Zoloft debated in, out of court

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..

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/living/health/10776472.htm?1c

Posted on Mon, Jan. 31, 2005

Zoloft debated in, out of court

Medication's defenders stress need to monitor children's reactions

KAREN GARLOCH

Staff Writer

Should adolescents take antidepressants?

The heated national debate comes to South Carolina this week at the

murder

trial of Pittman, the teenager accused of shooting his

grandparents in Chester County in 2001, when he was 12.

Pittman, now 15, is charged as an adult and could face a maximum

sentence of

life in prison if convicted. His trial starts today in ton,

where a

judge moved it because of concerns Pittman couldn't get a fair trial

in

Chester.

Pittman's defense lawyers claim his violent behavior was triggered by

Zoloft, an antidepressant he was taking and whose dosage was

increased

shortly before the killings.

They'll cite the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's order last year

that

Zoloft and similar antidepressants must carry warnings that the drugs

" increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior " in children

with

depression and other psychiatric disorders.

FDA officials say the medicines work well when used appropriately.

But the

warning says patients should be observed closely for " clinical

worsening " or

" unusual changes in behavior. "

Despite the warning, many parents and doctors continue to support the

use of

these drugs for depressed adolescents and worry that, without them,

children

would be at risk for suicide because of their illnesses.

" I take issue with some of the research. It's thin right now, " said

Verhaagen, a Charlotte child psychologist. " In my own experience,

lots of

kids get tremendous benefit from (antidepressants).

" I'm not failing to recognize the risks, " he said. " (But there's

also) the

risk that they could kill themselves because they're depressed. "

Antidepressants

Zoloft is one of a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake

inhibitors. Other well-known examples are Prozac and Paxil. They

increase

the amount of serotonin, a chemical that stimulates receptors in the

brain.The theory is that having more serotonin improves mood, said

Dennis

, associate professor at the UNC Chapel Hill School of

Pharmacy.

Ann Blake , executive director of the Utah-based International

Coalition for Drug Awareness, is an outspoken opponent of

antidepressants

for children. She has testified as an expert witness in trials

similar to

Pittman's.

In her book, " Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? -- Our Serotonin

Nightmare, "

argues that low levels of serotonin are not the problem in depressed

patients. The problem is an inability to metabolize serotonin, she

said, and

" these drugs impair the metabolism even further. "

" I actually believe what these drugs do to produce the violence that

they're

producing ... is to throw people into insulin shock. It's very, very

similar.

" ... When your sugar level drops like that, your brain cannot

function

without proper sugar levels. "

Suicidal thinking

Nearly 11 million prescriptions for antidepressants are written each

year

for children under 17, according to testimony before the FDA.

Only one of the antidepressants that increase serotonin, Prozac, has

been

approved by the FDA as safe and effective for children. But others,

once

approved for adults, may be prescribed by doctors for unapproved uses.

The FDA's action was based on a review of about 25 studies that

involved

more than 4,400 patients taking antidepressants. The results

indicated that

twice as many children taking antidepressants in those studies

considered or

attempted suicide as the children taking placebos.

Truly depressed people usually do not have the energy to commit

suicide,

experts say. But when they begin taking antidepressants, the risk of

suicide

goes up as the depression begins to lift.

" A person who's starting antidepressants should be in psychotherapy, "

Verhaagen said. " You need someone to meet with a kid on a weekly

basis ...

to monitor how they're doing. "

Another problem is that depression might be mistaken for the early

stages of

bipolar disorder. In these patients, antidepressants can increase the

risk

of unpredictable behavior if they are not accompanied by a separate

mood-stabilizing drug, doctors say.

Precedent

The possible link between antidepressants and violence has been

argued in

court before. To date, only one jury, in a civil trial, has concluded

that

such a drug, Paxil, caused a man to commit murder.

In June 2001, that federal jury in Cheyenne, Wyo., ordered Kline

Beecham (now GlaxoKline) to pay $6.5 million to the relatives of

Schell. The 60-year-old had been taking Paxil for just 48 hours when

he shot

and killed his wife, his daughter, his granddaughter and himself. The

company appealed, but then settled the case, for undisclosed terms.

Andy Vickery, the lawyer who represented the plaintiff in that case,

is

among those defending Pittman in his criminal trial. Dr.

Kapit, a

former FDA official who helped review Zoloft, is expected to testify

on

Pittman's behalf about the drug's dangers.

Dr. Casat, director of research at the Behavioral Health

Center in

Charlotte, said attention to the issue has caused doctors and parents

to

take adolescent depression more seriously.

" This has opened people's eyes, " he said. " You really need to weigh

what

you're going to get from treatment against what you might lose by

withholding treatment. "

Garloch: (704) 358-5078; kgarloch@c...

