To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: ACN: Celexa (Citalopram) May Help Youths With Depression URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/20FA52.htm Doctor's Guide December 10, 2001
WAIKOLOA, HI -- December 10, 2001 -- An important step has been taken toward identifying safe and effective medications for treating severe depression in children and adolescents, a serious illness that affects about one youth in 20. Currently, there are no anti-depressant medications approved for use in children and adolescents. "Unfortunately, there is very little information available about treatment for depression in children and adolescents," said Dr. Karen Dineen Wagner of the University of Texas Medical Branch. Dr. Wagner is a member of a team of researchers who conducted a multi-site clinical trial of the effectiveness of citalopram - a popular adult anti-depressant marketed as Celexa by Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - with young patients. "The results of the study show that citalopram may help to relieve the suffering of youths with depression," Dr. Wagner reported on Sunday, Dec. 9, at the annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology held in Waikoloa, Hawaii. Finding effective treatments for this childhood order is particularly critical. Children who suffer from clinical depression lose interest in activities and have low energy, poor concentration and sleeping problems. They may feel so hopeless that they want to kill themselves. Clinical depression can have a devastating impact on children's school performance, friendships and family relationships. Children who are depressed are likely to experience depression in adulthood. Therefore, treatment of this childhood disorder is critical, Dr. Wagner said. The citalopram trial involved 177 children and adolescents diagnosed with major depression with ages ranging from seven to 17 years. The patients received either the drug or a placebo for eight weeks. The children who received citalopram showed a significantly greater improvement in mood compared to the group that received the placebo. Side effects, which included nausea, influenza-like symptoms and inflammation of the nose, were mild. About equal numbers of children taking the drug and taking the placebo dropped out of the study due to side effects, Dr. Wagner reported. Previous, but more limited clinical trials have reported that two other members of the same drug family known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors - paroxetine and fluoxetine - are also safe and effective in children and adolescents. SOURCE: American College of Neuropsychopharmacology --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.