NeuroTalk Support Groups - View Single Post - Anticonvulsant Drugs Increase Chances of Suicide

thursday · 11-16-2008, 03:25 AM

I ran across this blog post here @ Disability Blogger and he or she did not cite the source but I wanted to pass the info along.

Quote:

The FDA took a look at almost 200 clinical studies recently on eleven anticonvulsant drugs to determine whether or not they increased the chances of suicidal behaviors and thoughts. They found that while the risk was low in patients who received the drugs, it was nearly double that of those who only took placebos.

Nearly 44,000 people were included in all eleven studies combined. Almost 28,000 patients received actual drugs, while nearly 16,000 patients received only placebos. The actual amount of people at risk was only a little over 0.40 percent. While that number is extremely low, compared to the 0.22 percent who took placebos, it is almost double. The FDA determined that this meant 2 out of every 1,000 people taking anticonvulsant drugs would actually experience suicidal behaviors and thoughts. Even though it is low, it is enough for them to issue a warning statement for the drugs.

Anticonvulsants are taken by millions of people to treat conditions such as severely painful migraines, bipolar disorder and epileptic seizures. It is thought that nearly 2.5 million people in the United States suffer from epilepsy alone.

During the study, four suicides occurred in the patients taking the anticonvulsant drugs. No suicides occurred in the group that took placebos. The risk showed greater in those taking drugs for epilepsy, when compared to other conditions. Signs of suicidal behaviors or thoughts include thinking about or talking about self injury, depression, giving away prized possessions, withdrawal from once enjoyable life activities, withdrawal from loved ones, a preoccupation with death, and intense thoughts about death and dying. Symptoms usually show up within a week or so after starting the drugs.

Nearly 1,000 lawsuits have been launched against Pfizer due to their drug Neurontin. While Pfizer did plead guilty twice to off-label marketing of the drug for conditions such as migraines and bipolar disease, this study may make things even worse for the company.

The FDA warning applies to only the drugs used in the clinical trials, though they acknowledge that more studies should be done to find out if the warning should be for the entire class of medications.

The marketed names of the drugs that come with a warning are:

Carbatrol

Equetro

Tegretol and Tegretol XR

Felbatol

Neurontin

Lamictal

Keppra

Trileptal

Lyrica

Gabitril

Topamax

Depakote, Depakote ER, Depakene and Depacon

Zonegran

While it may seem that people should stop taking the drugs if they experience suicidal issues, it may not be that easy. Stopping the drugs may increase chances of seizures and can be quite dangerous and even life threatening. Instead, the FDA recommends that patients honestly speak with their doctors and try to find a solution that minimizes risks.