Suicidal Warnings changed from under 18 to under 30

[Guest guest]

> JustSayNo

> Thu, 29 Jul 2004 21:25:17 -0400

> [sSRI-Research] Suicidal Warnings changed

> from under 18 to under 30

>

> Doctors ordered to warn of antidepressant dangers

>

> Tuesday July 27, 2004

>

>

http://society.guardian.co.uk/mentalhealth/story/0,,1270049,00.html

>

> Doctors will be required to warn all patients under

> 30 of the suicide risk posed by the antidepressant

> Seroxat following an investigation into the drug by

> a European medical agency, it emerged today.

> The recommendation is expected to become law

> throughout the European Union (EU) in the autumn

> once the findings of the investigation are ratified

> by the European Commission.

>

> The move responds to warnings about Seroxat made by

> the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal

> Products (EMEA), which licenses drugs for use in the

> EU, in April.

>

> The EMEA recommends that the antidepressant should

> be prescribed with extra caution to those aged

> between 18 and 29. It states that the drug can lead

> to an increased risk of " suicide-related behaviour

> in young adults " , and calls for patients to be

> " monitored closely throughout treatment " .

>

> A significant number of patients prescribed Seroxat

> are under 30, according to the drug's manufacturer,

> GlaxoSmithKline.

>

> The EMEA guidelines echo earlier warnings about the

> withdrawal symptoms experienced by patients on

> Seroxat, and backs the ban on prescribing the drug

> to those under 18, which came into force in the UK

> last year.

>

> Mental health charity Mind called on the UK

> Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to

> order family doctors to warn all their depressed

> patients about the EMEA's findings immediately.

>

> A Mind spokeswoman said: " The European ruling on

> Seroxat makes it very clear that the very real

> problems with this drug potentially go far beyond

> the groups already acknowledged to be at risk.

>

> " When there are up to 800,000 people currently

> taking Seroxat in the UK, there is an urgent need

> for these risks to be made plainly known, and for

> GPs to be very aware of potential problems when they

> hand out prescriptions. "

>

> The MHRA launched its own investigation into Seroxat

> and other similar medicines, known selective

> serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, including Prozac,

> last year, but has yet to report its findings.

>

>

>

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