Study: Paxil Is Worst Drug For Suicide Attempts
An interesting paper came out in PLoS last week in which researchers from the University of Alabama looked at suicidal ideations reported in the FDA’s adverse events database for 832 prescription drugs and compared that with suicide attempts reported in the database. The study covered 2004 through 2008 and found that Paxil was by far the worst drug of any kind on the market with 1,323 suicide attempts.
Interestingly, Paxil accounted for about one-third of all suicide attempts reported for all 32 anti-depressants (1,323 for Paxil and 3,572 for all anti-depressants). Analgesics had the most suicide attempts reported with their use at 4,184, although I’m completely unclear if those reports involve suicide attempts via overdose of analgesics or what.
A reader emailed me over the weekend and asked if anyone still prescribes Paxil (paroxetine in generic form), given all of its well-known problems. The answer is “Yes,” but I don’t know how many scrips a year are written for the drug in the US. I know several people in Seattle who take Paxil. So it’s still fairly commonly prescribed as far as I know.
Related posts:
- Sexual Abuse Strongly Associated With Suicide Attempts By Women
- Study: Paxil Damages Sperm In 50 Percent Of Men Taking Drug
- Paxil Interferes With Breast Cancer Drug
- Report: Glaxo Paid Out $1 Billion To Settle Paxil Lawsuits
- Study: Fewer Depression Diagnoses "Unintended Consequence" Of Suicide Warnings On Anti-Depressants
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