Lexapro for Teens
Dawdy’s got an interesting post over at Furious Seasons critiquing the FDA’s recent approval process vis-a-vis the use of Lexapro in kids 12-17. He explains his opposition to the use of the med in teens quite clearly; the only thing I would quibble with is the assumption that withdrawal is the same in every case.
Many people who come off of Paxil, Effexor or Lexapro don’t get brain zaps, particularly if the withdrawal is done slowly. People lose patience with the tapering process and want to go faster, and sometimes do so to their detriment. At any rate, we shouldn’t assume that everyone who takes the meds has the same responses.
However, there’s a serious question here, in my opinion, about the safety and efficacy of initiating treatment with Lexapro to begin with. As Dawdy points out, the evidence is slim that it works in teens, and the brain is still developing at that age. Many people I know who grew up on meds are all fucked up, both in terms of their sense of self and their brain chemistry. They’ve been habituated to medications too early.
Go to Furious Seasons for more.
liz | 11:06 AM | BIG PHARMA, meds
Interesting that Lexapro was approved for adolescents given that Celexa wasn’t approved for pediatric use. After all, the active ingredient in Lexapro is one of the two optical isomers (enantiomers) of citalopram which are found in Celexa. On February 25, 2009 Furious Seasons reported the following from the DOJ: “The Complaint alleges that a double-blind, placebo-controlled, pediatric trial found Celexa no more effective than the placebo for pediatric use ….” How did the patent extender Lexapro get approved when the original Celexa – now available as a generic – wasn’t?
In the aim of full disclosure I was prescribed and took 60 mg. of Lexapro daily. Folks with OCD have the dubious privilege of being prescribed antidepressants in doses far in excess of those approved by the FDA. It didn’t help with my OCD or with the comorbid depression.
I continue to take 20 mg. daily since it makes someone feel so much better …. my prescriber.
I’m glad you brought up the point that many people who complain of withdrawal-induced “brain zaps” or other unpleasant side effects are trying to come off the med too quickly, whether due to their own impatience or from poor advice from their medical professional.
I would add that, at times, doctors underestimate how long it will take for the body to adjust to the decreasing amounts of the medication in your system. I’ve often stretched out the weening-off process longer than my doctor initially suggested just based on how my body was reacting, and it was definitely a good decision that made the process easier on me.
I know a woman who was on 150mg of Effexor daily and whose doctor instructed her to “just take a pill every other day for a week and then stop altogether.” Needless to say, she suffered.
My 16 year old daughter was recently prescribed Celexa for her depression. Although I certainly worry about the detrimental effects it may have, the benefits truly seem to outweigh the drawbacks at this point. She’s been miserable and isolated for so long that it was breaking my heart watching her grow up without any joy in her life.
I look back at my childhood and wish someone had addressed the emptiness I felt. If I had received treatment as a youth, I know I could’ve avoided years of desolation and drugs and suicide attempts.
Until recently, my daughter was clearly headed down a darker path herself, in spite of therapy and love and support. She was not able to imagine her future at all, had no close friends and failed classes every semester.
Now for the first time in her life she has hope. She joined two youth groups and a support group, and she now actually has plans to go to college in New York. She thinks of stuff she wants to do, and takes the initiative to make things happen in her life.
I know from personal experience that dealing with meds can be complicated, risky and very unpleasant at times. But I guarantee that living with the constant shroud of depression can have traumatizing long term effects, and can certainly be far more dangerous, especially for a teenager.
Are they crazy? its not natural. Its fucked up ppl do this to kids. Depression is just the parents not treating and raising their kids right. Thats that.
For people like Jake who think it’s bad parenting: Possibly, yes! the callous, cruel, indifferent, and aggressive way teens treat each other tells me they prob learned this method of coping from their parents. On the other hand, the victimized kids whose parents are seeking help with therapy and drugs are not the one’s you’re referring to…Right?
I’m a teenager currently on Lexapro for my depression, and I really agree with ‘Mama.’ And to Jake, depression doesn’t necessarily stem off bad treatment at home, even though it was something I did have to deal with as a child. A lot of things have happened recently that pressed me into isolation, and I know that the medication has really made a difference, since I’m more outgoing and motivated than I was before. There are some kinks where I have random anxiety attacks and the fact that I’ve lost a lot of weight and I’m really tired, but the fact that my life is able to have some sort of future right now is much better than side effects I barely notice anymore. I don’t necessarily think meds are the way to go, but it really is a better solution to failing therapy (like I had), misery, or even suicide.
Throwing more drugs into the mix is never the answer. You need to fix you. With you fixed, you won’t need drugs.
I struggled with depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts for 40 yrs. and refused medication, relying on therapy instead. When panic disorder ensued I had no choice but to try Effexor because I was “disabled” by the attacks. I discovered I am borderline though it didn’t keep me from practicing law, raising four children and living a productive life, in spite of doing it “my own way”. The Effexor saved my life; after 5 years I slowly stopped it on my own (a few borrowed Prozac helped with the longer half-life). Both therapy and drugs are tools; we must put in the effort.
For those that believe medicine is not the answer, I used to agree. Struggling with depression and severe anxiety since about 12, I believed I could get over it myself. Now, facing the possibility of my anxiety preventing me from attending my dream college, Lexapro gives me hope everyday. Your mind is a part of your body; if something is out of balance in your body you’d seek a doctor for the solution. For many, medicine is a realistic, beneficial solution.
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