Common antidepressant may increase pain sensitivity later in life if taken during adolescence

A recently published article on a project led by Anapaula Themann, graduate student in the Iñiguez lab, has received media attention. This research demonstrates that adolescent exposure to Prozac – currently the only SSRI approved for children as young as 8 – induces heightened pain sensitivity in adult female mice. This raises public health and regulatory concerns about the long-term safety of prescribing SSRIs during critical developmental periods, particularly among young girls, whose antidepressant use has surged since the pandemic.

Link to paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40250326/

Link to story: https://www.psypost.org/common-antidepressant-may-increase-pain-sensitivity-later-in-life-if-taken-during-adolescence/