The government drug regulator is examining a report on the dangers of antidepressants as it launches an investigation into the link between use of the drugs and suicide.
The report was gathered by 12 health experts and shows depressed youngsters have a sixfold increase of ‘completed’ suicide if they are on Prozac or other antidepressants compared to depressed youngsters not on the drugs.
The paper, sent to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) also highlights ‘wider harms’ of long term antidepressant use among adults and children showing up to 50 percent of users experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms including anxiety, nausea and insomnia.
It states in half of these patients withdrawal symptoms are severely and over a long term.
The report comes after the MHRA announced a review of more than 30 of the most common antidepressants, which include Prozac, prescribed to millions of adults and children in the UK. The regulator is to set up a special panel to look into the effectiveness of the current warnings.
Lord Nigel Crisp, former Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health, Sir Norman Lamb, former Minister for Care, the King’s doctor, Dr Michael Dixon, who is also Chair of the College of Medicine, and Prof Sir Sam Everington, Vice Chair, College of Medicine are all among the co-signatories of the report which states: “We are in contact with thousands of patients who have suffered devastating adverse effects as a result of antidepressant treatment – any definition of which should include withdrawal – and we know of many who have taken their lives.”
The report highlights an analysis of 200,000 adolescents which revealed those on the drugs are six times more likely to take their lives than adolescents not on antidepressants.
Lord Crisp said: “It is absolutely vital the evidence we understand the potential harms of these drugs including young people and suicide. Clearly it is vital the evidence is properly reviewed so we can assess the consequences of antidepressant overuse to the patients, their families and wider society.”
Professor John Read, Chair of International Institute of Psychiatric Drug withdrawal: “Growing evidence shows suicide increases when people start antidepressants and also when they come off them. For some, the withdrawal effects are so excruciating, for so long, they take their lives.”
More than 515 death alerts linked to SSRI antidepressants involving suicidal thoughts and self-harm, have been made to the MHRA since 2000
Some antidepressants have been given to children as young as four, and the total cost of the medication to the NHS in 2022-23 was more than £231m
There has been a huge rise in the use of antidepressants in England, with 85 million prescriptions issued in 2022-23, up from 58 million in 2015-16, according to NHS figures.
Last year 331,000 patients between the ages of 10 and 19 were prescribed an antidepressant – up from 240,000 during the same period in 2015-16.
The MHRA declined to comment.