Anti-inflammatory drugs lower the effectiveness of antidepressants, also called as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
These drugs taken for obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders and depression include aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen.
This startling discovery, to a certain extent, explains why a number of depressed patients who take SSRIs don’t respond to antidepressants.
The study by Rockefeller researchers has shown that 54% of the total patients assessed responded to antidepressants in the absence of any pain relievers compared to 40% of patients who had taken anti-inflammatories.
The study holds true when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease. Patients having Alzheimer’s commonly experience depression & unless this is successfully treated, the illness may possibly worsen.
The study further reveals that depression in elderly individuals increases the risk of Alzheimer’s and prompt treatment may lower Alzheimer’s risk.
A number of elderly persons who suffer from depression also are afflicted with arthritis or other such diseases and therefore are on antidepressants as well as anti-inflammatory drugs. Physicians must carefully balance the pros and cons of continuing to prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs to patients taking antidepressant medications.
It’s not clear why NSAIDs limits the effectiveness of SSRIs – possibly it’s an interaction between both drugs where NSAIDs stop SSRIs from getting to the brain.
The findings have clinical implications for persons suffering from depression and chronic pain and consuming both types of drugs.
However, patients on these medicines should not stop taking them of their own accord, but consult their doctor in case they have any concerns.
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