title: Paradoxical worsening of depressive symptomatology caused by antidepressants.
abstract: Major depressive episodes can be precipitated by a variety of mechanisms, including the administration of medications. We report four cases in which antidepressant medication appeared to exacerbate a major depressive episode to the point of suicide. Subsequent withdrawal of the initially prescribed antidepressant medication led to a partial remission in each case. These case reports point out the possibility of antidepressant medication precipitating suicidal behavior in depressed patients and underscore the need for careful monitoring of symptomatology during the initial weeks of medication prescription in this population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla.
authors.forename: N F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Damluji
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ferguson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects*; D000368:Aged; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents