Mom sparks fierce debate after medicating her son, 7, with powerful antidepressant

A Texas mother is at the center of the debate over medicating children after revealing her decision to get her son on antidepressants at age seven.

In an op-ed, Sydni Ellis said she had spent much of her son’s seven years fretting over his persistent worrying over peculiar and mundane things.

Some of his anxious thoughts included: How does home insurance work? If the house burns down, will we still be able to pay for toys? Will a monster get me as I walk across the house to my bedroom? Why does my heart feel broken?

He had been exhibiting signs of anxiety for years, clinging to his mother and father in public places, having trouble sleeping, struggling to focus in class, as well as ‘explosive’ outbursts and bouts of irritability.

She enrolled her son in biweekly talk therapy – but when that didn’t work his doctor suggested Zoloft, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI).

‘I agreed immediately, never predicting that his reaction to the medicine would shock me as much as it did,’ she said. 

The ongoing debate about the merits of prescribing SSRIs to children centers around their side effects: numbness, sexual dysfunction and, in rare cases, suicidal thoughts. 

A 2015 study by psychiatrists in the UK found the ‘impact of SSRIs on the developing adolescent brain, however, remains unclear.’

But those same physicians added that ‘overall, SSRIs show clinical benefits that we judge to outweigh the risks to neurodevelopment and are an important therapeutic choice in the treatment of moderate to severe adolescent depression.’

Ellis’ son has thrived on the medication, finally regaining the ability to have a normal childhood, she said in Business Insider.  

The little boy, one of roughly 10 percent of children who suffer from anxiety, was lighter, sillier, and more engaged with his family. 

While SSRIs are a first-line treatment for depression and anxiety, they are typically only prescribed when used alongside some type of talk therapy and her son still continued with his twice-a-month therapy sessions.

Ellis said: ‘The weight of the world, which used to seem as permanent as his left arm, simply fell off his shoulders. 

‘It was like he had been given permission to just be a kid again, and it broke my heart to see how much he must have been suffering before.

‘Medicine didn’t change him or give him a personality transplant. It simply allowed who he was to float to the surface because waves of anxiety, worries, and fear were no longer dragging him down,’ she said.

Medications for mood disorders are exceedingly common. 

Around 13 percent of adults have a prescription for antidepressants, such as Zoloft, Prozac, Celexa, and Paxil.

And roughly 500,000 children in the US take one of these drugs, which are FDA-approved for use in children as young as six.

Most parents debating the issue see medicating children for severe anxiety as a worthy option.

One parent said on Reddit that her daughter ‘has a much easier time at night now – not seeing scary things and no melt downs at night and crying about not wanting to go to school. Her intrusive thoughts were reduced.’

Another said: ‘It took awhile to find the right [medicine] but it has been life changing. He doesn’t even need most of his IEP [Individualized Education Program] accommodations anymore, and he has his first friend.’

But not every parent – or pediatrician – is convinced.

Another mother on Reddit said: ‘We really were leaning toward starting our 6 yr old on one but the [doctor] wasn’t sure about starting it so early so we are doing low dose Ritalin [a drug used to treat ADHD] and hoping treating one will help with the other.’

A second posted: ‘As we started treating my 6yo’s ADHD (stimulants, guanfacine so far) it became clear that anxiety is a significant comorbidity for him.

‘But it doesn’t seem like there are a ton of good anxiolytic options out there for kids (I am nervous of SSRIs because of the black box warning, which affected me when I took SSRIs as a teen a million years ago).’

A Black Box Warning is the most serious warning the FDA requires drug companies to put on a prescription label, alerting patients of an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, adolescents, and young adults (up to age 24) with major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders.

Children under 18 tend to have a higher risk of suicidality, particularly during the first three months of treatment or after dose changes.

A third mother added: ‘I’m nervous for SSRIs as well. I first took them when I was a teen and I’m pretty sure it’s permanently screwed up my brain. Also, killed my libido, and even when I got off it never returned. I’d hate for that to happen to my child.’

A 2022 meta-analysis of studies on the topic found that SSRI use was linked to a 28 percent increased risk of suicide attempts. However, completed suicides did not show a statistically significant increase.

The researchers added a major caveat, though: Evidence of SSRIs and suicidality in youth is not entirely clear-cut, despite the observed increased risk of suicide attempts. 

Some studies show a significant increase in suicide attempts, while others (especially the gold-standard randomized control trials) find no statistically significant link.

Less severe side effects such as dry mouth, constipation, fatigue, vomiting, decreased appetite and trouble sleeping, can be more common.  

But, Ellis was ready to try anything with a proven track record of helping children like her son. 

His suffering was ever-present and crushing. His chronic anxiety was robbing him of his right to a vibrant childhood.

She said: ‘My stressed-out, always worrying, prone-to-meltdown-having boy felt lighter. It was like he was made of helium, floating through the house, giggling, playing with our family dog, letting his little brothers go first.

‘For the first time in years, he is a carefree kid, and I couldn’t be happier for him.’