Costs of antidepressants could have funded effective alternatives
Some of the costs of prescribing antidepressant drugs over the last decade could have been used to deliver psychological treatments of proven effectiveness, finds a study published online by the BMJ today....... Prescribing of antidepressant drugs has risen dramatically in the United Kingdom since the early 1990s. Cognitive behaviour therapy is an effective alternative to drugs, but has not been...Depression may explain higher risk of heart attack associated with antidepressants
The underlying depression, rather than the effects of the drugs themselves, may explain the increased risk of heart attack associated with taking antidepressants, suggests research in Heart. More than one in 10 older people are prescribed antidepressants.... ...The findings are based on anonymous prescribing supplied from 644 general practices across the UK, on 60,000 patients who had had their f...Sustained use of anti-depressants increases cell growth and protects cells in the brain
.New Haven, Conn. Continued use of anti-depressants leads to new cell growth in an area of the brain known to suffer cell death and atrophy as a result of depression and stress, a study by Yale researchers shows.. .Depression affects an estimated 12 percent to 17 percent of the population at some point during their lifetime. Anti-depressants are commonly prescribed for depression and other affe...Suicidal behaviour caused by antidepressants 'cannot be ruled out'
Antidepressant drugs may be associated with an increased risk of suicidal behaviour, particularly in the early stages of treatment, shows new evidence in this week's BMJ....... Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressant, yet concerns have arisen that these drugs may induce or worsen suicidal feelings in vulnerable patients....... Three...Anti-depressants used during pregnancy linked to neonatal withdrawal syndrome
Babies exposed to anti-depressants called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) in the womb may be born with withdrawal syndrome, suggests a study published in this week's issue of THE LANCET. The authors of the study conclude that doctors should avoid or cautiously manage the prescribing of these drugs to pregnant women with psychiatric disorders....... SSRIs were introduced in 1988 an...Common antidepressants lower effects of tamoxifen in many women
INDIANAPOLIS - Additional evidence that a class of antidepressants can reduce the effectiveness of tamoxifen has been published by researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine, the University of Michigan and Johns Hopkins University.... ...Results of the trial are published in the January 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.... ...The large clinical trial confirm...Antidepressants may increase risk of abnormal bleeding
CHICAGO New users of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs, a type of antidepressant) have an increased risk of being admitted to the hospital for abnormal bleeding, according to an article in the November 22 issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.... ...According to the article, case reports and observational studies have shown a relationship betw...Brain's nicotine receptors also target for anti-depressants
New Haven, Conn.--The same receptors in the brain that are activated when a person smokes cigarettes also play a critical role in the effectiveness of antidepressants, according to a study by Yale researchers in the November issue of Biological Psychiatry....... What this means, particularly for patients who are suicidal, is that finding a way to activate these receptors will make anti-depressant...Adrenaline packs a powerful punch in the use of antidepressants
(Philadelphia, PA)--Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that norepinephrine (adrenaline) plays an important role in animals in determining behavioral effects in some of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants, regardless of which biochemical pathway the drug uses to alleviate symptoms of depression. This finding -- published in the May 2004 Proceedings o...Unpublished trials data suggest most SSRI antidepressants unsuitable for children
A UK study in this week's issue of THE LANCET suggests that reliance on published studies alone to guide the treatment of childhood depression could be inappropriate. A systematic review including published and unpublished data shows that only one drug, fluoxetine (Prozac), was not associated with negative outcomes for children with depression. ... ...There is a clear need for e...Antidepressants are not safe for children
Just how safe and effective are antidepressants in children and adolescents?...... Researchers in this week's BMJ uncover disturbing shortcomings in trials of newer antidepressants in this patient group. They conclude that antidepressant drugs cannot confidently be recommended as a treatment option for childhood depression....... They reviewed six published trials of newer antidepressants in chil...Worrying rise in use of antidepressants in children
