Jill E Lavigne
St. John Fisher College, USA
Title: Suicidal ideation and behavior as adverse events of prescribed medications: An update for pharmacists
Biography
Biography: Jill E Lavigne
Abstract
Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the US. The Food and Drug Administration has labeled more than 125 prescription drugs for potential adverse effects of suicidal ideation and behavior, including all antidepressants and anti-epileptics, an antibiotic and smoking cessation agents, among others. Questions persist about causality (pharmacological provocation of suicide) in the context of psychiatric treatment response (treatment emergence) and the multi-factorial pathogenesis of suicidal behavior, which is distinct from suicidal ideation. Pharmacists may play a key role in the identification and management of these complex adverse events. Pharmacists should file MedWatch Reports even when information is incomplete or uncertain. Resources to support pharmacists managing patients at risk include hotlines, chat-lines, texting and free federally-funded on-line training. In the future, innovative data systems and approaches in the US Department of Veterans Affairs may provide additional insight into the complex causes of these adverse events.