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[Guest guest]

..

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/living/health/10776472.htm?1c

Posted on Mon, Jan. 31, 2005

Zoloft debated in, out of court

Medication's defenders stress need to monitor children's reactions

KAREN GARLOCH

Staff Writer

Should adolescents take antidepressants?

The heated national debate comes to South Carolina this week at the

murder

trial of Pittman, the teenager accused of shooting his

grandparents in Chester County in 2001, when he was 12.

Pittman, now 15, is charged as an adult and could face a maximum

sentence of

life in prison if convicted. His trial starts today in ton,

where a

judge moved it because of concerns Pittman couldn't get a fair trial

in

Chester.

Pittman's defense lawyers claim his violent behavior was triggered by

Zoloft, an antidepressant he was taking and whose dosage was

increased

shortly before the killings.

They'll cite the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's order last year

that

Zoloft and similar antidepressants must carry warnings that the drugs

" increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior " in children

with

depression and other psychiatric disorders.

FDA officials say the medicines work well when used appropriately.

But the

warning says patients should be observed closely for " clinical

worsening " or

" unusual changes in behavior. "

Despite the warning, many parents and doctors continue to support the

use of

these drugs for depressed adolescents and worry that, without them,

children

would be at risk for suicide because of their illnesses.

" I take issue with some of the research. It's thin right now, " said

Verhaagen, a Charlotte child psychologist. " In my own experience,

lots of

kids get tremendous benefit from (antidepressants).

" I'm not failing to recognize the risks, " he said. " (But there's

also) the

risk that they could kill themselves because they're depressed. "

Antidepressants

Zoloft is one of a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake

inhibitors. Other well-known examples are Prozac and Paxil. They

increase

the amount of serotonin, a chemical that stimulates receptors in the

brain.The theory is that having more serotonin improves mood, said

Dennis

, associate professor at the UNC Chapel Hill School of

Pharmacy.

Ann Blake , executive director of the Utah-based International

Coalition for Drug Awareness, is an outspoken opponent of

antidepressants

for children. She has testified as an expert witness in trials

similar to

Pittman's.

In her book, " Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? -- Our Serotonin

Nightmare, "

argues that low levels of serotonin are not the problem in depressed

patients. The problem is an inability to metabolize serotonin, she

said, and

" these drugs impair the metabolism even further. "

" I actually believe what these drugs do to produce the violence that

they're

producing ... is to throw people into insulin shock. It's very, very

similar.

" ... When your sugar level drops like that, your brain cannot

function

without proper sugar levels. "

Suicidal thinking

Nearly 11 million prescriptions for antidepressants are written each

year

for children under 17, according to testimony before the FDA.

Only one of the antidepressants that increase serotonin, Prozac, has

been

approved by the FDA as safe and effective for children. But others,

once

approved for adults, may be prescribed by doctors for unapproved uses.

The FDA's action was based on a review of about 25 studies that

involved

more than 4,400 patients taking antidepressants. The results

indicated that

twice as many children taking antidepressants in those studies

considered or

attempted suicide as the children taking placebos.

Truly depressed people usually do not have the energy to commit

suicide,

experts say. But when they begin taking antidepressants, the risk of

suicide

goes up as the depression begins to lift.

" A person who's starting antidepressants should be in psychotherapy, "

Verhaagen said. " You need someone to meet with a kid on a weekly

basis ...

to monitor how they're doing. "

Another problem is that depression might be mistaken for the early

stages of

bipolar disorder. In these patients, antidepressants can increase the

risk

of unpredictable behavior if they are not accompanied by a separate

mood-stabilizing drug, doctors say.

Precedent

The possible link between antidepressants and violence has been

argued in

court before. To date, only one jury, in a civil trial, has concluded

that

such a drug, Paxil, caused a man to commit murder.

In June 2001, that federal jury in Cheyenne, Wyo., ordered Kline

Beecham (now GlaxoKline) to pay $6.5 million to the relatives of

Schell. The 60-year-old had been taking Paxil for just 48 hours when

he shot

and killed his wife, his daughter, his granddaughter and himself. The

company appealed, but then settled the case, for undisclosed terms.

Andy Vickery, the lawyer who represented the plaintiff in that case,

is

among those defending Pittman in his criminal trial. Dr.

Kapit, a

former FDA official who helped review Zoloft, is expected to testify

on

Pittman's behalf about the drug's dangers.

Dr. Casat, director of research at the Behavioral Health

Center in

Charlotte, said attention to the issue has caused doctors and parents

to

take adolescent depression more seriously.

" This has opened people's eyes, " he said. " You really need to weigh

what

you're going to get from treatment against what you might lose by

withholding treatment. "

Garloch: (704) 358-5078; kgarloch@c...

========

========

..

