FDA Requires New Warning for Anti-Depressants

The FDA has ordered a wide range of antidepressants to carry new warnings of an unusual but potentially deadly side effect: malignant neuroleptic syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening reaction to the use of almost any of a group of antipsychotic drugs or major tranquilizers, marked by high fever, stiffness of the muscles, altered mental status (paranoid behavior), and autonomic dysfunction. Two classes of new-generation medications for depression -- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) -- must now have labels stating that malignant neuroleptic syndrome has been linked to the use of these drugs. Some of the companies ordered to revise their labels were those making Celexa, Cymbalta, Effexor, Lexapro, Paxil, Pexeva, Pristiq, Prozac, Venlafaxine and Zoloft. Read more.