Depression may explain higher risk of heart attack associated with antidepressants
...d patients prescribed the newer class of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were over twice as likely to have a heart attack within the next seven days. But the increased risks of a heart attack were much lower among patients who took antidepressants for longer than a month. These risks disappeare...Studies underscore genetic involvement in nicotine addiction & aggressive hostility
...e, after taking an anti-depressant drug that makes serotonin more available in the brain. The authors speculate that, after being deprived of serotonin, these men's neural receptors were exquisitely sensitive and primed to over-react, in part by producing extra cortisol. Tying together the three findings, H...Suicidal behaviour caused by antidepressants 'cannot be ruled out'
..., 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 studies published in this issue shed new light on the...Common antidepressants lower effects of tamoxifen in many women
... data from an earlier study showing that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants may hinder the effectiveness of tamoxifen, a drug commonly administered to breast cancer patients. The study also reports that researchers now have pinpointed genetic types that are linked with this effect. Led by ...News tips from the Journal of Neuroscience
...After 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine-induced depletion of serotonin in the PFC, the monkeys' ability to set-shift rema...aired. The results predict differential actions of serotonin modulation (e.g., by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) on frontal lobe functions. 2. Blockin...Very shy children may process some facial expressions differently
... index and the presence of particular forms of the serotonin transporter promoter gene predicted smaller responses to overtly hostile and neutral facial expressions in certain regions of the brain. The researchers suggest that their findings indicate diminished brain involvement and partially impaired reading ...OHSU researcher says FDA could broaden access to results of clinical drug trials
...pany hid data regarding the safety and efficacy of serotonin reuptake inhibitors given to pediatric patients with depression. The two most frequently suggested remedies for the selective reporting of clinical trials results have been to register all clinical trials and to make their results publicly available....Antidepressants may increase risk of abnormal bleeding
CHICAGO New users of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs, a type of antidepressa...RI use and abnormal bleeding. It is believed that serotonin plays a role in blood clotting, and because SSRIs affect serotonin levels, they may be associated wi...Social supports lessen effects of maltreatment on children vulnerable to depression
...vious studies have shown that a malfunction in the serotonin transporter gene is associated with the developmen...recent stressful life events. After the release of serotonin from a cell into the synapse, this transporter takes the extra serotonin back into the cell so it is...Brain's nicotine receptors also target for anti-depressants
...relief. "Just the ability to block the reuptake of serotonin isn't enough, otherwise it wouldn't take two to three weeks to be effective, " said Marina Picciotto, associate professor of psychiatry, pharmacology and neurobiology at Yale School of Medicine and senior author of the study. "This finding has implic...Psychotherapy, meds best for youth with obsessive compulsive disorder
...ive behavior therapy (CBT), either alone or with a serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant. The research spotlights the need for improved access to CBT, since most young people with OCD currently receive only the antidepressant, often combined with an antipsychotic medication. John March, M.D., Duke...Cognitive behavioral therapy combined with antidepressant effective in treating adolescent OCD
...ft (sertraline) is a commonly prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which elicits its effects by increasing the activity of serotnin in the brain. CBT includes helping the children confront anxiety-evoking situations and refraining from performing compulsions in order to learn their fears ...Combination therapy, not medication alone, most effective for treating children with OCD
...rt-term CBT or medical management with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (such as sertraline, an antidepressant). However, little is known about their relative and combined efficacy. CBT is a form of psychotherapy that helps patients change their thought patterns and behaviors related to obsessive thou...Therapy, medication combination superior for children with obsessive-compulsive disorder
...he researchers. The drug sertraline is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) commonly used in the treatment of depression and OCD. "The results are so robust decision makers at all levels of the health care system simply have no reason not to recommend CBT as the starting place for treatment of ...Advances in understanding brain circuits responsible for tics in Tourette's shed light on disorder
...tics associated with Tourette's and that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors reduce the symptoms of obsessi...l striatum--a brain region where both dopamine and serotonin have important functions--could be involved in Tourette's syndrome. Noninvasive imaging studies sho...Scientists find new clues underlying mood disorders
...jor depression who had been treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a common medication for depression, showed smaller changes in the fibroblast growth factor system than those who had not been treated. "The fact that fibroblast growth factors were not as altered in individuals tre...Different subgroups of alcoholics respond differently to serotonin-acting medication
...hort- and long-term alcohol consumption can damage serotonin functioning. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) help to maintain optimal levels of serotonin. New findings indicate that...Adrenaline packs a powerful punch in the use of antidepressants
...activty of adrenaline in the brain); and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (which elicit their effects by increasing the activity of serotnin in the brain). Previously, it was believed that SSRIs whose over-the-counter names include Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, and Celexia produced effects on the serotonerg...Yerkes researchers discover combination of drug therapies reduces cocaine use in primates
...ation of dopamine transporter (DAT) inhibition and serotonin transporter (SERT) inhibition was effective in limiting cocaine use in rhesus macaques who are trained to self-administer cocaine. "It appears DAT inhibition serves to substitute for cocaine, while SERT inhibition may limit the abuse potential of the...Drug for depression helps irritable bowel syndrome, according to Pittsburgh study
...IBS." The effectiveness of paroxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), has been reported in case reports but not in controlled studies. SSRIs are considered first line treatments in psychiatric illnesses such as major depression and generalized anxiety disorder, which are found in 50 to 90 per...