{"id":9654,"date":"2017-10-16T07:43:17","date_gmt":"2017-10-16T11:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=9654"},"modified":"2017-10-16T07:41:24","modified_gmt":"2017-10-16T11:41:24","slug":"could-antidepressants-be-killing-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2017\/10\/could-antidepressants-be-killing-you.html","title":{"rendered":"Could Antidepressants Do Harm?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"pill-1884775_1920\"People who struggle with depression often go to their primary care doctor and are\u00a0placed on antidepressants. In some cases, a\u00a0formal evaluation of depression is\u00a0not even\u00a0conducted. But\u00a0even when a patient is determined to be depressed, the cost and benefits of being on a medication should always be discussed. \u00a0The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1 in 11 or 1 in 14 people meet criteria for clinical depression. That is a lot of people! And a lot of people want to know if antidepressants are safe.<\/p>\n

If you Google safety of antidepressants, you will get general information saying they are relatively safe with certain exceptions. But it is important to also know that there are newer studies being done to assess the safety and effectiveness of antidepressants. And 2 of those studies do question our current thinking.<\/p>\n

We know most medications have side effects and have the potential to create\u00a0medical complications. But the common \u00a0thinking is that antidepressant drugs are safe and effective, yet recent research questions both of those claims. One\u00a0large antidepressant effectiveness trial <\/a>concluded that antidepressants failed to sustain positive effects in the majority of people who took them. This is important because while antidepressants can improve the quality of some peoples’\u00a0lives and help with severe depression, we need to better understand\u00a0if taking a medication is having the desired effect.<\/p>\n

According to Medscape, an estimated one in 10 people use antidepressants.\u00a0\u00a0We know how these drugs affect the brain, but less is know about how they\u00a0impact the body.\u00a0A new\u00a0study<\/a> published\u00a0 in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics<\/em> concludes that antidepressants\u00a0are not safe for the general population, but less harmful for cardiovascular patients. The reason for less harm in cardiovascular patients has to do with the anticlotting properties antidepressants have that help treat cardiovascular disease.\u00a0When looking at the general population, the reviewers of several studies found\u00a0that antidepressants increased risk of mortality and cardiovascular events in those patients who used antidepressants. Now, they do note that people who take antidepressants tell to be ill and ill patients do have higher risks for mortality. This could be a confounding variable in the study.<\/p>\n

Both of these studies are important and need to be replicated by other researchers given all the people currently taking antidepressants. Please note: I am not suggesting you\u00a0stop taking your antidepressants, but rather evaluate with your physician as to whether or not you are improving on your medications and ask about long term side effects so you can make an informed decision about your treatment. Also ask if there are other ways apart from medication to treat depression that have been\u00a0determined to be effective. Clinical depression can be debilitating and people need help to improve their functioning and engage in everyday life. So the message here is have a thoughtful conversation with your doctor and tell him or her about this on-going research.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Pigotta, E., \u00a0Leventhalb, Altera. A.G. & \u00a0J Borenb, J. Efficacy and Effectiveness of Antidepressants: Current Status of Research.\u00a0Psych other Psychosom 2010;79:267\u2013279<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Maslej M, M, Bolker B, M, Russell M, J, Eaton K, Durisko Z, Hollon S, D, Swanson G, M, Thomson Jr. J, A, Mulsant B, H, Andrews P, W, The Mortality and Myocardial Effects of Antidepressants Are Moderated by Preexisting Cardiovascular Disease: A Meta-Analysis. Psychother Psychosom 2017;86:268-282<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

People who struggle with depression often go to their primary care doctor and are\u00a0placed on antidepressants. In some cases, a\u00a0formal evaluation of depression is\u00a0not even\u00a0conducted. But\u00a0even when a patient is determined to be depressed, the cost and benefits of being on a medication should always be discussed. \u00a0The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3504,4081,4082,814],"class_list":["post-9654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-antidepressants","tag-clinical-depression","tag-depression-treatments","tag-medications"],"yoast_head":"\nCould Antidepressants Do Harm?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2017\/10\/could-antidepressants-be-killing-you.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Could Antidepressants Do Harm?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"People who struggle with depression often go to their primary care doctor and are\u00a0placed on antidepressants. In some cases, a\u00a0formal evaluation of depression is\u00a0not even\u00a0conducted. 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