..

[Guest guest]

..

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/living/health/10776472.htm?1c

Posted on Mon, Jan. 31, 2005

Zoloft debated in, out of court

Medication's defenders stress need to monitor children's reactions

KAREN GARLOCH

Staff Writer

Should adolescents take antidepressants?

The heated national debate comes to South Carolina this week at the

murder

trial of Pittman, the teenager accused of shooting his

grandparents in Chester County in 2001, when he was 12.

Pittman, now 15, is charged as an adult and could face a maximum

sentence of

life in prison if convicted. His trial starts today in ton,

where a

judge moved it because of concerns Pittman couldn't get a fair trial

in

Chester.

Pittman's defense lawyers claim his violent behavior was triggered by

Zoloft, an antidepressant he was taking and whose dosage was

increased

shortly before the killings.

They'll cite the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's order last year

that

Zoloft and similar antidepressants must carry warnings that the drugs

" increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior " in children

with

depression and other psychiatric disorders.

FDA officials say the medicines work well when used appropriately.

But the

warning says patients should be observed closely for " clinical

worsening " or

" unusual changes in behavior. "

Despite the warning, many parents and doctors continue to support the

use of

these drugs for depressed adolescents and worry that, without them,

children

would be at risk for suicide because of their illnesses.

" I take issue with some of the research. It's thin right now, " said

Verhaagen, a Charlotte child psychologist. " In my own experience,

lots of

kids get tremendous benefit from (antidepressants).

" I'm not failing to recognize the risks, " he said. " (But there's

also) the

risk that they could kill themselves because they're depressed. "

Antidepressants

Zoloft is one of a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake

inhibitors. Other well-known examples are Prozac and Paxil. They

increase

the amount of serotonin, a chemical that stimulates receptors in the

brain.The theory is that having more serotonin improves mood, said

Dennis

, associate professor at the UNC Chapel Hill School of

Pharmacy.

Ann Blake , executive director of the Utah-based International

Coalition for Drug Awareness, is an outspoken opponent of

antidepressants

for children. She has testified as an expert witness in trials

similar to

Pittman's.

In her book, " Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? -- Our Serotonin

Nightmare, "

argues that low levels of serotonin are not the problem in depressed

patients. The problem is an inability to metabolize serotonin, she

said, and

" these drugs impair the metabolism even further. "

" I actually believe what these drugs do to produce the violence that

they're

producing ... is to throw people into insulin shock. It's very, very

similar.

" ... When your sugar level drops like that, your brain cannot

function

without proper sugar levels. "

Suicidal thinking

Nearly 11 million prescriptions for antidepressants are written each

year

for children under 17, according to testimony before the FDA.

Only one of the antidepressants that increase serotonin, Prozac, has

been

approved by the FDA as safe and effective for children. But others,

once

approved for adults, may be prescribed by doctors for unapproved uses.

The FDA's action was based on a review of about 25 studies that

involved

more than 4,400 patients taking antidepressants. The results

indicated that

twice as many children taking antidepressants in those studies

considered or

attempted suicide as the children taking placebos.

Truly depressed people usually do not have the energy to commit

suicide,

experts say. But when they begin taking antidepressants, the risk of

suicide

goes up as the depression begins to lift.

" A person who's starting antidepressants should be in psychotherapy, "

Verhaagen said. " You need someone to meet with a kid on a weekly

basis ...

to monitor how they're doing. "

Another problem is that depression might be mistaken for the early

stages of

bipolar disorder. In these patients, antidepressants can increase the

risk

of unpredictable behavior if they are not accompanied by a separate

mood-stabilizing drug, doctors say.

Precedent

The possible link between antidepressants and violence has been

argued in

court before. To date, only one jury, in a civil trial, has concluded

that

such a drug, Paxil, caused a man to commit murder.

In June 2001, that federal jury in Cheyenne, Wyo., ordered Kline

Beecham (now GlaxoKline) to pay $6.5 million to the relatives of

Schell. The 60-year-old had been taking Paxil for just 48 hours when

he shot

and killed his wife, his daughter, his granddaughter and himself. The

company appealed, but then settled the case, for undisclosed terms.

Andy Vickery, the lawyer who represented the plaintiff in that case,

is

among those defending Pittman in his criminal trial. Dr.

Kapit, a

former FDA official who helped review Zoloft, is expected to testify

on

Pittman's behalf about the drug's dangers.

Dr. Casat, director of research at the Behavioral Health

Center in

Charlotte, said attention to the issue has caused doctors and parents

to

take adolescent depression more seriously.

" This has opened people's eyes, " he said. " You really need to weigh

what

you're going to get from treatment against what you might lose by

withholding treatment. "

Garloch: (704) 358-5078; kgarloch@c...

