583.

For the original article by D Wilkinson, please see SIEC #2003-0582.

At the same time as clinicians are being exhorted to prevent suicide by employing questionable treatment approaches, there has been simultaneous concern that use of psychotropic drugs might somehow provoke suicidal behaviour in a subgroup of vulnerable patients. This concern extends to areas outside psychiatry, relating for example to treatment with cardiovascular drugs & the […]

Results of a 3-yr.toxicological screening of suicide deaths & use of antidepressants conclude: 1. Depressed patients are under-treated with antidepressants & physicians’ awareness & diagnosis of depression need to be improved 2. Clinical trials of new antidepressants should be designed to reveal differences in thereapeutic efficacy compared to reference tricyclics. A huge increase in the […]

The Prozac controversy is an American phenomenon not seen in Europe. Kelleher states that special factors that may explain this lie in the litigious nature of American society & the marketing techniques used to launch Prozac. Neither clinical or numerical science validates a causal relationship between the use of fluoxetine & the development of suicidal […]

Platelet 3H paroxetine was measured in 73 depressed patients & 64 healthy volunteers. No differences were found in Bmax or Kd. None of the subgroups differed significantly from controls. 40 of the depressed subjects were retested after 6 weeks’ treatment with fluoxetine or lofepramine. Treatment was not associated with any change in Bmax but an […]

The authors present a case of seizure following fluoxetine overdose in a previously well 15-year-old female with a clear history of sole ingestion. The presence of other substances was ruled out with comprehensive drug screening. Increased serum levels of fluoxetine & its active metabolite were documented. Follow-up revealed that the patient sustained no further seizures […]

Several reports have appeared examining the claim that fluoxetine is associated with a disproportionately high risk of suicidality. In this letter to the editor, the authors report on a pilot study of 17 psychiatric inpatients taking fluoxetine & 11 psychiatric controls taking other antidepressants. No evidence was found to support the claim that fluoxetine is […]

The author believes a lack of understanding of drug therapy fuels extreme perceptions about Prozac & that knowing its mechanics can demystify its powers while generating respect for its complexity & efficacy. Prozac is considered a breakthrough drug for treating depression, bulimia & obsessive-compulsive disorder. The article discusses Prozac pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics & psychopharmacology in common […]

In this letter to the editor, Glancy discusses 2 cases in which patients committed antisocial acts, e.g. property offences, following the administration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). One of the subjects started to experience suicidal ideation & intense feelings of depression after being treated with fluoxetine hydrochloride. When the medications were discontinued, the symptoms […]

Kelleher discusses the relationship of depression & suicide, noting that not all people who are depressed are suicidal & vice versa. The effects of antidepressants, i.e. fluoxetine, upon suicidality are also discussed. He agrees with Mann (1991) that there is no clear relationship between the emergence of suicidal thoughts/behaviour & fluoxetine treatment. Kelleher says that […]

In this presentation, Soubrier argues that a drug can kill an individual only if they allow it to do so. He says that it is unfair to accuse antidepressants, prozac as well as the tricyclics, of encouraging, inducing or provoking suicide. Mood inversion, disinhibition, & acting out behaviours are related to many different chemical & […]