UK: Paxil Linked to Suicide Attempts in Adults

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atracyphd2

Sun, 21 Aug 2005 21:58:53 EDT

[drugawareness] UK: Paxil Linked to Suicide Attempts in Adults

 

 

 

I quote from the following article:

 

The antidepressant Seroxat ( Paxil ) has been linked to an increase in

suicide attempts

among adults. Researchers suggest that patients and doctors should be

warned

of the propensity to suicidal thoughts while on the drug.

 

They say: " We conclude that the recommendation of restrictions in the

use of

paroxetine (Seroxat) in children and adolescents ... should include

usage in

adults. "

 

This is a news flash that should have been released a decade and a

half ago!

Anyone who has read the research on these drugs and the impairment of

serotonin metabolism - which one would assume was researched BEFORE

these drugs were

introduced - would know without doubt that any of these drugs will

produce and

INCREASE in suicide and suicide attempts. At least the admission is

finally

coming out to the public.

 

Dr. Tracy

______________________

 

Dr. Ann Blake Tracy, Executive Director,

International Coalition For Drug Awareness

www.drugawareness.org

Author of the " Bible on Antidepressants, " Prozac:

Panacea or Pandora? - Our Serotonin Nightmare

& audio " Help! I Can't Get Off My Antidepressant! "

(Order: 800-280-0730)

_________________________

 

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article307573.ece

 

Antidepressant Seroxat linked to suicide attempts among adults

 

 

By Geneviève Roberts

 

Published: 22 August 2005

 

The antidepressant Seroxat has been linked to an increase in suicide

attempts

among adults. Researchers suggest that patients and doctors should be

warned

of the propensity to suicidal thoughts while on the drug.

 

Experts have already warned that Seroxat is not suitable for children and

adolescents due to an increased risk of self harm.

 

In the new study of 916 adults on the drug, seven attempted to take

their own

life. Dr Ivar Aursnes and colleagues at the University of Oslo

compared these

findings with 550 patients taking a placebo, of whom one tried to commit

suicide. Their conclusions are published in the journal BMC Medicine.

 

They say: " We conclude that the recommendation of restrictions in the

use of

paroxetine (Seroxat) in children and adolescents ... should include

usage in

adults. "

 

Seroxat has been taken by about 20 million people around the world since

being licensed in 1990. Like Prozac, it is a Selective Serotonin Re-uptake

Inhibitor (SSRI).

 

Last year the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's

Committee

on the Safety of Medicines reviewed SSRIs. Their report concluded that a

modest increase in the risk of suicidal thoughts and self-harm for

SSRIs could not

be ruled out, but the benefits for adults outweighed the risks.

 

A spokesman for GlaxoSmithKline, the makers of Seroxat, who are facing

lawsuits in connection with the drug, said: " We take the safety of all

our medicines

extremely seriously.

 

" At this stage, it's not clear what method the researchers have used to

arrive at these numbers or which clinical trials they have selected.

However, we

can say that these conclusions in no way reflect the picture that has

been built

up about the benefits and risks of paroxetine in adults through an

extensive

clinical trials programme involving 24,000 patients, or through the use of

this medicine in tens of millions of people around the world. "

 

The antidepressant Seroxat has been linked to an increase in suicide

attempts

among adults. Researchers suggest that patients and doctors should be

warned

of the propensity to suicidal thoughts while on the drug.

 

Experts have already warned that Seroxat is not suitable for children and

adolescents due to an increased risk of self harm.

 

In the new study of 916 adults on the drug, seven attempted to take

their own

life. Dr Ivar Aursnes and colleagues at the University of Oslo

compared these

findings with 550 patients taking a placebo, of whom one tried to commit

suicide. Their conclusions are published in the journal BMC Medicine.

 

They say: " We conclude that the recommendation of restrictions in the

use of

paroxetine (Seroxat) in children and adolescents ... should include

usage in

adults. "

 

Seroxat has been taken by about 20 million people around the world since

being licensed in 1990. Like Prozac, it is a Selective Serotonin Re-uptake

Inhibitor (SSRI).

 

Last year the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's

Committee

on the Safety of Medicines reviewed SSRIs. Their report concluded that a

modest increase in the risk of suicidal thoughts and self-harm for

SSRIs could not

be ruled out, but the benefits for adults outweighed the risks.

 

A spokesman for GlaxoSmithKline, the makers of Seroxat, who are facing

lawsuits in connection with the drug, said: " We take the safety of all

our medicines

extremely seriously.

 

" At this stage, it's not clear what method the researchers have used to

arrive at these numbers or which clinical trials they have selected.

However, we

can say that these conclusions in no way reflect the picture that has

been built

up about the benefits and risks of paroxetine in adults through an

extensive

clinical trials programme involving 24,000 patients, or through the use of

this medicine in tens of millions of people around the world. "