‘Rare but serious’ risk of suicide for patients on antidepressants, new findings reveal

EXPERTS have warned of a "rare but serious" risk of suicide for patients on antidepressants.

Depressed people on the drugs were more than twice as likely to attempt suicide as patients who were not taking them, experts found.

With one in six Brits taking antidepressants, doctors believe millions could be at risk.

Dr Michael Hengartner, of Zurich University in Switzerland, who led the study, told the : "We can be confident that these drugs are producing an excess rate of suicides, beyond the depression itself.

"There is no doubt that this must be a response to the pharmacological effect of the drugs themselves.";

Despite the alarming findings, the team found there were just 77 extra suicides per 100,000 patients in those taking the pills.

But the researchers say patients should be informed of the dangers before they start taking the pills.

Chemical triggers

They believe that for some, chemicals in antidepressants can trigger severe agitation, restlessness and psychotic episodes.

Dr Hengartner added: "I’m not saying no one should be given antidepressants, but doctors should be much more conservative about how they use them. One in six adults being given antidepressants like in the UK – that is alarming.

"Patients should be informed of the risks and they should be monitored."

One in six adults being given antidepressants like in the UK – that is alarming... patients should be informed of the risks

For the study, researchers combined the results of 14 studies involving nearly 32,000 people taking a range of antidepressants.

Their results, published in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, found that people prescribed antidepressants were 2.5 times more likely to attempt suicide than depressed people taking placebo pills.

The team calculated that for every 100,000 taking the pills, there would be an extra 413 suicide attempts and an extra 77 suicides.

Risk higher in first month

They say the highest risk was found to occur within the first four weeks of treatment, but they stressed that the real-term possibility was small.

Dr Hengartner said: "Our study signals a rare but serious risk that needs to be brought to the attention of practitioners, particularly when starting or stopping antidepressants."

But experts have pointed out that the study was based on US data - and four of the 14 drugs assessed are not available in the UK.

Professor Wendy Burn, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, told the newspaper: "It is vital that people prescribed antidepressants are monitored closely, made aware of possible side effects and know how to seek help if they experience them."

Doctors doled out a record 70.9million prescriptions for antidepressants last year — double the amount in 2008.

The number is up five per cent in a year. It cost the NHS £203million compared with £36million a decade ago, figures from NHS Digital reveal.

It comes after doctors were told to warn patients about the "severe" side-effects of quitting antidepressants.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists admitted that the debilitating withdrawal symptoms can last for weeks — or even months.

They had previously played down the side-effects, which can include electric shock sensations, fatigue and anxiety — insisting they tended to be “mild” and last no more than a week or two.

The U-turn is expected to be written into guidance for GPs by NHS watchdog NICE.

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