Several recent articles provide additional information about the effects on the infant of exposure to SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy. A large study published in Pediatrics adds to information that suggests that exposure to SSRI antidepressants, particularly late in pregnancy, may be associated with birth complications. As with other studies, one major limitation in the design of the study is that it …
Why SSRIs May Increase Anxiety Short Term
SSRIs are among the most commonly prescribed medications for chronic anxiety, but not infrequently these medications may be associated with a short term increase in symptoms that precedes the long term benefit. In an elegant series of studies published online in late August 2016 in the premier scientific journal, Nature, researchers from the NIH and the University of North Carolina at …
Functional Brain Imaging and Antidepressant Response
One of the most exciting initiatives currently in the important area of the treatment of depression is the International Study to Predict Optimized Treatment in Depression (iSPOT-D). This large multi-center initiative is based on a private industry and academic partnership that is designed to both identify best practices in the treatment of depression and also commercialize them. The most recent publication from this …
New Antidepressant Stimulates Neuron Growth
The results of a clinical trial published in December in Molecular Psychiatry suggest that a new medication (NSI-189) which has been shown to increase the production of cells in the hippocampus and the amygdala in pre-clinical studies may help treat major depression. The results highlight the evidence that has been accumulating that stimulating the production of new cells in the hippocampus (neurogenesis) …
Antidepressants Update
I just wanted to make a quick note that I recently posted a major update of the information on this site about antidepressants. This follows the recent introduction of a few interesting new antidepressant medications. I hope to expand that by adding a page talking about atypical antipsychotics and perhaps other classes of medications routinely used in this practice. Since …
SSRI Antidepressants and Pregnancy – 2015
A recent study concludes that there may be some good news about the impact of SSRI antidepressants on the fetus in women who are pregnant. The authors used national registry data to examine the relationship between pre-birth SSRI treatment and pregnancy complications while controlling for the effects of the psychiatric diagnoses related to SSRI use. Some previous studies had just compared people who took …
ABCB1 Gene Predicts Antidepressant Response
An article that will soon appear in the American Journal of Psychiatry suggests that it may be possible to predict who will respond to different antidepressants using a genetic test. The study looked at whether by testing for specific genetic variants of a protein involved in transporting drugs and other potentially toxic substances into and out of cells and across the blood …
Antidepressants May Blunt Feelings of Romance
Antidepressants may blunt feelings of romance when taken long-term according to a recent study, but the way this effect shows up may be quite different in men and women. Researchers presented a study at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Congress which used a newly developed Sex-Attachment-Love Test (SALT) questionnaire. They looked at almost 200 adults with mild or moderate depression …
Therapy or Medication for Depression?
Therapy or medication for depression? Which is more effective? When might you want to consider both treatments? These are among the most frequent questions that we are asked. A recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry provides the best information available about how to make this decision. The study involved 452 patients who received antidepressant medication treatment for depression with or …
Low Frequency Magnetic Stimulation is Rapid Antidepressant
There is a lot of interest in an article that just appeared in Biological Psychiatry about a new magnetic stimulation technique that may be associated with rapid antidepressant effects in both unipolar and bipolar depression. Researchers at McLean Hospital were studying Low Frequency Magnetic Stimulation as a way of imaging the brains of bipolar patients and discovered that many of …