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Antidepressants: Children
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Many antidepressants are very dangerous if more than the prescribed dose is taken. They should be prescribed in small amounts only, taken with great care and stored out of reach of children. It's very important not to increase the dose above that prescribed. Doctors should keep in close contact with you, especially at the beginning of your treatment. You should be able to visit your doctor to discuss any adverse effects you experience.
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The difficulty of this debate stems from whether suicides were caused by the antidepressants or the depression they were meant to treat. The FDA first proposed the black box warning -- the agency's strongest safety measure short of recalling the drug -- in October 2004 after analysis of available data showed an increase in the risk of suicidal tendency ("suicidality") among children being treated with certain antidepressants. The label change was given final approval on January 12, 2005. The new FDA ruling mandates that all antidepressants bear a black box warning regarding the potential risk of pediatric suicidality.
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Tricyclic antidepressants are medicines that relieve mental depression. Sincetheir discovery in the 1950s, tricyclic antidepressants have been used to treat mental depression. Like other antidepressant drugs, they reduce symptomssuch as extreme sadness, hopelessness, and lack of energy. Some tricyclic antidepressants are ... used to treat bulimia, cocaine withdrawal, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorders, certain types of chronic pain, and bed-wetting in children.
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Children using antidepressants are at an increased risk of developing cavities and oral infections because antidepressants cause dry mouth, reducing the body’s ability to secrete saliva, a natural bacteria destroyer. Saliva limits the growth of tooth decay bacteria and infections by coating teeth with protective minerals. Saliva is needed to clean the smooth surfaces of teeth and to remineralize them.
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Discussion of the US Food and Drug Administration's possible plan to expand the "black box warnings" on antidepressant patient inserts to include a warning that antidepressants may increase the risk of suicide in adults. Such a warning is already in place regarding children and teens. Some healthcare professionals feel this would be a tragic mistake.
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The debate on the use of antidepressants in children has focused on tragic stories of suicide, findings of increased suicide risk and the ineffectiveness of antidepressants for childhood depression. Indeed, the Food and Drug Administration is now requiring warning labels that antidepressants can increase suicidal behavior in children.
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