The antidepressant Effexor may cause an increase in "hostility and suicide-related adverse events, such as suicidal ideation and self-harm" to children, according to a warning letter issued by the drug’s manufacturer, Wyeth.
The letter warned doctors that tests showed an increased risk of suicidal behavior among children taking the drug and recommended they reassess the "benefit-risk balance" for each patient.
The letter also mentions that Effexor, the company’s largest-selling drug, was not shown to relieve depression or anxiety in children.
Yahoo News September 6, 2003
Wyeth distributed this information in a "Dear Doctor" letter, but interestingly failed to put the update on its Web site announcement list.
This is certainly not new information, as many will remember the story about a mom killing her five children while on Effexor. Effexor also has a history of triggering violent behavior in adults, so it is no surprise to find this warning issued for children who are put on Effexor.
This is particularly tragic as there are so many better options for treating depression than drugs. Optimizing the diet is clearly an important step, and one of the most important tools within this area is to make sure you are getting enough omega-3 fats. I have had large numbers of patients spontaneously take themselves off their antidepressants once they started taking fish oil, which is loaded with omega-3.
Dr. Stoll, director of the psychopharmacology research lab at Boston's McLean Hospital and assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, discusses this topic extensively in his book The Omega-3 Connection. I highly recommend this book, which reviews new evidence supporting the use of omega-3 oils for depression.
It is imperative that you use a high-quality source of fish oil. In my research--and in my clinical experience with my patients--I have found that:
It is likely not the only brand in the world of such high quality, but up to this point it is the only one of such quality that I can recommend, so I now offer the Carlson's fish oil and cod liver oil on Mercola.com; you can also check your local health food store to see if they carry it.
However, when it comes to the major player here, it is certainly energetic rebalancing techniques, my favorite of which is EFT. You can review my free, 25-page report that discusses how to perform the EFT technique, however, depression is best treated with a trained EFT therapist. To find an EFT therapist you can review Gary Craig’s EFT Practitioner Referrals.
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