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In response to research showing an increased risk of suicidal thoughts among people taking antiepileptic medications (such as Depakote, Topamax or Zonegran), the FDA may require drug makers to add a suicide warning to their products.
The Wall Street Journal Health Blog reports that although the suicide risk seems minimal, the FDA has become increasingly aggressive about requiring suicide-related warnings.
Some manufacturers argue there are differences in risk level between anticonvulsants drugs and object to the FDA's adoption of a policy requiring suicide warnings for all drugs in the category. The FDA has not yet released its findings from a review of clinical data on this subject, so it remains to be seen whether this argument has merit.
The FDA will conduct a public meeting on the issue in July.
If you have concerns about taking these drugs, please discuss them with your doctors. Do not stop taking a medication or change how you are using it without consulting with your doctor.
You can read more about these issues at the following links:
FDA Mulls Suicide Warning for Epilepsy Drugs
Epilepsy Drugs May Vary in Suicide Risk
Related Post:
Antiepileptic Meds Related to Suicidal Ideation
Technorati Tags: suicide, news, prevention, medication, depression, migraines, chronic illness, health, somebody heal me
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Content by Diana E. Lee.
2 comments:
This is exactly why I quit taking Topamax after only one week. I started having suicidal thoughts two days after I began taking it, but I thought maybe this was one of the side effects that I was supposed to expect and that would go away soon and then I wouldn't have headaches anymore. This sounds crazy, but the Topamax was making me crazy. After one week I somehow managed to realize something was wrong, and then remember that long enough to get the phone, find the doctor's number, dial the phone, and remember why I was calling and find the words to tell the person on the other end. Maybe a warning would have helped me realize that I should have called the doctor immediately.
Thank you for posting about this. I've been having the same worries about starting depakote cause I'm already depressed enough as it is without something sending me over the edge! It does say in the side effects about the suicidal thoughts, but you have to read all the small print to find it.
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