Antidepressant labels should warn young adults aged 18 to 24 that the drugs may increase their risk of suicide, the Food and Drug Administration said.
The current warning states adolescents and children may suffer suicidal thoughts while taking the drug, the Food and Drug Administration wants that expanded to those 25 and younger in light of new findings, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
The FDA has asked the makers of antidepressant drugs to add precautionary warnings to the prescription information for the drugs that are given to young people between 18 and 24 years of age during the first 1 to 2 months of use.
In 2005 the FDA asked drug manufacturers to add a similar warning regarding children and adolescents prescribed antidepressants.
Furthermore, the FDA stated that people currently taking antidepressants should not stop taking them, but consult their doctors if they have any concerns.
Dr. Steven Galson, the FDA’s drugs chief said:
Antidepressant medications benefit many patients, but it is important that doctors and patients are aware of the risks.
The FDA’s proposal comes after their request in December to amplify warnings on antidepressants based on a series of clinical studies.
The newspaper reported that — those studies, which focused on nearly 100,000 patients, found that increased suicidal thoughts occurred at early ages among antidepressant users while they decreased among older users.
Manufacturers of antidepressants will now have 30 days to submit their revised product labels and revised Medication Guides to FDA for review.
