News From Canada: Pills and Kids May Not Mix

[Guest guest]

http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=a9705835-8241-\

4dd0-9559-a7e7b6bf2c3f & page=1

THE GAZETTE

Latest News

Pills and kids may not mix

Anxiety over SSRIs. Five Canadian deaths could be among 100 adverse

reactions involving children

SHARON KIRKEY

CanWest News Service

Thursday, June 10, 2004

At least five teenagers in Canada have died, four of suicide, while being

treated with the most widely prescribed antidepressants in Canada and at

least 100 other children as young as 18 months old have experienced serious

suspected adverse reactions to the pills, CanWest News Service has learned.

The most recent reported suicide involves a 14-year-old boy who killed

himself after 25 days on Paxil, one of the antidepressants known as

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

The antidepressants are at the centre of a growing storm over whether SSRIs,

blockbuster drugs that have become among the most popular medicines in

history, cause some children to become suicidal or trigger other severe

emotional or behavioural changes within weeks of the commencement of

treatment or a change in dose.

Health Canada was notified of the boy's suicide on July 22, 2003, nearly two

weeks after the government and GlaxoKline, the makers of Paxil, warned

doctors not to prescribe the drug to children and teens because of a

possible increased risk of suicidal thinking, suicide attempts or self-harm.

Health Canada learned in October 1996 of a 17-year-old boy who committed

suicide while he was being treated with Zoloft. A suicide involving a male

18-year-old who had been taking Prozac was reported to the government in

1992.

In all three suicides, the antidepressants might have contributed to the

deaths, according to adverse-drug-reaction reports contained in an edited,

online Health Canada database.

It's estimated only one to 10 per cent of all adverse drug reactions are

reported to Health Canada.

But there's no proof of a cause-and-effect link between the antidepressants

and any of the suicides.

And it's not known from the reports why the teens were receiving treatment,

or whether any had a history of suicide attempts.

" Health Canada did conduct an assessment to see whether the deaths were

caused by SSRIs, " department spokesperson Jirini Vlk said.

" There was no causal link established. "

The fourth suicide involved an 18-year-old female who overdosed on Effexor;

her death was reported to Health Canada in December 1998.

The fifth death involved a 16-year-old boy who died of cardiomyopathy,

inflammation of the heart, after taking Celexa for 17 days.

It is not known from the report, received in May 2003, how long this teen

had cardiomyopathy. The youth had also been taking another antidepressant,

and possibly an anti-psychotic drug. According to the doctor who filed the

report, Celexa " may be contributory " to the death.

The New York state attorney-general, Eliot Spitzer, launched a lawsuit last

week against GlaxoKline, alleging the drug giant " engaged in repeated

and persistent fraud " by concealing critical scientific studies about the

safety and efficacy of Paxil for depression in children and teens.

The company denied the charge.

Today, preschoolers make up the fastest-growing segment of the SSRI market,

studies show. Even infants under one are being prescribed the drugs for

anxiety or sleep problems.

Health Canada records reveal that at least five years ago, Ottawa began

receiving reports of agitation, hostility, aggression, hallucinations,

psychotic states, impulsive behaviour and other suspected drug reactions

among children on SSRIs.

But it wasn't until last week that Health Canada issued a public advisory,

warning parents to rigorously watch their children for signs of unusual or

disturbing behaviour, including want-ing to harm themselves or others.

Although British authorities ordered doctors six months ago to stop

prescribing the antidepressants to anyone younger than 18, Health Canada has

decided against barring their use by children.

Nor has it restricted their use to trained physicians who have the time to

do a proper assessment and follow-up, even though none of the drugs have

been approved for use in children in Canada.

A recent analysis by Health Canada of all adverse reactions experienced by

patients taking SSRIs found no direct link between the drugs and patient

deaths.

" What you really need is information like what other drugs were involved,

were there any other extraneous circumstances, what happened. And sometimes,

it's very difficult to be able to get that information, " said Siddika

Mithani, director of Health Canada's bureau of cardiology, allergy and

neurological sciences.

