After Earlier Exoneration, Paxil Linked to Adult Suicide Attempts - CME Teaching Brief - MedPage Today

File this under "I told you so!"



OSLO, Aug. 22-Fifteen years after dismissing any association between the antidepressant Paxil (paroxetine) and adult suicide attempts, Norwegian researchers say a re-analysis of the data has found an association after all.



In a review of 16 studies that compared Paxil with placebo, the researchers found seven suicide attempts among those taking the drug, versus only one among those on placebo, said Ivar Aursnes, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of Oslo.



"Patients and doctors should be warned that the increased suicidal activity observed in children and adolescents taking certain anti-depressant drugs may also be present in adults," Dr. Aursnes said.



However, the drug's maker, GlaxoSmithKline, responded that the study was flawed and would only cause "confusion and unnecessary concern" among patients.



The Norwegian study, published in the online journal BMC Medicine, appeared in the light of warnings in April by European health regulators that several anti-depressants, including Paxil, shouldn't be used to treat children because of a risk of suicide.