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Doctor doubled girl's antidepressant dosage before she live-streamed her suicide

Zoloft, the antidepressant prescribed to 14-year-old Naika Venant, reportedly has a critical warning that it increases the risk of suicide in children.
U.S. Military

MIAMI - A month before a South Florida foster child live-streamed her suicide on Facebook Live, the dosage of an antidepressant given to her was doubled by a doctor.

The Miami Herald reported Sunday that Zoloft, the antidepressant prescribed to 14-year-old Naika Venant has a critical warning that it increased the risk of suicide in children.

The drug had a "black box" warning that is U.S. Food and Drug Administration's strongest advisory.

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.

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