Critics say the story of how SSRIs have become among the top drugs

prescribed to children is a saga of biased reporting, bureaucratic

breakdowns and flawed assumptions that what would work in adults would work

in children.

It amounts to a " disaster, " according to The Lancet, the world's top medical

journal, leading to spiralling prescriptions for SSRIs among toddlers,

grade-schoolers and adolescents - without any evidence that most of them

work much better than placebos, or fake pills.

Some parents swear the medications have given their children full, happy and

functional lives. Such medical groups as the American Psychiatric

Association say they fear the controversy will scare doctors away from

prescribing the drugs and prevent people who need help from being treated.

But critics, including some of Canada's leading child psychiatrists, worry

the antidepressants are being handed out like lollipops.

They say their soaring use reflects our busy society's growing intolerance

for moodiness, shyness, anxiety and other normal life problems in children.

Online Extra: Earlier this year, a panel of experts recommended against

barring the use of antidepressants for children but urged drug makers be

required to provide prescribing doctors with warning, while a U.S. study

claimed there was no increased risk of suicide among children on

antidepressants. To read these reports and more on the topic, go to The

Gazette's revamped Web site

www.montrealgazette.com

- - -

Are antidepressant drugs endangering our children?

A three-day special report by CanWest News Service and The Gazette

Tomorrow: Health Canada is receiving growing reports of SSRI

" discontinuation syndrome, " a euphemism for a cluster of symptoms such as

dizziness, irritability, agitation, hypomania, impulsive behaviour and

electric shock-like sensations that patients can experience when they try to

come off selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

Saturday: Just as parents and doctors are being shaken by warnings of danger

from popular antidepressants, doctors are sounding a second alarm over the

growing number of children prescribed powerful anti-psychotics to control

bad behaviour.

Sunday: With 25,000 prescription drugs approved for use in Canada, Canadians

find it easier to choose medication instead of making lifestyle changes that

could yield the same or similar results.

SSRI

[Guest guest]

http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=a9705835-8241-\

4dd0-9559-a7e7b6bf2c3f & page=1

THE GAZETTE

Latest News

Pills and kids may not mix

Anxiety over SSRIs. Five Canadian deaths could be among 100 adverse

reactions involving children

SHARON KIRKEY

CanWest News Service

Thursday, June 10, 2004

At least five teenagers in Canada have died, four of suicide, while being

treated with the most widely prescribed antidepressants in Canada and at

least 100 other children as young as 18 months old have experienced serious

suspected adverse reactions to the pills, CanWest News Service has learned.

The most recent reported suicide involves a 14-year-old boy who killed

himself after 25 days on Paxil, one of the antidepressants known as

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

The antidepressants are at the centre of a growing storm over whether SSRIs,

blockbuster drugs that have become among the most popular medicines in

history, cause some children to become suicidal or trigger other severe

emotional or behavioural changes within weeks of the commencement of

treatment or a change in dose.

Health Canada was notified of the boy's suicide on July 22, 2003, nearly two

weeks after the government and GlaxoKline, the makers of Paxil, warned

doctors not to prescribe the drug to children and teens because of a

possible increased risk of suicidal thinking, suicide attempts or self-harm.

Health Canada learned in October 1996 of a 17-year-old boy who committed

suicide while he was being treated with Zoloft. A suicide involving a male

18-year-old who had been taking Prozac was reported to the government in

1992.

In all three suicides, the antidepressants might have contributed to the

deaths, according to adverse-drug-reaction reports contained in an edited,

online Health Canada database.

It's estimated only one to 10 per cent of all adverse drug reactions are

reported to Health Canada.

But there's no proof of a cause-and-effect link between the antidepressants

and any of the suicides.

And it's not known from the reports why the teens were receiving treatment,

or whether any had a history of suicide attempts.

" Health Canada did conduct an assessment to see whether the deaths were

caused by SSRIs, " department spokesperson Jirini Vlk said.

