'Promiscuous' area of brain could explain role of antidepressants
...ssion is commonly treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Prozac to elevate and prolong the presence of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. By blocking the uptake of serotonin after its initial release, conventional antidepressants provide the brain more serotonin for a long...Direct-to-consumer advertising may influence physicians' prescribing decisions
...The researchers chose Paxil, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant, because at the time of the study, it was widely promoted, priced higher than the generic fluoxetine, and available through the participating health care organizations in all three cities. In the control scenario, the patient...St. John's Wort only minimally effective in relieving major depression, review confirms
...wer side effects compared with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, the class of antidepressants most recently developed. The review was led by Professor Klaus Linde of the Centre for Complementary Medicine Research at Technical University in Munich, Germany. The reviewers caution that "uncontr...Anti-depressant use linked to increased GI bleeding
...research has shown that use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRIs) may be associated with an increased risk of bleeding disorders and hemorrhages. Researchers from Northwestern University examined the use of these and other medications with similar risks in patients admitted to several hospitals w...Increase in heart surgery mortality from SSRIs or depression?
...anti-depression drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) prior to undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery have significantly higher death and rehospitalization rates up to five years after the procedure than patients who were not on SSRIs. The researchers said that, based on the results...Skin infections caused by MRSA are cured more often when treated with Pfizer's ZYVOX
...luding antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), have been reported. Patients who are treated with ZYVOX and concomitant serotonergic agents should be closely observed for signs and symptoms of serotonin syndrome (e.g., cognitive dysfunction, hyperpyrexia, hyperreflexia, incoord...Antidepressants lessen risk of heart attack, Stanford researcher says
...pants were most likely to take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, such as Zoloft instead of tricyclics or other types. After analyzing the data, the researchers found that 26 percent of study participants who hadn't received antidepressants died or had a recurrent heart attack, while 21 percen...Antidepressants may lower risk of recurrent heart attack in depressed heart attack patients
...of antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), was associated with a reduced risk of death and recurrent heart attack, according to an article in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading ca...Antidepressants should be first-line approach for nerve tissue pain
...idepressants such as the newer selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and selective Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs), as well as alternative medicines such as St. John's Wort, before they can be recommended for neuropathic pain. These results on tricyclics may be encouraging but "antidepres...The Cochrane Library newsletter, 2005, issue 3
...fficult to assess the value of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) as there are few trials in neuropathic pain. The Cochrane Review Authors also found that there was insufficient high quality evidence for them to draw any conclusions about St John's Wort, venlafaxine and L-tryptophan. "The clinica...Tip sheet for Annals of Internal Medicine, Sept. 20, 2005 issue
...ration antidepressants include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), selected norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, and other drugs. Researchers conclude that choosing the most appropriate antidepressant ...Talk therapy more effective long term treatment for SAD than light therapy, study finds
...ents. A less popular option -- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors -- wasn't used. Rohan's findings, which will be published later this year as a follow-up to a 2004 study that appeared in the June issue of Journal of Affective Disorders, show that all three groups showed comparable improvement across th...Which drugs should health plans cover?
...e class of drugs for depression known as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) as an example. Direct randomized comparisons of SRIs show no difference in average effectiveness. But studies also show that half the patients who fail to respond to one SRI may do well on another. It's not possible to predict who w...Popularity doesn't necessarily make Prozac best antidepressant choice
...d Prozac (fluoxetine) to other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and to other antidepressants and found that Zoloft (sertraline) and Effexor (venlafaxine) were somewhat better for treating depression. The review also compared the tolerability of fluoxetine and several other often-prescribed antidepress...Pular antidepressants boost brain growth, Hopkins scientists report
...School of Medicine, found that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) increase the density of nerve-i... transference. "But our findings -- that serotonin reuptake modulators increase the density of nerve synapses, especially in the front part of the brain - may o...Initial results help clinicians identify patients with treatment-resistant depression
...in this first phase of the study was the serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) citalopram (Celexa, made by Forest Pharmaceuticals), and response rates were comparable across the 23 psychiatric and 18 primary care treatment sites. John Rush, M.D., and Madhukar Trivedi, M.D., of the University of Texas Southwest...Commonly used antidepressants may also affect human immune system
..., however, whether these SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) drugs "including the brands Prozac, Zo...ing a T cell response." Drugs that block serotonin reuptake "likely change some of the parameters of T-cell activation, but we don't know yet if it enhances or ...Stopping antidepressants during pregnancy may lead to symptom recurrence
...enatal exposure to the popular selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) might cause transient agitation or distress in newborns. Most recently, some preliminary unpublished data suggested a potentially increased risk of cardiovascular defects in infants exposed to the SSRI paroxetine. The current stu...Antidepressant use during pregnancy appears associated with withdrawal symptoms in newborns
...ase the need for medications. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a commonly used class of antidepressants; they are known to cross the placenta, prompting research into their effects on infants. Rachel Levinson-Castiel, M.D., of the Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tiqwa, and colle...UCSD/Boston University find antidepressants may affect fetus
...f the antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs, such as Prozac, Paxil or Zoloft, in the second half of pregnancy have a small but significantly increased chance of delivering an infant who develops PPHN. The study found that exposure to antidepressants other than SSRIs did no...