Women More Likely Than Men To Suffer Depression After Stroke
ScienceDaily (Nov. 11, 2009) — Depression occurs in as many as one-third of patients after a stroke, and women are at somewhat higher risk, according to a large new review of studies. Post-stroke depression is associated with greater disability, reduced quality of life and an increased [...]
Archive for the ‘antidepressants’ Category
11 Nov
Women, Depression & Stroke
8 Nov
Hunting For The Prozac Gene
ScienceDaily (Nov. 7, 2009) — Prozac works wonders for some depressed people, but not for others. In some cases, patients derive little benefit and at worst, it can lead to bizarre hallucinations and fits of rage. Researchers and doctors remain puzzled as to what causes the wide range of reaction to Prozac and similar antidepressants.
The [...]
24 Oct
Increase In Long-term Antidepressant Drug Use, UK Study Reveals
ScienceDaily (Oct. 23, 2009) — A dramatic rise in antidepressant prescriptions issued by GPs has been caused by a year on year increase in the number of people taking antidepressant drugs on a long-term basis, according to researchers from the University of Southampton.
In a paper, published in the printed edition of British Medical Journal (BMJ), [...]
24 Oct
SWEET AUDREY
I met Audrey in 1998, as an inpatient during one of my countless hospital stays. Both of us were living and breathing pitch black depression. We grew very close, seated in the lounge daily, forever sipping diet Coke. Both of us were struggling though, both feeling as if we were being swallowed up by quicksand. Everyday [...]
16 Oct
Antidepressant; Suicidal Thoughts in Men
Popular Antidepressant Associated With A Dramatic Increase In Suicidal Thoughts Amongst Men, Study Finds
ScienceDaily (Oct. 15, 2009) — Nortriptyline has been found to cause a ten-fold increase in suicidal thoughts in men when compared to its competitor escitalopram. These findings are published in the open access journal BMC Medicine.
The research was carried out by Dr. [...]
15 Oct
Offer Of Hope For Treatment Resistant Depression
New Brain Stimulation Treatment May Offer Hope For Those With Treatment Resistant Depression
ScienceDaily (Oct. 14, 2009) — A new neurosurgical procedure may prove helpful for patients with treatment-resistant depression. Bilateral epidural prefrontal cortical stimulation (EpCS) was found generally safe and provided significant improvement of depressive symptoms in a small group of patients, according to lead [...]
27 Sep
Antidepressants in pregnancy up heart defect risk
By Anthony J. Brown, MD
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – September 25, 2009 – If you take antidepressants such as fluoxetine (marketed as Prozac) early in your pregnancy, you may be doubling the risk that your newborn will be born with a heart defect, according to a new study.
However, the vast majority of children born to [...]
14 Sep
Ketamine Reduces Suicidality In Depressed Patients
ScienceDaily (Sep. 13, 2009) — Drug treatment options for depression can take weeks for the beneficial effects to emerge, which is clearly inadequate for those at immediate risk of suicide. However, intravenous (IV) ketamine, a drug previously used as an anesthetic, has shown rapid antidepressant effects in early trials.
Researchers have now explored ketamine’s effects on [...]
10 Sep
Severe, Lasting Depression Tied to Heart Patient Deaths
MONDAY, Sept. 7 (HealthDay News) — Certain depressed patients who suffer from heart disease have nearly double the risk of dying over a seven-year period compared with other depressed patients, researchers say.
The patients most at risk are those who suffer from the most severe depression within a few weeks of being hospitalized for a cardiac [...]
18 Jun
FDA Warnings & Depression Diagnosis
FDA Warnings Led To Unintended Changes In Depression Diagnosis, New Report Finds
ScienceDaily (June 16, 2009) — Government warnings about suicidality among children taking antidepressants appear to be associated with unintended and persistent changes in the diagnosis and treatment of depression in children and adults, according to a new report.
“In October 2003 the Food and Drug [...]
9 Jun
Adult type 1 diabetics have higher depression rates
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters Health) – June 08, 2009 – Adults with type 1 diabetes report more symptoms of depression and more often use anti-depressant medication than adults without type 1 diabetes, according to data released here at the 69th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
Different from type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes is [...]
6 Jun
Cancer & Mental Impairment
Antidepressant curbs cancer-related mental ills
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – June 04, 2009 – People with cancer often suffer mental impairment, but it seems this can be alleviated by treatment with Paxil, an SSRI-type antidepressant, according to results of a National Cancer Institute-supported study.
The findings were reported this week at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s [...]
