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| Growth in antidepressant use among children and adolescents |
| By Express Scripts |
| Published: 04/26/2004 |
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The use of paroxetine and other antidepressant medications continues to grow by about 10 percent annually among children and adolescents, according to a study published in the April issue of Psychiatric Services. The study profiles trends of prescription antidepressant use in children and adolescents using prescription claim information from a random, nationwide sample. The study by Express Scripts examined antidepressant use among approximately two million commercially insured, pediatric beneficiaries 18 years and younger from 1998 to 2002. The fastest growing segment of users were found to be preschoolers aged 0-5 years, with use among girls doubling and use among boys growing by 64 percent. For the entire sample, antidepressant use increased from 1.6 percent in 1998 to 2.4 percent in 2002, a 49 percent increase. Over the course of the study, the growth in use was greater among girls (68 percent) than boys (34 percent) and, for each gender respectively, growth was higher among younger boys and older girls. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that paroxetine not be used in children and adolescents because, among youths, its efficacy has not been established for depression and its use is associated with increased risk of suicidal thinking and suicide attempts. Of the SSRIs, only Prozac has been approved by the FDA for treating depression in children and adolescents. |
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