Rate of preschool kids prescribed antidepressants skyrockets - cong investigates fda

Rate of Preschool Kids Prescribed Antidepressants Skyrockets .
http://www.ahrp.org/infomail/04/04/02.php Rate of Preschool Kids Prescribed Antidepressants Skyrockets - Cong Investigates FDA A new survey by Express Scripts found the rate at which American children are prescribedantidepressants almost doubled (49%) in 5 years. The steepest unfathomable, medical yunsupportable, increase--64%--was among preschool children. This is evidence of aviolation of the physician's oath: First, Do No Harm.
Antidepressant drugs have not shown evidence of a benefit when tested in children 6 to 18,but the drugs have been shown to pose severe risks of harm for some children and adults.
For example, a twofold increased suicide risk for children taking an antidepressantcompared to those given a placebo.
Since June, 2003, GlaxoSmithKline discloses to on the UK Seroxat/Paxil label: "In commonwith other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, withdrawal symptoms have been reportedon stopping treatment. .Dizziness, sensory disturbance (e.g. paraesthesia), anxiety, sleepdisturbances (including intense dreams), agitation, tremor, nausea, sweating and confusionhave been reported fol owing abrupt withdrawal of Seroxat." "The risk of drug withdrawalsyndrome is 25%. See: http://emc.medicines.org.uk/emc/industry/default.asp?page=displaydoc.asp&documentid=2057 Given the unfavorable risk / benefit ratio, doctors who prescribe antidepressants for childrenshould be subject to malpractice. Medical y unsupportable use of antidepressants in childrenis nothing short of child abuse.
The serious health hazards for children is a consequence of the undue influence of the drugindustry on medical practice. This industry's inordinate influence extends to the media whichis disseminating industry's misleading advertisements. The national media has lent theappearance of legitimacy to industry's unsubstantiated false claims about the safety andefficacy of drugs by repeating such claims in news reports.
The influence of the drug industry at the FDA is demonstrated by FDA's failure to (at least)issue warning labels that inform physicians and parents that these drugs are not safe nordemonstrably more effective than a placebo. Instead, the FDA has embargoed a report byits own medical officer that corroborates the fact that the clinical trial evidence showed atwofold suicidal risk for children who had been prescribed an antidepressant in companycontrol ed clinical trials.
CBS evening News and the San Francisco Chronicle reported that two Congressionalcommittees-the House Energy & Commerce subcommittee on Investigations, and theSenate Finance Committee--are investigating the FDA cover-up. See: FDA Mum On SuicidalSide Effects? Sharyl Attkisson http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/30/eveningnews/main609491.shtml See: Lawmakers open probe of FDA: Agency accused of barring safety data on Rate of Preschool Kids Prescribed Antidepressants Skyrockets .
http://www.ahrp.org/infomail/04/04/02.php antidepressants, by Rob Waters, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE Wednesday, March 31,2004. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/03/31/MNGRT5U12C1.DTL Contact: Vera Hassner SharavTel: 212-595-8974 http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040401005646&newsLang=en April 02, 2004 12:05 AM US Eastern Timezone Preschoolers Lead Growth of Antidepressant Use, Study Reveals ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 2, 2004--The use of paroxetine and otherantidepressant medications continues to grow by about 10% annual y among children andadolescents, according to a study published in the April issue of Psychiatric Services. Thestudy profiles trends of prescription antidepressant use in children and adolescents usingprescription claim information from a random, nationwide sample. The study by ExpressScripts examined antidepressant use among approximately two mil ion commercial y-insured, pediatric beneficiaries 18 years and younger from 1998 to 2002. The fastestgrowing segment of users were found to be preschoolers aged 0-5 years, with use amonggirls doubling and use among boys growing by 64%. For the entire sample, antidepressantuse increased from 1.6% in 1998 to 2.4% in 2002, a 49% increase. Over the course of thestudy, the growth in use was greater among girls (68%) than boys (34%) and, for eachgender respectively, growth was higher among younger boys and older girls. "A number offactors acting together or independently may have led to escalated use of antidepressantsamong children and adolescents," said Tom Delate, Ph.D., Director of Research at ExpressScripts. "These factors include increasing rates of depression in successive age groups, agrowing awareness of and screening for depression by pediatricians and assumptions thatthe effectiveness experienced by adults using antidepressant medications wil translate tochildren and adolescents." Throughout the five-year period of the study, selective serotoninreuptake inhibitors (SSRI's) were the most commonly dispensed antidepressants, whiletetracyclics were the least. SSRI's include paroxetine (also known as Paxil(R)), Prozac(R)and Zoloft(R). Use of paroxetine increased 113% and 91% in females and males,respectively, over the study period. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasrecommended that paroxetine not be used in children and adolescents because, amongyouths, its efficacy has not been established for depression and its use is associated withincreased risk of suicidal thinking and suicide attempts. Of the SSRIs, only Prozac has beenapproved by the FDA for treating depression in children and adolescents. xxx cut xxx Moreinformation about these and other studies are available at http://www.express-scripts.com/other/news_views/outcomes_research.htm .
