MY SYNOPSIS ONFDA Orders Stronger Warning Labels on Child Antidepressants
...her hand, the drugs seem to help some desperately ill children,” says panelist Jean Bronstein, a California nurse. “The biggest message I heard from the consumer is they want to be warned about what the risk is.” The FDA isn’t obligated to their advisers’ recommendations, but it usually listens to them, and has indicated its willingness to update the outdated warnings on today’s antidepressant labels. Furthermore, they stated that the link between antidepressants and suicidal behavior has not been proven. On the contrary, the FDA’s latest analysis contradicts the previous statement: For every 100 youths given an antidepressant, 2 or 3 may display increased suicidal thoughts or behavior due to the drug. Last year, the British health authorities declared that most popular depressants might increase the risk of suicidal behavior in children. They claimed all of them-except Prozac-unsuitable for depressed children, but they did not ban these medications. Although there are more safety precautions for these particular medications, there will be no ban, for there are many depressed youths out there, and every child will respond differently to different types of antidepressants. That’s why it is important to have a variety of medications to choose from. In conclusion, depression strikes everyone, no matter what age you are. Some of us will need anti-depressants, and some of us will not. But at least, give us the options to choose the medicine best suited for us. All medications have side eff...