3 Jun
Some Antidepressants May Thwart Tamoxifen’s Effect on Breast Cancer
Women should seek alternatives to SSRIs for hot flashes, studies suggest
June 1, 2009 - (HealthDay News) — Common antidepressants that many breast cancer survivors use to dampen the hot flashes caused by taking tamoxifen may actually boost the odds of the disease’s return, new research warns.
The finding was presented this weekend at the American Society of [...]
22 May
Depression Hits 1 in 13 American Adults
And a third never get treatment, new government study finds
TUESDAY, May 19 (HealthDay News) — Over the past year, 16.5 million Americans age 18 or older — 1 in 13 adults — experienced at least one bout of major depression, according to a new government survey.
Less than two-thirds (64.5 percent) of those individuals got [...]
13 May
Most Depressed Teens Don’t Get Treatment
WEDNESDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) — Nearly one in 10 American adolescents have experienced at least one bout of major depression in the past year, but only about 39 percent of those cases received treatment, a new government report released Wednesday shows.
Conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the report found [...]
5 May
More Americans taking drugs for mental illness
By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) – May 5, 2009 – Many more Americans have been using prescription drugs to treat mental illness since 1996, in part because of expanded insurance coverage and greater familiarity with the drugs among primary care doctors, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
They said 73 percent more adults and 50 percent more children [...]
16 Apr
Antidepressants underused in the elderly: study
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – April 16, 2009 – The results of a postmortem toxicology study indicate that elderly people who commit suicide usually do not have antidepressant medications in their systems at the time of death.
Antidepressants were found in less than 1 in 4 victims overall, and in even fewer of those in the [...]
9 Apr
Cognitive Behavior Therapy Eases Anxiety for Older People
The technique lessens worries more than usual care, study finds
TUESDAY, April 7 (HealthDay News) — For older adults, anxiety is an increasingly common problem, and new research suggests that cognitive behavior therapy may help them ease their worries more than standard care does.
Researchers found that people over age 60 who were treated with [...]
28 Feb
Antidepressants calming IBS
An antidepressant may calm an irritable bowel
By Megan Rauscher
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – February 27, 2009 – Antidepressants and psychological therapies, particularly cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), appear to provide relief from irritable bowel syndrome, at least in the short-term, according to published studies.
Antidepressants appear to help calm irritable bowels independently of any improvement in coexisting [...]
11 Feb
SSRIs May Reduce Suicide In Adults
ScienceDaily (Feb. 10, 2009) — Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may reduce the risk of suicide in depressed adults, according to a study by researchers from the World Health Organization and the University of Verona, Italy published in CMAJ.
The study, a meta-analysis of 8 large-scale observational studies, was undertaken to explore whether SSRIs reduce or [...]
1 Feb
Zoloft, Lexapro the Best of Newer Antidepressants
THURSDAY, Jan. 29 (HealthDay News) — Sertraline (Zoloft) and escitalopram (Lexapro) are the best of 12 new-generation antidepressants, while reboxetine is the least effective, a new analysis shows.
The Italian researchers reviewed 117 studies that included more than 25,000 patients with major depression to come to this conclusion.
The drugs tested in the trials were bupropion (Wellbutrin/Zyban), [...]
29 Jan
Omega-3 Fatty Acids Ease Depressive Symptoms Related To Menopause
ScienceDaily (Jan. 28, 2009) — Omega-3 fatty acids ease psychological distress and depressive symptoms often suffered by menopausal and perimenopausal women, according to researchers at Université Laval’s Faculty of Medicine.
Their study, published in the February issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, presents the first evidence that omega-3 supplements are effective for treating common [...]
23 Jan
Lexapro may ease anxiety in older adults: study
By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Jan 20, 2008 – The popular antidepressant Lexapro showed promise at easing anxiety symptoms in older adults, but the effect was “modest” and would need to be studied further, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
They said antidepressants like Lexapro, made by Forest Laboratories Inc and known generically as escitalopram, may be [...]
19 Jan
Tinnitus causes: Could my antidepressant be the culprit?
Mayo Clinic psychiatrist Daniel Hall-Flavin, M.D., answers:
Ringing in the ears (tinnitus) can be caused by many medications, including antidepressants such as Zoloft. If your antidepressant causes tinnitus, switching to another medication may alleviate the problem.
Because there are many potential tinnitus causes — including aging, allergies, aspirin, certain infections, and certain autoimmune, neurological and psychiatric disorders — [...]
12 Jan
Depression treatment for children: What works?
Mayo Clinic pediatrician Jay Hoecker, M.D. answers:
Many years ago, doctors didn’t believe that children could experience depression. But mental health experts now know that depression is as common in children as it is in adults.
For children, depression treatment may include psychotherapy either alone or in combination with antidepressant medication. Although opinions vary about which depression [...]
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