Posted by SLS on June 21, 2005, at 8:58:38
AMA Council on Scientific Affairs Says Antidepressants Are Safe for Adolescents
By M. Mary ConroyCHICAGO (Reuters Health) Jun 20 - A new report from the American Medical Association's Council on Scientific Affairs (CSA) suggests that anti-depressants, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as fluoxetine (Prozac), are appropriate therapies for the treatment of depression in teenagers.
Moreover, the CSA reports states that even off-label usage is justified if physicians use prudent clinical judgment.
The CSA report, which was discussed at an AMA reference committee hearing Sunday, was immediately endorsed by delegates representing the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"We believe this is a fair and balanced report," said Dr. Melvyn Sterling, clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, Irvine, and chairman of the council.
Dr. Sterling said the council report recommends that SSRIs remain available for use in both children and adolescents and states that current clinical evidence "indicates that fluoxetine is an effective SSRI in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder."
Antidepressants, especially SSRIs, have come under increased scrutiny by the Food and Drug Administration and Congress amid reports of increased suicides among teenager using the drugs.
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