" There was no causal link established. "

The fourth suicide involved an 18-year-old female who overdosed on Effexor;

her death was reported to Health Canada in December 1998.

The fifth death involved a 16-year-old boy who died of cardiomyopathy,

inflammation of the heart, after taking Celexa for 17 days.

It is not known from the report, received in May 2003, how long this teen

had cardiomyopathy. The youth had also been taking another antidepressant,

and possibly an anti-psychotic drug. According to the doctor who filed the

report, Celexa " may be contributory " to the death.

The New York state attorney-general, Eliot Spitzer, launched a lawsuit last

week against GlaxoKline, alleging the drug giant " engaged in repeated

and persistent fraud " by concealing critical scientific studies about the

safety and efficacy of Paxil for depression in children and teens.

The company denied the charge.

Today, preschoolers make up the fastest-growing segment of the SSRI market,

studies show. Even infants under one are being prescribed the drugs for

anxiety or sleep problems.

Health Canada records reveal that at least five years ago, Ottawa began

receiving reports of agitation, hostility, aggression, hallucinations,

psychotic states, impulsive behaviour and other suspected drug reactions

among children on SSRIs.

But it wasn't until last week that Health Canada issued a public advisory,

warning parents to rigorously watch their children for signs of unusual or

disturbing behaviour, including want-ing to harm themselves or others.

Although British authorities ordered doctors six months ago to stop

prescribing the antidepressants to anyone younger than 18, Health Canada has

decided against barring their use by children.

Nor has it restricted their use to trained physicians who have the time to

do a proper assessment and follow-up, even though none of the drugs have

been approved for use in children in Canada.

A recent analysis by Health Canada of all adverse reactions experienced by

patients taking SSRIs found no direct link between the drugs and patient

deaths.

" What you really need is information like what other drugs were involved,

were there any other extraneous circumstances, what happened. And sometimes,

it's very difficult to be able to get that information, " said Siddika

Mithani, director of Health Canada's bureau of cardiology, allergy and

neurological sciences.

Critics say the story of how SSRIs have become among the top drugs

prescribed to children is a saga of biased reporting, bureaucratic

breakdowns and flawed assumptions that what would work in adults would work

in children.

It amounts to a " disaster, " according to The Lancet, the world's top medical

journal, leading to spiralling prescriptions for SSRIs among toddlers,

grade-schoolers and adolescents - without any evidence that most of them

work much better than placebos, or fake pills.

Some parents swear the medications have given their children full, happy and

functional lives. Such medical groups as the American Psychiatric

Association say they fear the controversy will scare doctors away from

prescribing the drugs and prevent people who need help from being treated.

But critics, including some of Canada's leading child psychiatrists, worry

the antidepressants are being handed out like lollipops.

They say their soaring use reflects our busy society's growing intolerance

for moodiness, shyness, anxiety and other normal life problems in children.

Online Extra: Earlier this year, a panel of experts recommended against

barring the use of antidepressants for children but urged drug makers be

required to provide prescribing doctors with warning, while a U.S. study

claimed there was no increased risk of suicide among children on

antidepressants. To read these reports and more on the topic, go to The

Gazette's revamped Web site

www.montrealgazette.com

- - -

Are antidepressant drugs endangering our children?

A three-day special report by CanWest News Service and The Gazette

Tomorrow: Health Canada is receiving growing reports of SSRI

" discontinuation syndrome, " a euphemism for a cluster of symptoms such as

dizziness, irritability, agitation, hypomania, impulsive behaviour and

electric shock-like sensations that patients can experience when they try to

come off selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

Saturday: Just as parents and doctors are being shaken by warnings of danger

from popular antidepressants, doctors are sounding a second alarm over the

growing number of children prescribed powerful anti-psychotics to control

bad behaviour.

Sunday: With 25,000 prescription drugs approved for use in Canada, Canadians

find it easier to choose medication instead of making lifestyle changes that

could yield the same or similar results.

