A month before a South Florida foster child live-streamed her suicide on Facebook Live, a doctor doubled her dosage of an antidepressant.
The Miami Herald reported Sunday that Zoloft was the antidepressant prescribed to 14-year-old Naika Venant, and it has a critical warning that it increases the risk of suicide in children.
The drug had a "black box" warning — the strongest advisory from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A spokesman for Zoloft's parent company, Pfizer, says the black box warning includes a note to families and caregivers about monitoring patients for suicidal thoughts or unusual changes in behavior.
Florida Department of Children & Families Secretary Mike Carroll told the Herald that the agency doesn't prescribe medications for children in its custody, only doctors do.
Mother of Teen Who Committed Suicide on Facebook Speaks Out
By Nathalie Rodriguez