http://www.nj.com/business/ledger/index.ssf?/base/business-0/1080899456221740.xmlNJ Star-LedgerMore kids prescribed drugs for depressionPreschool rate rose the most, study says Rate of Preschool Kids Prescribed Antidepressants Skyrockets .
http://www.ahrp.org/infomail/04/04/02.php The rate at which antidepressants were prescribed to children rose about 10 percentannual y between 1998 and 2002, with preschoolers accounting for the sharpest increase,according to a new study.
The study, which looked at prescriptions written for some 2 mil ion pediatric patientsnational y, found 2.4 percent were prescribed antidepressants in 2002, up from 1.6 percentfive years earlier. That amounts to a 49 percent increase in the number of people under 18prescribed antidepressants, according to the study in Psychiatric Services, a medical journalpublished by the American Psychiatric Association.
Among children 5 and under, the increase was even higher, with antidepressant use amonggirls doubling and among boys rising by 64 percent. Overal , the increase was highestamong girls: 68 percent, compared to 34 percent among boys.
The growth in prescriptions written for children occurred even though antidepressants -- withthe exception of Prozac -- were never approved for anyone younger than 18. Prozac wasapproved as a treatment for children, but only two years ago -- after the rise in juvenileprescriptions began.
The findings come amid a widening controversy over antidepressants and al eged links tosuicidal behavior and thoughts, especial y among children. Last month, the Food and DrugAdministration asked drug makers to add explicit warnings to their product labeling.
"This adds to the data showing many children are using these drugs," said Tom Delate,research director at Express Scripts, a pharmacy benefits manager that conducted thestudy. "The safety and efficacy have to be examined more closely. This may add someimpetus." He cited off-label use as the reason more children are prescribed the drugs. Off-label userefers to a common practice among doctors to write prescriptions even though regulatorshave not approved a medicine for a specific use.
Many doctors and families contend antidepressants have saved lives. This argument is alsocited by drug makers, which deny their pil s, including Zoloft, Paxil and Effexor, lead tosuicide. The manufacturers include Wyeth, GlaxoSmithkline, Eli Lil y and Pfizer.
Last year, though, British authorities warned doctors not to prescribe the drugs, except forProzac. They pointed to newly disclosed data showing one drug, Glaxo's Paxil, wasn'teffective and could increase the risk of suicide.
Last week, two congressional committees launched a probe into the FDA's handling of thecontroversy. They want to know why the agency didn't take more action, such as urgingdoctors not to prescribe the pil s.
Rate of Preschool Kids Prescribed Antidepressants Skyrockets .
http://www.ahrp.org/infomail/04/04/02.php The committee also wants the FDA to explain why one of its own medical reviewers wasprevented from presenting data at a February hearing convened to explore safety risks. Thehearing garnered national publicity after many parents testified their children committedsuicide after taking an antidepressant.
Consumer advocates, meanwhile, are stepping up cal s for the companies that makeantidepressants to release al unpublished clinical trial data. Drug makers aren't required todisclose this information, which critics say al ows negative findings to remain suppressed.
"Frankly, I cal this child abuse," said Vera Sharav of the Al iance for Human ResearchProtection, a consumer advocate. "There is no medical justification for putting preschoolerson such drugs. And there's nobody protecting the children. It's just a free-for-al ." Ed Silverman can be reached at (973) 392-1542 or [email protected] FAIR USE NOTICE: This may contain copyrighted (C ) material the use of which has notalways been specifical y authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made availablefor educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific,moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' ofany such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the USCopyright Law. This material is distributed without profit.

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