SNRIs May Be More Tolerable Than SSRIs for Some Youth With Anxiety, OCD

Youth who are taking antidepressants in the class of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are more likely to experience side effects that cause them to discontinue the medication than those taking serotonin-norepinephrine inhibitors (SNRIs), according to a report in theJournal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.SSRIs also appear to be more commonly associated with “activation syndrome”—a cluster of symptoms including restlessness, anxiety, and agitation.Both classes of antidepressants are commonly prescribed for young people with anxiety and OCD, although SSRIs have been shown to be more effective. There are few data on specific side effects that may cause children and teens to stop taking these medications; however, this analysis suggests that SNRIs may be an option for youth who experience adverse effects with SSRIs, wrote lead author Jeffrey A. Mills, Ph.D., of the University of Cincinnati School of Business and Jeffrey Shawn, M.D., of Cincinnati Children ’s Hospital.The researchers analyzed data on adverse reactions to SSRIs and SNRIs in 18 studies involving more than 2,600 children and teenagers under the age of 18 treated for anxiety or OCD. The studies compared the two classes of drugs with placebo. The SSRIs that were studied were fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, sertraline, and paroxetine; the SNRIs were venlafaxine, atomoxetine, and duloxetine.In the analysis looking at combined results for ...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Journal of the American Academy of Adolescent Psychiatry medications for youth with anxiety and OCD selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor side effects SNRIs treatment discontinuation Source Type: research