========

========

..

..

[Guest guest]

..

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/living/health/10776472.htm?1c

Posted on Mon, Jan. 31, 2005

Zoloft debated in, out of court

Medication's defenders stress need to monitor children's reactions

KAREN GARLOCH

Staff Writer

Should adolescents take antidepressants?

The heated national debate comes to South Carolina this week at the

murder

trial of Pittman, the teenager accused of shooting his

grandparents in Chester County in 2001, when he was 12.

Pittman, now 15, is charged as an adult and could face a maximum

sentence of

life in prison if convicted. His trial starts today in ton,

where a

judge moved it because of concerns Pittman couldn't get a fair trial

in

Chester.

Pittman's defense lawyers claim his violent behavior was triggered by

Zoloft, an antidepressant he was taking and whose dosage was

increased

shortly before the killings.

They'll cite the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's order last year

that

Zoloft and similar antidepressants must carry warnings that the drugs

" increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior " in children

with

depression and other psychiatric disorders.

FDA officials say the medicines work well when used appropriately.

But the

warning says patients should be observed closely for " clinical

worsening " or

" unusual changes in behavior. "

Despite the warning, many parents and doctors continue to support the

use of

these drugs for depressed adolescents and worry that, without them,

children

would be at risk for suicide because of their illnesses.

" I take issue with some of the research. It's thin right now, " said

Verhaagen, a Charlotte child psychologist. " In my own experience,

lots of

kids get tremendous benefit from (antidepressants).

" I'm not failing to recognize the risks, " he said. " (But there's

also) the

risk that they could kill themselves because they're depressed. "

Antidepressants

Zoloft is one of a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake

inhibitors. Other well-known examples are Prozac and Paxil. They

increase

the amount of serotonin, a chemical that stimulates receptors in the

brain.The theory is that having more serotonin improves mood, said

Dennis

, associate professor at the UNC Chapel Hill School of

Pharmacy.

Ann Blake , executive director of the Utah-based International

Coalition for Drug Awareness, is an outspoken opponent of

antidepressants

for children. She has testified as an expert witness in trials

similar to

Pittman's.

In her book, " Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? -- Our Serotonin

Nightmare, "

argues that low levels of serotonin are not the problem in depressed

patients. The problem is an inability to metabolize serotonin, she

said, and

" these drugs impair the metabolism even further. "

" I actually believe what these drugs do to produce the violence that

they're

producing ... is to throw people into insulin shock. It's very, very

similar.

" ... When your sugar level drops like that, your brain cannot

function

without proper sugar levels. "

Suicidal thinking

Nearly 11 million prescriptions for antidepressants are written each

year

for children under 17, according to testimony before the FDA.

Only one of the antidepressants that increase serotonin, Prozac, has

been

approved by the FDA as safe and effective for children. But others,

once

approved for adults, may be prescribed by doctors for unapproved uses.

The FDA's action was based on a review of about 25 studies that

involved

more than 4,400 patients taking antidepressants. The results

indicated that

twice as many children taking antidepressants in those studies

considered or

attempted suicide as the children taking placebos.

Truly depressed people usually do not have the energy to commit

suicide,

experts say. But when they begin taking antidepressants, the risk of

suicide

goes up as the depression begins to lift.

" A person who's starting antidepressants should be in psychotherapy, "

Verhaagen said. " You need someone to meet with a kid on a weekly

basis ...

to monitor how they're doing. "

Another problem is that depression might be mistaken for the early

stages of

bipolar disorder. In these patients, antidepressants can increase the

risk

of unpredictable behavior if they are not accompanied by a separate

mood-stabilizing drug, doctors say.

Precedent

The possible link between antidepressants and violence has been

argued in

court before. To date, only one jury, in a civil trial, has concluded

that

such a drug, Paxil, caused a man to commit murder.

In June 2001, that federal jury in Cheyenne, Wyo., ordered Kline

Beecham (now GlaxoKline) to pay $6.5 million to the relatives of

Schell. The 60-year-old had been taking Paxil for just 48 hours when

he shot

and killed his wife, his daughter, his granddaughter and himself. The

company appealed, but then settled the case, for undisclosed terms.

Andy Vickery, the lawyer who represented the plaintiff in that case,

is

among those defending Pittman in his criminal trial. Dr.

Kapit, a

former FDA official who helped review Zoloft, is expected to testify

on

Pittman's behalf about the drug's dangers.

Dr. Casat, director of research at the Behavioral Health

Center in

Charlotte, said attention to the issue has caused doctors and parents

to

take adolescent depression more seriously.

" This has opened people's eyes, " he said. " You really need to weigh

what

you're going to get from treatment against what you might lose by

withholding treatment. "

Garloch: (704) 358-5078; kgarloch@c...

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