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Cardiovascular and Neurological Adverse Events Associated With Antidepressant Treatment in Children and AdolescentsDepartment of Neuropsychiatry University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina, jjerrell{at}gw.mp.sc.edu
Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology University of Toronto, Canada A retrospective cohort design of Medicaid medical and pharmacy claims for 1996 through 2005 was employed for 14 171 children and adolescents prescribed an antidepressant medication and a random sample of 4500 children not treated with any class of psychotropic medication to compare the prevalence rates of cardiovascular and neurological adverse events. The treated cohort evinced a higher prevalence of cardiovascular events, orthostatic hypotension, seizures, insomnia, and headaches. In the treated cohort, patients were at a significantly higher risk for incident cardiovascular events when exposed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and weight-inducing antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and antipsychotics. Incident orthostatic hypotension was associated with weight-inducing antidepressants and mood stabilizers. Incident seizures and extrapyramidal symptoms were unrelated to antidepressant or co-prescribed psychotropic medications, but both were significantly associated with comorbid central nervous system, organic brain/mental retardation, or preexisting cardiovascular or cerebrovascular conditions. Headaches and dizziness were significantly related to taking mood stabilizers.
Key Words: antidepressants serotonin reuptake inhibitors neurological adverse events cardiovascular adverse events
Journal of Child Neurology, Vol. 24, No. 3,
297-304 (2009) |
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