An antidepressant is a medication used primarily in the treatment of depression. Depression can occur if some of the chemicals called neurotransmitters in the brain are not functioning effectively.
Dementia ‘linked’ to common over-the-counter drugs — Hayfever drugs raise risk of Alzheimer’s disease, say scientists – Over-the counter hayfever tables, sleeping pills or asthma drugs significantly raise the risk of developing dementia, a study has shown.
Why some antidepressants may initially worsen symptoms – New research helps explain a paradoxical effect of certain antidepressants–that they may actually worsen symptoms before helping patients feel better. These findings may help investigators fix the problem as well as create new classes of drugs to treat depression.
Talking therapy cuts depression — Cognitive behavioral therapy may help when antidepressants don’t – Depression is predicted to become the leading cause of disability in high income countries by 2030, and currently only a third of patients with depression respond fully to antidepressant medication.
FDA takes action against thousands of illegal Internet pharmacies — Agency participates in international Operation Pangea V to protect consumers from potentially dangerous, unapproved drugs – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in partnership with international regulatory and law enforcement agencies, took action this week against more than 4,100 Internet pharmacies that illegally sell potentially dangerous, unapproved drugs to consumers. Actions taken include civil and criminal charges, seizure of illegal products, and removal of offending websites.
Popular antidepressant might prevent heart failure – A medication usually used to help treat depression and anxiety disorders has the potential to help prevent heart failure. John Tesmer, research professor at the U-M Life Sciences Institute and professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the U-M Medical School, and his research team at the Tesmer lab found that paroxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) sold under the name Paxil, inhibits G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2), a protein kinase that becomes over-expressed when people have heart failure.
PTSD genes identified by UCLA study — Findings could lead to new screenings, targeted therapies — Two genes TPH1 and TPH2 more likely to develop PTSD symptoms – Why do some persons succumb to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) while others who suffered the same ordeal do not? UCLA scientists have linked two genes involved in serotonin production to a higher risk of developing PTSD.
The link between fast food and depression has been confirmed – Eating commercial baked goods (fairy cakes, croissants, doughnuts, etc.) and fast food (hamburgers, hotdogs and pizza) is linked to depression. This is confirmed by by scientists from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the University of Granada.
Expectant mothers on antidepressants risk newborns with high blood pressure – Use of anti-depressants during pregnancy is risky for new borns to have persistent pulmonary hypertension – high blood pressure in the lungs, revealed by researchers.
Increased caffeinated coffee consumption associated with decreased risk of depression in women – The risk of depression appears to decrease for women with increasing consumption of caffeinated coffee. Caffeine is the most frequently used central nervous system stimulant in the world, and approximately 80 percent of consumption is in the form of coffee.
Depression associated with increased risk of stroke and stroke-related death – Depression significantly increases the risks of developing a stroke, and likely to be fatal. Depression with a number of other physical health problems raises stroke risk, revealed in a recent study.
