Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, Prozac, Celexa, Remeron, Luvox, Lexapro, Serzone and Wellbutrin are all members of the SSRI class of antidepressants and may all be linked to suicidal thoughts and suicide. Stories of teenagers committing suicide in extremely violent ways, with no warning signs, and within days or weeks of beginning treatment with SSRI’s (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are increasingly being reported. As more and more adolescents are prescribed SSRI antidepressants, it is imperative to understand the way these drugs affect the risk of suicide.

If you or your child suffered violent thoughts and suicidal ideation or if you lost a loved one to suicide during his/her treatment with SSRIs, click here for a confidential, no-oligation, free legal consultation.

FDA Warnings, SSRI Label Changes

On March 22, 2004, the FDA told the makers of ten SSRIs to include a recommendation on their labels for close physician monitoring for suicidal tendencies during treatment with the drugs. There is public outrage that the antidepressant drug manufacturers AS WELL AS THE FDA may have suppressed studies finding evidence of severe antidepressant withdrawal symptoms, evidence of antidepressant-induced agitation, aggression, hostility and mania, and suicidal behavior in children and adolescents taking the drugs.

On February 2, 2004, the FDA held a hearing to understand the SSRI-suicide risk in adolescents. Parent after parent described children who had become extremely agitated or anxious shortly after starting the antidepressants, and seemingly sudden impulses that turned deadly. The FDA assigned its own researcher, Dr. Andrew Mosholder to analyze analyzing 22 studies involving 4,250 children and seven drug. Dr. Mosholder concluded in a 33-page memorandum that children given antidepressants were almost twice as likely as those given placebos to become suicidal. FDA officials removed Dr. Mosholder from the agenda at the public hearing on February 2, saying they were not ready to release the findings. U.S. lawmakers are trying to make the study public. With over 11 million children on antidepressants in the U.S., parents and children have a right to know the potentially violent and fatal effects of these drugs. Furthermore, it is the FDA’s responsibility to protect the public.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Public Health Advisory on October 27, 2003 about reports of suicidal thinking and suicide attempts in clinical trials of eight drugs in pediatric patients with major depressive disorder. This advisory follows earlier warnings about the antidepressants Paxil and Effexor. On June 19, 2003, the FDA issued a public advisory concerning the safety of Paxil, in children or adolescents younger than 18. The advisory is based on reports of a possible increased risk of suicidal thinking and suicide attempts in children and adolescents under the age of 18 taking paxil. This followed a similar announcement nine days earlier by the Committee on Safety of Medicines, the FDA’s British counterpart.


If you or your child suffered violent thoughts and suicidal ideation or if you lost a loved one to suicide during his/her treatment with SSRIs, click here for a confidential, no-oligation, free legal consultation.