Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the side effects of long-term use of anti-depressants.

Antidepressants are an important group of medicines which help patients who suffer depressive illness and anxiety disorders. As with all medicines, antidepressants may cause side effects in some individuals and information on side effects is included in the product information for prescribers (the Summary of Product Characteristics) and patients (the Patient Information Leaflet).

The safety of the use of antidepressants in routine clinical practice, including in long term use, is continually monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA monitors all data including reports of suspected adverse drug reactions submitted by health professionals, patients and carers through the Yellow Card scheme as well as published and unpublished data. As new data emerges it is carefully evaluated and, where appropriate, product information for prescribers and patients is updated and advice issued. There have been no recent changes to product information in relation to the long term safety of antidepressants.