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Stronger Child-Suicide Warning Advised

Antidepressants May Put Some Kids at Risk, FDA Panel Says
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News

Feb. 3, 2004 -- The FDA should put out a stronger warning about the risk of suicide in kids who take antidepressant drugs, an FDA advisory panel says.

That's one of three conclusions the panel reached after its 12-hour session on Monday.

The panel concluded that this is "a reasonable possibility that some people are made worse by these drugs and we should be telling people that," an FDA spokesperson tells WebMD. "They said the FDA should take an interim step to provide this information to parents and to physicians."

The panel made two other recommendations:

  • Pharmaceutical company data from clinical trials of antidepressants in children and teens contains "signals" that some patients may become more suicidal after taking them. The panel endorsed an FDA plan to have an independent group at Columbia University comb through this data for more definitive information.
  • The FDA must urge doctors who prescribe antidepressants to follow patients closely for signs of suicidal behavior or thinking.

Suicide and Antidepressants: No Clear Answers

Do antidepressants make some children suicidal? If so, do the drugs' benefits outweigh their risks?

Clinical trials usually provide answers to these questions. But when it comes to the question of whether antidepressants do children and teens more harm than good, there's no clear answer.

Last month, a task force for the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology issued its own interpretation of the published data on antidepressants and children. Not surprisingly, these psychiatrists and pharmacologists found that the benefits of the SSRI class of antidepressants -- which includes Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac, and Zoloft -- outweighed their risks to young people.

But even this group admitted that it had not seen most of the data, and that its findings had to be considered "preliminary." That's because much of it remains in the hands of the pharmaceutical companies that sponsored the studies.

Thomas P. Laughren, MD, is the FDA's team leader for psychiatric drug products. His team has made heroic efforts to comb through the drug-company data and published studies to evaluate antidepressants' actual benefits and risks for children and teens.

In a January 5 memo sent to members of the advisory panel, Laughren finds little evidence that antidepressants are effective in children.

"We at the FDA, however, do not view negative studies as proof of no benefit," he writes. "Nevertheless, the failure of most of these programs to show a benefit in major depressive disorder does heighten the concern about the possibility of certain risks that may be associated with these drugs."

To find out more about these risks, Laughren's team asked the drug companies to comb through their data for any sign that antidepressants increased suicidal thoughts or behaviors. The results were disappointing. The different companies interpreted the FDA request in different ways, making the resulting information difficult to interpret.

Given the same data, however, British authorities were quick to act. The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency strongly advised doctors not to use the drugs in children and teens. Further, they insisted that the drugs' labels carry this warning. As of Dec. 10, 2003, the U.K. effectively bans Paxil, Effexor, Zoloft, Celexa, and Lexapro for children and teens. Only Prozac is seen to have a favorable risk-benefit profile.

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Important Safety Information

Vimpat (lacosamide) is a medicine that is used with other medicines to treat partial onset seizures in patients 17 years of age and older with epilepsy. Vimpat is generally well-tolerated, but may not be for everyone. Ask your doctor if Vimpat is right for you. Antiepileptic drugs, including Vimpat, may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people, about 1 in 500. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have new or worsening symptoms of depression, any unusual changes in mood or behavior, or suicidal thoughts, behavior, or thoughts about self harm that you have never had before or may be worse than before. Please see additional patient information in the Medication Guide at the end of the full prescribing information. This information does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your condition or your treatment. Please see additional Patient Safety Information

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