Prozac found No More Effective Than Placebo for Childhood Depression, Study Reveals
LONDON – A new study has found the widely prescribed antidepressant fluoxetine, commonly known as Prozac, offers no clinical benefit over a placebo in treating depression in children and adolescents, while carrying a higher risk of harmful side effects. Researchers examining clinical guidelines in the US, canada, and Britain discovered evidence demonstrating Prozac’s clinical equivalence to placebo was overlooked, with recommendations for its use continuing despite this finding.
The study, co-authored by Mark Horowitz, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Adelaide, concludes the potential risks of side effects – including weight gain, sleep disturbance, concentration problems, and increased suicidal thoughts – outweigh any potential clinical benefits.
“Fluoxetine is clearly clinically equivalent to placebo in terms of its benefits, but is associated with greater side effects and risks,” Horowitz stated. ”It is difficult to see how justification can be made for giving young people a drug that has no advantage over placebo in terms of benefits.”
Researchers emphasize that guidelines should not recommend treatments equivalent to placebo and that current recommendations globally expose young people to unnecessary medication risks. The long-term effects of antidepressants in children remain poorly understood, with adult studies indicating potential for serious, long-lasting side effects even after discontinuation.
Professor Allan Young, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists Academic Faculty and an author of the study, cautioned that clinical guidelines consider factors beyond average effect size, including safety, feasibility, and patient preferences. He stressed the importance of prescribed drugs having “consistent evidence and safety data.”
