Dangerous antipsychotics for kids? FDA panel says no problem!
The side effects are frightening. The SSRI class of antidepressants has been shown to significantly increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children and young adults after even short- term use. And drugs known as "atypical antipsychotics" can cause weight gain and high blood sugar (increasing risk of diabetes), as well as rapid heartbeat, difficulty sleeping, and trouble concentrating. But FDA says no problem—go ahead and dose your kids with them. They recently okayed the use of the antidepressant Lexapro in children as young as 12. And an advisory panel is giving the go-ahead for three under-tested antipsychotics (used for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder), one in children as young as TEN. Now, the FDA doesn't HAVE to follow the advice of this panel, but history shows they usually do. These drugs already rake in $10 billion a year from their use by adults. And the lack of FDA approval hasn't kept doctors from prescribing these drugs to children in the past. But that approval opens up a whole new world of marketing for these Pharma giants. Marketing that will surely ignore a very dangerous issue: Nobody really knows what the long-term effects of these drugs might be in children. The only studies have been short-term. In fact, some of the studies on the antipsychotics have looked at children and teens for as little as THREE TO SIX WEEKS. How can you possibly know that anything is working or safe in such a short period of time? Especially something that aims to alter the chemistry of a child's still-developing brain. And the trials haven't only been short—they've been small. Usually with less than 100 kids at any given dosage. And even these small studies have sent up red flags! According to one D.C. family advocacy group, 20-30% of the kids in the studies gained weight, and many were so knocked out by the drugs that they could barely function. No wonder they want to usher these drugs through the approval process. Better push them through before more problems are discovered! Why wait another 10 or 20 years to uncover long-term effects when they can take their chances and rake in the dough now? They'll just deal with the aftermath later, after tragedy strikes, when they can pay off a few families in court. Of course, their greed wouldn't be such a problem if the FDA didn't just stand by and let it all happen. Rather than demand more trials, more evidence, they're more than willing to put their stamp of approval on drugs that desperate families will assume are safe. And we probably won't know the extent of the damage until it's far too late. Sources:
"FDA panel cautiously OKs antipsychotic drugs for kids." Reuters (www.reuters.com), 6/10/09.
"FDA Panel OKs Newer Antipsychotics for Children." MedlinePlus (www.nlm.nih.gov), 6/11/09. | 
