NEWS - Cymbalta (duloxetine) tied to attempted suicides

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Antidepressant Tied to Attempted Suicides

By THE NEW YORK TIMES

Published: July 2, 2005

Federal drug regulators said yesterday that an antidepressant drug,

Cymbalta, was linked to " a higher than expected rate of suicide attempts "

among women taking it to treat a type of incontinence.

A review of Cymbalta, made by Eli Lilly, found that 11 of nearly 9,000 women

taking it for urinary incontinence tried to commit suicide, said Dr.

L. Kweder, deputy director of the Office of New Drugs in the Food and Drug

Administration.

The review was the first in a series of advisories that the agency plans on

antidepressants, in an effort to be more open and to speak directly to

patients. The agency released a general public health advisory on Thursday

that repeated prior warnings that antidepressants might lead some patients

to become suicidal.

Dr. Kweder said that attempted suicides were " not something that we're used

to seeing. "

" The numbers are small, but they got our attention, " she said.

The agency approved Cymbalta for use as an antidepressant last August. In

January, Lilly withdrew its application to sell Cymbalta as a cure for

urinary incontinence.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/02/health/02depress.html?

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org