Antidepressant News and Research

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Antidepressants are medicines that treat depression. Your doctor can prescribe them for you. They can improve your mood, sleep, appetite and concentration. It may take several weeks for them to help. There are several types of antidepressants. You and your doctor may have to try several before finding what works best for you.

Study highlights surging trends in prescriptions and costs of antidepressants

Researchers at the University of Huddersfield have warned there is an urgent need for the country's mental health interventions to create strategies optimizing the use of antidepressants after conducting a study which has highlighted an alarming rise in relation to usage and costs.

3 Jun 2021

Study explains why it is difficult to withdraw from certain antidepressants

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago are a step closer to discovering why it is so difficult for people to withdraw from some antidepressant medications.

28 May 2021

Lactate has antidepressant effect in mice, shows study

Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Neuroscientists from Synapsy - the Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research into Mental Illness - based at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and Lausanne University (UNIL) have recently demonstrated that lactate, a molecule produced by the body during exercise, has an antidepressant effect in mice.

28 May 2021

Novel compound similar to psychedelic drug can reverse effects of stress in mice

A novel compound similar in structure to the psychedelic drug ibogaine, but lacking its toxic and hallucinogenic effects, has been found to rapidly reverse the effects of stress in mice.

26 May 2021

Study provides an overview of neonatal withdrawal signs following late in utero exposure to SSRIs

Neonatal withdrawal signs have been documented in newborns of mothers treated with antidepressants and are known as a cause of neonatal morbidity.

19 May 2021

Neuroimaging technology used to study how brain stimulation works for treatment of depression

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, or rTMS, was FDA approved in 2008 as a safe and effective noninvasive treatment for severe depression resistant to antidepressant medications. A small coil positioned near the scalp generates repetitive, pulsed magnetic waves that pass through the skull and stimulate brain cells to relieve symptoms of depression.

4 May 2021

New genetically encoded sensor helps detect drugs of abuse

A genetically encoded sensor to detect hallucinogenic compounds has been developed by researchers at the University of California, Davis. Named psychLight, the sensor could be used in discovering new treatments for mental illness, in neuroscience research and to detect drugs of abuse. The work is published April 28 in the journal Cell.

29 Apr 2021

Study highlights the shortage of evidence for safe withdrawal from antidepressants

A new study has highlighted that while much is known about the ever increasing uptake of antidepressant medications around the world, there is very little evidence on safe and effective approaches to discontinuing treatment.

22 Apr 2021

MIND Institute study of anxiety in children with ASD has now expanded to offer online treatment

It's now easier than ever to take part in a study that includes treatment for anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the UC Davis MIND Institute's Autism Center of Excellence.

20 Apr 2021

Psychedelic drugs may work in multiple ways in the brain

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers have shown that psilocybin—the active chemical in “magic mushrooms”— still works its antidepressant-like actions, at least in mice, even when the psychedelic experience is blocked.

13 Apr 2021

Antidepressant exposure in the womb may increase offspring's risk of affective disorders

Major depressive disorder is highly prevalent, with one in five people experiencing an episode at some point in their life, and is almost twice as common in women than in men.

12 Apr 2021

Tapeworm infection drug blocks SARS-CoV-2 damage in the lungs

New research published in the journal Nature found the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the lungs resulted in abnormal pneumocytes and spike protein-mediated cell fusion. Their findings also showed that TMEM16F protein activation induces cell fusion. Therefore, drugs inhibiting the TMEM16F/Anoctamin6 calcium-activated ion channel, such as niclosamide, could serve as potential treatments for reducing the severity of COVID-19 infection.

12 Apr 2021

Antifungal and antidepressant drugs can effectively inhibit COVID-19 virus

New research published in the British Journal of Pharmacology indicates that two currently available medications--an antifungal drug and an antidepressant--can effectively inhibit the virus that causes COVID-19 in laboratory cells.

7 Apr 2021

Scientists seek Covid treatment answers in cheap, older drugs

Could a decades-old antidepressant be a secret weapon against covid? A few scientists think so, after two small studies showed that fluvoxamine, typically prescribed for obsessive-compulsive disorder, prevented serious illness in all participants who took the pills soon after developing symptoms.

29 Mar 2021

Fluoxetine (Prozac) performs strongly in vitro against SARS-CoV-2 (including mutants)

Researchers from Finland, to expand on these studies, tested some of these drugs against the new SARS-CoV-2 variants. The study is published on the preprint server bioRxiv.

24 Mar 2021

Study: 94% of older adults prescribed fall-risk-increasing drugs

Nearly every older adult was prescribed a prescription drug that increased their risk of falling in 2017, according to new University at Buffalo research.

16 Mar 2021

Antidepressants provide no important benefits for managing low back pain

A new systematic review led by UNSW Sydney has found that treating low back pain with antidepressant medicines provides no important benefits and has the potential to cause harm.

8 Mar 2021

Structural insights into glycine transporter open new avenues to find effective psychiatric drugs

Glycine can stimulate or inhibit neurons in the brain, thereby controlling complex functions. Unraveling the three-dimensional structure of the glycine transporter, researchers have now come a big step closer to understanding the regulation of glycine in the brain.

4 Mar 2021

Study reveals potential risk factors for developing nerve damage after cancer treatment

A low hemoglobin count, older age and high BMI are possible risk factors for developing nerve damage after cancer treatment, a UNSW-led study has found.