SSRI

[Guest guest]

http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=a9705835-8241-\

4dd0-9559-a7e7b6bf2c3f & page=1

THE GAZETTE

Latest News

Pills and kids may not mix

Anxiety over SSRIs. Five Canadian deaths could be among 100 adverse

reactions involving children

SHARON KIRKEY

CanWest News Service

Thursday, June 10, 2004

At least five teenagers in Canada have died, four of suicide, while being

treated with the most widely prescribed antidepressants in Canada and at

least 100 other children as young as 18 months old have experienced serious

suspected adverse reactions to the pills, CanWest News Service has learned.

The most recent reported suicide involves a 14-year-old boy who killed

himself after 25 days on Paxil, one of the antidepressants known as

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

The antidepressants are at the centre of a growing storm over whether SSRIs,

blockbuster drugs that have become among the most popular medicines in

history, cause some children to become suicidal or trigger other severe

emotional or behavioural changes within weeks of the commencement of

treatment or a change in dose.

Health Canada was notified of the boy's suicide on July 22, 2003, nearly two

weeks after the government and GlaxoKline, the makers of Paxil, warned

doctors not to prescribe the drug to children and teens because of a

possible increased risk of suicidal thinking, suicide attempts or self-harm.

Health Canada learned in October 1996 of a 17-year-old boy who committed

suicide while he was being treated with Zoloft. A suicide involving a male

18-year-old who had been taking Prozac was reported to the government in

1992.

In all three suicides, the antidepressants might have contributed to the

deaths, according to adverse-drug-reaction reports contained in an edited,

online Health Canada database.

It's estimated only one to 10 per cent of all adverse drug reactions are

reported to Health Canada.

But there's no proof of a cause-and-effect link between the antidepressants

and any of the suicides.

And it's not known from the reports why the teens were receiving treatment,

or whether any had a history of suicide attempts.

" Health Canada did conduct an assessment to see whether the deaths were

caused by SSRIs, " department spokesperson Jirini Vlk said.

" There was no causal link established. "

The fourth suicide involved an 18-year-old female who overdosed on Effexor;

her death was reported to Health Canada in December 1998.

The fifth death involved a 16-year-old boy who died of cardiomyopathy,

inflammation of the heart, after taking Celexa for 17 days.

It is not known from the report, received in May 2003, how long this teen

had cardiomyopathy. The youth had also been taking another antidepressant,

and possibly an anti-psychotic drug. According to the doctor who filed the

report, Celexa " may be contributory " to the death.

The New York state attorney-general, Eliot Spitzer, launched a lawsuit last

week against GlaxoKline, alleging the drug giant " engaged in repeated

and persistent fraud " by concealing critical scientific studies about the

safety and efficacy of Paxil for depression in children and teens.

The company denied the charge.

Today, preschoolers make up the fastest-growing segment of the SSRI market,

studies show. Even infants under one are being prescribed the drugs for

anxiety or sleep problems.

Health Canada records reveal that at least five years ago, Ottawa began

receiving reports of agitation, hostility, aggression, hallucinations,

psychotic states, impulsive behaviour and other suspected drug reactions

among children on SSRIs.

But it wasn't until last week that Health Canada issued a public advisory,

warning parents to rigorously watch their children for signs of unusual or

disturbing behaviour, including want-ing to harm themselves or others.

Although British authorities ordered doctors six months ago to stop

prescribing the antidepressants to anyone younger than 18, Health Canada has

decided against barring their use by children.

Nor has it restricted their use to trained physicians who have the time to

do a proper assessment and follow-up, even though none of the drugs have

been approved for use in children in Canada.

A recent analysis by Health Canada of all adverse reactions experienced by

patients taking SSRIs found no direct link between the drugs and patient

deaths.

" What you really need is information like what other drugs were involved,

were there any other extraneous circumstances, what happened. And sometimes,

it's very difficult to be able to get that information, " said Siddika

Mithani, director of Health Canada's bureau of cardiology, allergy and

neurological sciences.

