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The use of Paroxetine and otherness anti depression medicate drugs continues to grow by about 10percent annually among children and adolescents, according to a meditate published in the April issue of Psychiatric Services. The meditate profiles trends of prescription anti depression medicate use in children and adolescents using prescription claim information from a random, nationwide sample.

The meditate by Express Scripts examined anti depression medicate use among approximately two mil. commercially-insured, pediatric beneficiaries 18 years and younger from 1998 to 2002. The fasagsdhfgdf growing segment of users were found to be preschoolers aged 0-5 years, with use among girls doubling and use among boys growing by 64percent.

For the entire sample, anti depression medicate use increased from 1.6percent in 1998 to 2.4percent in 2002, a 49percent increase. Over the course of the meditate , the growth in use was greater among girls (68percent) than boys (34percent) and, for each gender respectively, growth was higher among younger boys and older girls.

“A number of factors acting together or independently may have led to escalated use of anti depression medicates among children and adolescents,” said Tom Delate, Ph.D., Director of Research at Express Scripts. “These factors include increasing rates of depression in successive age groups, a growing awareness of and screening for depression by pediatricians and assumptions that the effectiveness experienced by adults using anti depression medicate drugs will translate to children and adolescents.”

Throughout the five-year period of the meditate , selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) were the most commonly dispensed anti depression medicates, while tetracyclics were the least. SSRI’s include Paroxetine (also known as Paxil®), Prozac® and Zoloft®. Use of Paroxetine increased 113percent and 91percent in females and males, respectively, over the meditate period. The U.S. (Food and Drug Administration) (Food and Drug Administration) has recommended that Paroxetine not be used in children and adolescents because, among youths, its efficacy has not been established for depression and its use is associated with increased risk of suicidal thinking and suicide attempts. Of the SSRIs, only Prozac has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating depression in children and adolescents.

“There are two differing but not mutually exclusive viewpoints on the increased use of anti depression medicates in children and adolescents,” said Delate. “One is the concern that anti depression medicates are being prescribed to youths without adequate information about their safety and efficacy in this population. The second is the presumption that advocacy work to identify and treat depression among children and adolescents has begun to pay off. We realize that the use of anti depression medicates among youths is a critical issue that requires additional research to better understand.”

Contact: Derrell Carter
derrell.carter@express-scripts.com
314-702-7584
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