A POSSIBLE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN FLUOXETINE USE AND SUICIDE

Fluoxetine has been available for use as an antidepressant since early 1988. Numerous reports have indicated that it is at least as good as some of the tricyr antidepressants and that it does not produce as serious toxicity as the tricyclics. Recently, however, case reports have suggested that it may produce suicidal tendencies in some patients. The present report provides data from a medical examiner’s office regarding the number of cases in which fluoxetine has been detected and the proportion certified as suicides. © 1992, Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.