Critics say the story of how SSRIs have become among the top drugs

prescribed to children is a saga of biased reporting, bureaucratic

breakdowns and flawed assumptions that what would work in adults would work

in children.

It amounts to a " disaster, " according to The Lancet, the world's top medical

journal, leading to spiralling prescriptions for SSRIs among toddlers,

grade-schoolers and adolescents - without any evidence that most of them

work much better than placebos, or fake pills.

Some parents swear the medications have given their children full, happy and

functional lives. Such medical groups as the American Psychiatric

Association say they fear the controversy will scare doctors away from

prescribing the drugs and prevent people who need help from being treated.

But critics, including some of Canada's leading child psychiatrists, worry

the antidepressants are being handed out like lollipops.

They say their soaring use reflects our busy society's growing intolerance

for moodiness, shyness, anxiety and other normal life problems in children.

Online Extra: Earlier this year, a panel of experts recommended against

barring the use of antidepressants for children but urged drug makers be

required to provide prescribing doctors with warning, while a U.S. study

claimed there was no increased risk of suicide among children on

antidepressants. To read these reports and more on the topic, go to The

Gazette's revamped Web site

www.montrealgazette.com

- - -

Are antidepressant drugs endangering our children?

A three-day special report by CanWest News Service and The Gazette

Tomorrow: Health Canada is receiving growing reports of SSRI

" discontinuation syndrome, " a euphemism for a cluster of symptoms such as

dizziness, irritability, agitation, hypomania, impulsive behaviour and

electric shock-like sensations that patients can experience when they try to

come off selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

Saturday: Just as parents and doctors are being shaken by warnings of danger

from popular antidepressants, doctors are sounding a second alarm over the

growing number of children prescribed powerful anti-psychotics to control

bad behaviour.

Sunday: With 25,000 prescription drugs approved for use in Canada, Canadians

find it easier to choose medication instead of making lifestyle changes that

could yield the same or similar results.

SSRI

[Guest guest]

http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=a9705835-8241-\

4dd0-9559-a7e7b6bf2c3f & page=1

THE GAZETTE

Latest News

Pills and kids may not mix

Anxiety over SSRIs. Five Canadian deaths could be among 100 adverse

reactions involving children

SHARON KIRKEY

CanWest News Service

Thursday, June 10, 2004

At least five teenagers in Canada have died, four of suicide, while being

treated with the most widely prescribed antidepressants in Canada and at

least 100 other children as young as 18 months old have experienced serious

suspected adverse reactions to the pills, CanWest News Service has learned.

The most recent reported suicide involves a 14-year-old boy who killed

himself after 25 days on Paxil, one of the antidepressants known as

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

The antidepressants are at the centre of a growing storm over whether SSRIs,

blockbuster drugs that have become among the most popular medicines in

history, cause some children to become suicidal or trigger other severe

emotional or behavioural changes within weeks of the commencement of

treatment or a change in dose.

Health Canada was notified of the boy's suicide on July 22, 2003, nearly two

weeks after the government and GlaxoKline, the makers of Paxil, warned

doctors not to prescribe the drug to children and teens because of a

possible increased risk of suicidal thinking, suicide attempts or self-harm.

Health Canada learned in October 1996 of a 17-year-old boy who committed

suicide while he was being treated with Zoloft. A suicide involving a male

18-year-old who had been taking Prozac was reported to the government in

1992.

In all three suicides, the antidepressants might have contributed to the

deaths, according to adverse-drug-reaction reports contained in an edited,

online Health Canada database.

It's estimated only one to 10 per cent of all adverse drug reactions are

reported to Health Canada.

But there's no proof of a cause-and-effect link between the antidepressants

and any of the suicides.

And it's not known from the reports why the teens were receiving treatment,

or whether any had a history of suicide attempts.

" Health Canada did conduct an assessment to see whether the deaths were

caused by SSRIs, " department spokesperson Jirini Vlk said.