The use of antidepressant drugs in children is increasing, although evidence for their effectiveness and safety in children and adolescents is scant and widely debated, particularly for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) argue researchers in a letter to this week's BMJ....... They analysed drug prescriptions written during 2002 to over 500,000 Italian patients under 18. A total of 16...Antidepressants decrease chronic pain by inhibiting TNF production in brain, UB researchers find
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Physicians have treated chronic pain with antidepressants for many years, knowing that the medications -- particularly the drug with the scientific name amitriptyline -- helped many sufferers, but they didn't know how it worked as a pain reliever. ... Now, scientists from the University at Buffalo may have found an answer. ... In study results presented today (Nov. 10, 2003) at t...Post-stroke treatment with antidepressants appears to reduce death rate
Iowa City, Iowa -- Antidepressant treatment for people who have had stroke -- whether the patients are depressed or not -- appears to increase their chances of living longer, according to a University of Iowa study.... ...The antidepressants may reduce mortality by decreasing the number of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and recurrent stroke occurring during the follow-up period of bot...Brain images reveal effects of antidepressants
MADISON - The experiences of millions of people have proved that antidepressants work, but only with the advent of sophisticated imaging technology have scientists begun to learn exactly how the medications affect brain structures and circuits to bring relief from depression. ... ...Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW Medical School recently added important new information t...UCLA researchers check brain waves to predict effectiveness of antidepressants
A new UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute study shows for the first time that measurable changes in the front of the brain can predict the effectiveness of an antidepressant within days of treatment weeks before a patient begins to feel better....... Using quantitative EEG, a non-invasive computerized measurement of brain wave patterns, the researchers discovered that specific changes in brain-wave...Antidepressants impair cognitive function in the elderly
.New medical research provides preliminary evidence that psychoactive drugs such as antidepressants have both immediate and cumulative negative effects on cognitive performance for people age 80 and over.. . "These kinds of medications are often prescribed to improve cognitive function. However, this study showed the opposite result. In addition, these drugs are also already associated with a n.... ... ... People taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (a type of antidepressant) have an increased risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding, claim researchers from Spain in this week's BMJ. Although the risk is three times greater than those not taking antidepressants, in absolute terms the risk is moderate (estimated to affect one person in 8,000 taking antidepre...Keep an eye on the weather if you take herbal antidepressants
.People using the herb St John's wort as an antidepressant should take extra care.if they go out in the sunshine to cheer themselves up. A combination of the.popular herbal remedy and bright light can lead to cataracts, researchers told a.meeting in Washington DC last week.. . Hypericin, the active ingredient in St John's wort, reacts with visible.and ultraviolet light to produce free rad.... WASHINGTON - Researchers comparing the effectiveness of treating major.depression with either antidepressant medication or psychotherapy noted no.difference in the success of the two treatment methods after an eight-month.clinical investigation. The research will be published in the December issue of.the American Psychological Association's (APA) Journal of Consulting and.Clinical Psyc...Anti-Depressants: Miracle Drugs Or Placebos With A Buzz?
. WASHINGTON - They are widely prescribed, their effectiveness has been.highly praised and many people consider them to be nothing less.than life-savers. But is the effectiveness of drugs used to treat depression a.product of their chemistry or the patients' psychological.reaction to them? The authors of a meta-analysis of 19 drug studies involving.2,318 patients conclude that it may be th...Antidepressants Can Lead To Mouth Infections
.Persons taking antidepressant medication are at increased risk of.developing dental cavities and oral infections, researchers warn.. This is because antidepressants cause "dry mouth" by reducing the.ability to secrete saliva, according to F. P. M. L. Peeters, MD, and M.W..DeVries, MD, of Maastricht University and A. Vissink, DDS, PhD, of University.Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands....UF Psychiatrists Use Antidepressants To Treat Smoking Addiction
.GAINESVILLE---University of Florida psychiatrists are wielding new weapons in the war against nicotine addiction: antidepressants. . Part of a three-pronged approach that may include nicotine replacement therapy and counseling, the idea is to help smokers kick the habit by tackling addiction at its root: long-lasting changes in brain chemistry that train the brain to expect new levels o...