Antidepressants May Raise Kids' Suicide Risk

Children and adolescents taking a range of popular prescription medications for depression appear to be at higher risk for suicide attempts than patients who don't take the drugs, a pair of FDA analyses have concluded. The drugs of concern are all newer-generation antidepressants: Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, Celexa, Remeron, Lexapro, Luvox, Serzone, and Wellbutrin. Most are known to affect the brain chemical serotonin. Only Prozac is FDA-approved to treat depression in children and has not been linked to suicidal risks. Overall, these medications may increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or attempts by 2% to 3%, the reviews show. Officials stress that no completed suicides were recorded in the 23 drug company studies making up the reviews. But they also say that a potentially dangerous elevated risk of childhood suicidal behavior is consistent in seven drugs in the group.