" There was no causal link established. "

The fourth suicide involved an 18-year-old female who overdosed on Effexor;

her death was reported to Health Canada in December 1998.

The fifth death involved a 16-year-old boy who died of cardiomyopathy,

inflammation of the heart, after taking Celexa for 17 days.

It is not known from the report, received in May 2003, how long this teen

had cardiomyopathy. The youth had also been taking another antidepressant,

and possibly an anti-psychotic drug. According to the doctor who filed the

report, Celexa " may be contributory " to the death.

The New York state attorney-general, Eliot Spitzer, launched a lawsuit last

week against GlaxoKline, alleging the drug giant " engaged in repeated

and persistent fraud " by concealing critical scientific studies about the

safety and efficacy of Paxil for depression in children and teens.

The company denied the charge.

Today, preschoolers make up the fastest-growing segment of the SSRI market,

studies show. Even infants under one are being prescribed the drugs for

anxiety or sleep problems.

Health Canada records reveal that at least five years ago, Ottawa began

receiving reports of agitation, hostility, aggression, hallucinations,

psychotic states, impulsive behaviour and other suspected drug reactions

among children on SSRIs.

But it wasn't until last week that Health Canada issued a public advisory,

warning parents to rigorously watch their children for signs of unusual or

disturbing behaviour, including want-ing to harm themselves or others.

Although British authorities ordered doctors six months ago to stop

prescribing the antidepressants to anyone younger than 18, Health Canada has

decided against barring their use by children.

Nor has it restricted their use to trained physicians who have the time to

do a proper assessment and follow-up, even though none of the drugs have

been approved for use in children in Canada.

A recent analysis by Health Canada of all adverse reactions experienced by

patients taking SSRIs found no direct link between the drugs and patient

deaths.

" What you really need is information like what other drugs were involved,

were there any other extraneous circumstances, what happened. And sometimes,

it's very difficult to be able to get that information, " said Siddika

Mithani, director of Health Canada's bureau of cardiology, allergy and

neurological sciences.

Critics say the story of how SSRIs have become among the top drugs

prescribed to children is a saga of biased reporting, bureaucratic

breakdowns and flawed assumptions that what would work in adults would work

in children.

It amounts to a " disaster, " according to The Lancet, the world's top medical

journal, leading to spiralling prescriptions for SSRIs among toddlers,

grade-schoolers and adolescents - without any evidence that most of them

work much better than placebos, or fake pills.

Some parents swear the medications have given their children full, happy and

functional lives. Such medical groups as the American Psychiatric

Association say they fear the controversy will scare doctors away from

prescribing the drugs and prevent people who need help from being treated.

But critics, including some of Canada's leading child psychiatrists, worry

the antidepressants are being handed out like lollipops.

They say their soaring use reflects our busy society's growing intolerance

for moodiness, shyness, anxiety and other normal life problems in children.

Online Extra: Earlier this year, a panel of experts recommended against

barring the use of antidepressants for children but urged drug makers be

required to provide prescribing doctors with warning, while a U.S. study

claimed there was no increased risk of suicide among children on

antidepressants. To read these reports and more on the topic, go to The

Gazette's revamped Web site

www.montrealgazette.com

- - -

Are antidepressant drugs endangering our children?

A three-day special report by CanWest News Service and The Gazette

Tomorrow: Health Canada is receiving growing reports of SSRI

" discontinuation syndrome, " a euphemism for a cluster of symptoms such as

dizziness, irritability, agitation, hypomania, impulsive behaviour and

electric shock-like sensations that patients can experience when they try to

come off selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

Saturday: Just as parents and doctors are being shaken by warnings of danger

from popular antidepressants, doctors are sounding a second alarm over the

growing number of children prescribed powerful anti-psychotics to control

bad behaviour.

Sunday: With 25,000 prescription drugs approved for use in Canada, Canadians

find it easier to choose medication instead of making lifestyle changes that

could yield the same or similar results.

SSRI