Resource Tag: SIDE EFFECTS

File copy includes a correction published in the June 9, 2010 issue of this journal.

This report examines the relevance of the American Food & Drug Administration’s list of possible correlates of suicidality & antidepressant drugs for adults. 650 consecutive outpatients presenting with a major depressive episode to a private practice were interviewed. Suicide ideation was present in 49.3% of the sample & was significantly greater in bipolar II than […]

This article examines the relationship between low serum cholesterol & mood disorders as well as the relationship between cholesterol & suicide ideation, suicide attempts, & parasuicide. (60 refs.)

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This article is a summary of the comparison between the published literature & the recently released data available on the Food & Drug Administration website, with a focus on Prozac, Paxil, & Zoloft. The discrepancies between the two versions suggest that the scientific community was not given enough information in the published medical literature to […]

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This article briefly reviews the potntial link between antidepressants & suicidal behaviour in children. A study from the American Food and Drug Administration is discussed.

This article discusses psychiatric emergencies in the geriatric population. Older adults are at greater risk for suicide than other age groups. When suicide risk is present, the authors assert aggressive assessment & intervention measures must be taken. The improved detection & treatment of depression by primary care providers is said to be a key target […]

In this review, the authors discuss the evidence from collaborative care efforts that demonstrates significantly better disease & quality-of-life outcomes for patients with serious mental illness. The InterSePT Scale for Suicidal Thinking is included. Barriers to help-seeking in this population are reviewed. (63 refs.)

The Treatment for Adolescents With Depression Study database was analyzed to determine whether suicidal events (attempts & ideation) occurred early in treatment, could be predicted by severity of depression or other clinical characteristics, & were preceded by clinical deteriorations or symptoms of increased irritability, akathisia, sleep disruption, or mania. 439 patients were randomly assigned into […]

A 7-week acute phase of a randomized, double-blind study compared olanzapine/fluoxetine combination therapy in 205 patients with lamotrigine treatment in 205 patients with bipolar I disorder. Completion rates were similar between treatments. There was a significant difference in the incidence of suicidal & self-injurious behaviour adverse events between the treatments (0.5% in olanzapine/fluoxetine combination versus […]

The question is asked as to what physicians should advise women who want to discontinue or are considering discontinuing their antidepressant medications in late pregnancy. Negative media reports about the side effects of antidepressants on mothers & babies & a Health Canada advisory have raised concerns. However, the authors advise considering the risks, including postpartum […]

This study sought to determine whether drugs associated with more suicide ideations are also associated with more suicide attempts in large spontaneous adverse event report databases. Generalized linear models with negative binominal distribution were fitted to Food and Drug Administration adverse event data from 2004-2008. 832 drugs were evaluated. Suicide ideations had a significant positive […]

Reports of intracranial hypertension, depression, & suicide ideation with Accutane use have prompted an examination of its serious & life-threatening potential. Although the manufacturer has added a warning to the product label, this drug is overprescribed for all forms of acne, including mild & moderate cases that have not been treated with alternative medications with […]

Regulatory agencies in Europe & the United States have published statements & warnings about a possible increased risk of suicidality associated with the use of antidepressants in pediatric patients. In this editorial, the author discusses antidepressant use among children & adolescents, among adults, & whether or not selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have a higher risk […]

This study used data from a large American pediatric cohort to examine patterns of diagnosis of depression, prescription of antidepressants, prescription of pharmacological alternatives to antidepressants, & use of psychosocial care before & after the Food & Drug Administration advisory was issued. From 1999-2004, pediatric diagnoses of depression increased from 3 to 5 per 1,000. […]

In 2003, the American Food & Drug Administration issued a public health advisory about the risk of suicidality in pediatric patients taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. This study examined the effects of this pediatric policy on treatment of adults with depression in the community. The rate of diagnosed depression was significantly lower after the advisory […]

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This commentary provides a perspective on Columbia University’s report on classifying suicidality in selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor clinical trial data, how undisclosed clinical trial data tipped the risk-benefit balance in pediatric patients, & new data for using these drugs plus psychotherapy with adolescents with depression. (23 refs.)

In this letter to the editor, Sharma comments on an article by Busch et al (2003) on the clinical correlates of inpatient suicide. Dr. Sharma raises a number of concerns regarding the use of antidepressants in patients with severe anxiety or agitation. The reply of Busch and colleauges follows.