Spring Break
Anti-depressants not the best option
Hanem Abou El Ezz
Issue date: 2/3/04 Section: Commentary
Online shopping, instant rebates, pick-up windows, diet pills--all quintessential examples of America's obsession with the "quick fix". A federal struggle began yesterday over one of the most dangerous quick fixes of all-prescription antidepressant drugs. While antidepressants have helped millions of people alleviate various mental illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and chronic depression, these drugs have also been held responsible for suicidal and violent behavior, specifically in children. Parents of some of these troubled children appeared before the Food and Drug Administration to beg that these drugs not be prescribed to children because they do more harm than good. Foreign research shows that they may be right. Doctors should not be permitted to pump children full of drugs when the affects could be deadly.
The specific drugs in question are those known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRI's. These drugs, which include commonly prescribed antidepressant medications such as Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac and Luvox, do exactly what their name implies; delay serotonin removal in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter best known for its affects on "food and mood," that is it one of the key neural chemicals that influences appetite and emotion. Under normal circumstances the neurotransmitter is released, its stimulation is accomplished and it is quickly removed. SSRI's prevent this removal and thus the affects of the neurotransmitter are prolonged which in theory should elevate the mood of the person taking the medication. Unfortunately drugs can never quite match the body's natural system and SSRI's also may cause anxiety and thoughts of violence and suicide. While SSRI's have been proven treatments for adults in various clinical trials, the only drug that was approved for use in children was Prozac, the mildest of the bunch. Even Prozac was not approved for pediatric use until a year ago, yet it was commonly prescribed to children years earlier.
The specific drugs in question are those known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRI's. These drugs, which include commonly prescribed antidepressant medications such as Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac and Luvox, do exactly what their name implies; delay serotonin removal in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter best known for its affects on "food and mood," that is it one of the key neural chemicals that influences appetite and emotion. Under normal circumstances the neurotransmitter is released, its stimulation is accomplished and it is quickly removed. SSRI's prevent this removal and thus the affects of the neurotransmitter are prolonged which in theory should elevate the mood of the person taking the medication. Unfortunately drugs can never quite match the body's natural system and SSRI's also may cause anxiety and thoughts of violence and suicide. While SSRI's have been proven treatments for adults in various clinical trials, the only drug that was approved for use in children was Prozac, the mildest of the bunch. Even Prozac was not approved for pediatric use until a year ago, yet it was commonly prescribed to children years earlier.