Antidepressant News and Research

RSS

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.

Sexual abuse and bullying related to smoking dependence and binge eating

People who ever suffered bullying or sexual abuse have a lower quality of life similar to those living with chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, depression or severe anxiety, a new study from the University of Adelaide has found.

11 Jan 2019

Therapists should regularly assess depression symptoms and augment treatment for insufficient responders

Adolescents with depression who were treated with interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-A) had significantly better outcomes when their therapists regularly assessed depression symptoms and augmented treatment for insufficient responders after four weeks of therapy rather than waiting until Week 8, reports a study published in the January 2019 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

8 Jan 2019

Experts analyze data that can guide antidepressant discontinuation

There has been a lot of attention to problems patients face in discontinuing antidepressant drugs. However, there appear to be few indications, particularly in guidelines and reviews.

13 Dec 2018

International investigators fight against the negative campaign on benzodiazepines

In the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomaticsthere is news about an international group of investigators who felt that benzodiazepines are getting unwarranted bad press, compared to other psychotropic drugs.

9 Dec 2018

Common antidepressant does not promote recovery after stroke, study finds

Stroke patients prescribed a common antidepressant show no improvement compared with those given a dummy drug, a study has found.

6 Dec 2018

$Alternative drug linked with comparable risk of falls, major fractures as atypical antipsychotics in older dementia patients$

Alternative drug linked with comparable risk of falls, major fractures as atypical antipsychotics in older dementia patients

As physicians attempt to decrease antipsychotic use in seniors with dementia, they need to be aware that trazadone, frequently used as an alternative, is associated with a similar risk of falls and major fractures as atypical antipsychotics, according to new research in CMAJ.

26 Nov 2018

Antidepressant use increased after Brexit vote

A new study has shown that use of antidepressants have risen in England after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. There has also been a sharp fall in prescription of other medications, the study notes.

22 Nov 2018

Pharmacogenetic tests don't provide much information for prescribing antidepressants or antipsychotics

Pharmacogenetic tests are marketed as an aid to psychiatrists in selecting the antidepressant or antipsychotic medication that will work best in individual patients, based on their genetic makeup.

21 Nov 2018

Potential treatment for rare polio-like illness shows no signal of efficacy

Researchers have been searching for possible treatments for the polio-like illness causing paralysis in children, called acute flaccid myelitis.

9 Nov 2018

Drug combination not more effective in improving depression than single antidepressant

Psychiatrists and GPs increasingly combine mirtazapine with an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) or SNRI (serotonin-noradenaline reuptake inhibitor) antidepressant for patients whose depression does not respond to a single antidepressant.

1 Nov 2018

Investigational drug targeting the opioid system may help reduce symptoms of major depression

Two clinical trials of an investigational drug that targets the opioid system support its safety and effectiveness in reducing symptoms of major depression, when added to standard antidepressant treatment.

29 Oct 2018

Study reveals safety, efficacy of brexpiprazole for schizophrenia patients with severe psychotic symptoms

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and H. Lundbeck A/S announced study results on the safety and efficacy of brexpiprazole in the treatment of patients with schizophrenia experiencing severe psychotic symptoms during an acute episode. The data will be presented at the upcoming Psych Congress, held in Orlando from October 25-28, 2018.

26 Oct 2018

Supervised aerobic exercise can support major depression treatment

An analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials indicates that supervised aerobic exercise has large antidepressant treatment effects for patients with major depression. The systematic review and meta-analysis is published in Depression and Anxiety.

18 Oct 2018

Antidepressant treatment may lead to improvements in sleep quality of patients with depression

In a study of 15 patients affected by major depressive disorder and complaining of insomnia, initiating treatment with vortioxetine for their depressive symptoms led to significant improvements in subjective sleep quality and daytime sleepiness.

17 Oct 2018

Hidden drugs and danger lurk in over-the-counter supplements, study finds

Everyone has seen the ads or the products on the shelves. A dietary supplement that promises to make consumers skinny, without dieting or exercise. Or the one that will bulk them up and turn them into the envy of other weightlifters at the gym. Not to mention the one to make them perform better in the bedroom.

12 Oct 2018

Antidepressants can be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease

Scientists at the University of Waterloo have discovered that antidepressant medications can be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

12 Oct 2018

Researchers identify effective ketamine dosage levels for patients with treatment-resistant depression

A study led by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators identifies two subanesthetic dosage levels of the anesthetic drug ketamine that appear to provide significant symptom relief to patients with treatment-resistant depression.

11 Oct 2018

Study: Sarcoma patients poorly informed about risk of interactions with anti-cancer drugs

Sarcoma patients show great openness to the use of complementary alternative medicines (CAMs) for supportive care, but they are poorly informed about safety issues and risk of interactions with anti-cancer drugs, a study to be presented at ESMO 2018 reported.

10 Oct 2018

Study suggests novel approach to treating adults with autism spectrum disorder

A team of scientists at Florida Atlantic University has uncovered a brain-signaling pathway that can be pharmacologically manipulated in genetically engineered mice to reverse an autism-related pathway.

8 Oct 2018

Some people can avoid depression by maintaining serotonin level throughout the year

Some people can adjust to environmental stressors to avoid depression. Women need to do this more than men to avoid getting depressed.

3 Oct 2018