As the use of antidepressants in teens continues to rise, new research from The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) suggests that these medications may have long-term effects beyond their intended purpose. A recent study on mice shows that Prozac, a widely prescribed antidepressant, could increase sensitivity to pain in adult females if taken during adolescence.
The study was led by Dr. Sergio Iñiguez, a professor of psychology at UTEP who specializes in anxiety and depression research. The results were published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. According to Dr. Iñiguez, this growing body of research is uncovering how drugs like Prozac can shape the brain in lasting ways—beyond just regulating mood.
Prozac, also known as fluoxetine, belongs to a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It’s commonly prescribed to treat depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other mental health issues.
While considered safe for adolescents in the short term, Iñiguez notes that not enough is known about the drug’s long-term effects—especially when treatment begins at a young age.
Antidepressant use among teens, especially girls, has been climbing steadily for years, with a sharp rise after the COVID-19 pandemic. Iñiguez cited data showing that the rate of antidepressant prescriptions for young adults increased by more than 60% faster after the pandemic began, particularly among female patients.
To better understand how early exposure to Prozac might affect pain perception later in life, Iñiguez’s team conducted a study using mice, which are commonly used in psychological research due to their genetic and behavioral similarities to humans.
Anapaula Themann, a doctoral student in psychology and the lead author of the study, explained the experiment. The team gave 20 adolescent female mice Prozac through their drinking water for two weeks. After the mice reached adulthood (about 70 days old), the researchers tested their sensitivity to pain by placing them on a warm plate.
The plate was hot enough to cause mild discomfort but not enough to cause harm. The team recorded how long it took each mouse to lick its back paws, a common mouse behavior used to relieve discomfort.
The results showed that the mice who had received Prozac during adolescence reacted more quickly than those who had not, indicating that they were more sensitive to the discomfort. In addition, these mice also weighed less than those in the control group.
The researchers believe these changes may be linked to the development of the medial prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain involved in pain regulation.
They suspect that early exposure to Prozac might interfere with this brain region’s growth. Another possibility is that the drug increases certain inflammatory markers in the brain, which could make the brain more sensitive to painful or uncomfortable stimuli over time.
Themann explained that their next step is to study the brain mechanisms responsible for this effect. “Now that we know that juvenile Prozac exposure increases pain sensitivity in adulthood, we plan to investigate the brain mechanisms behind this long-term side effect,” she said.
Despite the findings, both Iñiguez and Themann stressed the importance of antidepressants as a valuable tool for managing mental health. “Treatments like Prozac can be an incredibly useful tool for addressing illnesses like depression and anxiety,” Iñiguez said.
“Learning more about their long-term effects can help us understand the full picture and ultimately improve the medications and treatment protocols.”
The study was supported by funding from the National Institute for General Medical Sciences, a branch of the National Institutes of Health.
In summary, while antidepressants like Prozac can be essential for helping young people manage mental health conditions, this new research points to the importance of also studying their long-term impact on the developing brain—especially when prescribed during the teenage years.
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The research findings can be found in the Journal of Psychiatric Research.
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