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.

Batches of the drugs Paxil and Avandamet seized by federal officials

Batches of the drugs Paxil CR and Avandamet United States, were seized by marshals at manufacturing and distribution plants in Tennessee and Puerto Rico after federal officials said the manufacturer failed to correct violations of production safety standards.

5 Mar 2005

Deep brain stimulation alleviates severe depression

Canadian researchers have found that severe depression, which is often unresponsive to standard treatments, may be alleviated with an experimental treatment called deep brain stimulation.

3 Mar 2005

Antidepressants prescribed to children will have Black Box labels warnings

Antidepressants prescribed to children should have "Black box" labels warnings, which are reserved for the most dangerous drugs, of the increased risk of suicide that they pose. This will happen mid-March, five months after the Food and Drug Administration ordered it.

3 Mar 2005

Unique study of the use of deep brain stimulation

Canadian researchers have seen promising results from a unique study of the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS), in severely depressed patients resistant to standard treatments.

28 Feb 2005

Electrical deep brain stimulation can dramatically alleviate depression

Electrical deep brain stimulation can dramatically alleviate depression that is resistant to other treatments, researchers have found in an initial study on six patients.

28 Feb 2005

Second-generation Antidepressants

A recent article in the prestigious British Medical Journal seems to confirm an increased risk for suicidal behavior among adults taking popular antidepressants. This follows evidence that certain selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may have a similar effect among children and adolescents.

27 Feb 2005

Health insurance that pays the full cost of smoking-cessation treatments can increase quit rates

Health insurance that pays the full cost of smoking-cessation treatments can increase quit rates, compared to benefit plans that pick up only part of the tab or that offer no cessation benefits at all, according to a new review of studies.

22 Feb 2005

Bipolar disorder a common feature in urban primary care practice

According to a study in the February 23 issue of JAMA. Nearly 10 percent of patients screened at a general medicine clinic in an urban area were found to have a history of bipolar disorder.

21 Feb 2005

Antidepressant drugs may be associated with an increased risk of suicidal behaviour

Antidepressant drugs may be associated with an increased risk of suicidal behaviour, particularly in the early stages of treatment, shows new evidence in this week's BMJ.

20 Feb 2005

Over-the-counter DHEA hormonal therapy may be an effective treatment for depression

The over-the-counter hormonal therapy known as DHEA may be an effective treatment of midlife-onset minor and major depression, according to a study in the February issue of The Archives of General Psychiatry. DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), an adrenal androgen and neurosteroid is available as a supplement in the U.S.

7 Feb 2005

American suicide rates have dropped steadily since the introduction of serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs

Challenging recent claims linking antidepressant use to suicidal behavior, a new UCLA study shows that American suicide rates have dropped steadily since the introduction of Prozac and other serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs.

3 Feb 2005

Premenstrual exacerbation of depression common

Virginia Commonwealth University mental health experts have found that women with depression commonly report fluctuations in their symptoms across the menstrual cycle — a key factor that may help physicians better evaluate and treat depressed women.

30 Jan 2005

Exercise reduces depression

Jumping on that treadmill or bike is not only good for one's health, but also can help significantly reduce depression, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

25 Jan 2005

Program aimed at improving the quality of treatment for depression is effective at reducing depression

An intervention for adolescents aimed at improving the quality of treatment for depression is effective at reducing depression, according to a study in the January 19 issue of JAMA.

19 Jan 2005

Few smokers make use of the help that is available

Antidepressant medicines, nicotine replacement products, and counseling can all help a smoker stick with that New Year's resolution to kick the habit. But a study by American Cancer Society researchers finds that few smokers make use of the help that is available.

17 Jan 2005

More data needed on what's effective for hot flashes

A University of Michigan expert on menopause says a new study that indicates placebos work as well as antidepressant drugs to help hot flashes shows how much more research is needed about what gives patients relief.

17 Jan 2005

European approval of Cymbalta/Xeristar for treatment of major depressive episodes

Eli Lilly and Company and Boehringer Ingelheim announced today that Cymbalta/Xeristar (duloxetine hydrochloride)(+) has been granted marketing authorization by the European Commission for the treatment of major depressive episodes.

5 Jan 2005

Genaissance patent for novel methods to correlate genetics with drug safety and efficacy

Genaissance Pharmaceuticals received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a patent claiming methods for identifying correlations between the safety and efficacy of drugs and patients' unique genetic signatures.

4 Jan 2005

Mutant gene that starves the brain of serotonin 10 times more prevalent in depressed patients

A mutant gene that starves the brain of serotonin, a mood-regulating chemical messenger, has been discovered and found to be 10 times more prevalent in depressed patients than in control subjects, report researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).

21 Dec 2004

Newly discovered genetic defect might represent an important risk factor for major depression

A newly discovered genetic defect might represent an important risk factor for major depression, a condition which effects 20 million people in the U.S., according to Duke University Medical Center researchers.

13 Dec 2004