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.

Otsuka announces results from aripiprazole Phase 3 trial on schizophrenia

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and H. Lundbeck A/S today announced results from a Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of once-monthly aripiprazole intramuscular (IM) depot formulation for the maintenance treatment of adults with schizophrenia.

8 May 2012

Health Canada announces labelling update for Cipralex

Health Canada is informing Canadians of a labelling update for the prescription drug Cipralex (the brand name of the drug escitalopram) regarding a dose-related risk of abnormal heart rhythms. Cipralex is used to treat depression and belongs to a family of drugs known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs).

7 May 2012

African-Americans with HIV less likely to adhere to ART therapy

African-Americans with HIV are much less likely to adhere to drug therapy than others with the disease, according to a University of Michigan study.

3 May 2012

Self-degradation response to antidepressant Zoloft observed in yeast cells

Princeton University researchers have observed a self-degradation response to the antidepressant Zoloft in yeast cells that could help provide new answers to lingering questions among scientists about how antidepressants work, as well as support the idea that depression is not solely linked to the neurotransmitter serotonin.

25 Apr 2012

Autism symptoms treatment using antidepressant SSRIs may not be effective: Review

According to a new review of published and unpublished research, the belief that certain antidepressants can help to treat repetitive behaviors in kids with autism may be based on incomplete information.

24 Apr 2012

HDAC6 protein may provide novel target for stress-linked disorders

A cellular protein called HDAC6, newly characterized as a gatekeeper of steroid biology in the brain, may provide a novel target for treating and preventing stress-linked disorders, such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

24 Apr 2012

Study supports tolerability of low-dose aripiprazole as an antidepressant therapy-augmenting agent

In the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics there is a negative study on the use of aripiprazole in depression.

18 Apr 2012

Newer antidepressant decreases depression in Parkinson's patients without worsening motor problems

Certain antidepressants appear to decrease depression in people with Parkinson's disease without worsening motor problems, according to a study published in the April 11, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

12 Apr 2012

Pelvic floor muscle training effective for adult women with urinary incontinence

A type of exercise called pelvic floor muscle training is effective for treating adult women with urinary incontinence (the involuntary loss of urine) without risk of side effects, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The report also found that drug-based treatments can be effective, but the degree of benefit is low and side effects are common.

11 Apr 2012

Oxytocin may offer hope for male sexual dysfunction

The hormone oxytocin that is also called the “love hormone” since it plays a role in the bond between a mother and baby may also improve sexual function - at least in men with Asperger’s syndrome - according to a published case report.

10 Apr 2012

Poultry producers still use FDA-banned antibiotics

In a joint study, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Arizona State University found evidence suggesting that a class of antibiotics previously banned by the U.S. government for poultry production is still in use. Results of the study were published March 21 in Environmental Science & Technology.

6 Apr 2012

Tonix completes TNX-102 pharmacokinetic study on fibromyalgia syndrome

Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp., a specialty pharmaceutical company developing therapies for challenging disorders of the central nervous system completed a pharmacokinetic (PK) study of the first formulation of its lead drug, TNX-102, for the treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome.

6 Apr 2012

Ameritox, Ridge Diagnostics partner to develop MDDScore test

Ridge Diagnostics, Inc., a neurodiagnostic company, announced today it has entered into an exclusive agreement with Ameritox, Ltd., a leader in medication monitoring, for the license rights to its proprietary developmental blood test MDDScore, a multiple biomarker analysis for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) for primary care and pain physicians.

6 Apr 2012

African-Americans and Hispanics with MDD less likely to get antidepressants

African-Americans and Hispanics with major depressive disorder are less likely to get antidepressants than Caucasian patients, and Medicare and Medicaid patients are less likely to get the newest generation of antidepressants.

6 Apr 2012

Olanzapine improves survival in mouse model of anorexia nervosa

Low doses of a commonly used atypical antipsychotic drug improved survival in a mouse model of anorexia nervosa, University of Chicago researchers report this month. The result offers promise for a common and occasionally fatal eating disorder that currently lacks approved drugs for treatment.

5 Apr 2012

Prenatal antipsychotic drug exposure may reduce scores on infant neuromotor screening

Among 6-month-old infants, a history of intrauterine antipsychotic medication exposure was associated with significantly lower scores on a standard test of neuromotor performance, according to a report published Online First by Archives of General Psychiatry, a JAMA Network publication.

3 Apr 2012

MAPK/ERK2 pathway plays a major role in mediating testosterone's effects

Testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, appears to have antidepressant properties, but the exact mechanisms underlying its effects have remained unclear. Nicole Carrier and Mohamed Kabbaj, scientists at Florida State University, are actively working to elucidate these mechanisms.

2 Apr 2012

Depression more prevalent among stroke and transient ischemic attack survivors

Depression is more prevalent among stroke and transient ischemic attack survivors than in the general population, researchers reported in the American Heart Association's journal Stroke.

29 Mar 2012

Teva, IVAX receive FDA approval for generic Lexapro to treat depression and GAD

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic Lexapro (escitalopram tablets) to treat both depression and generalized anxiety disorder in adults.

27 Mar 2012

Simple placebo pill can track footprints of prior antidepressant use

Individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) often undergo multiple courses of antidepressant treatment during their lives. This is because the disorder can recur despite treatment and because finding the right medication for a specific individual can take time.

27 Mar 2012