AntiDepressants Expert

According to a new study published in the February 2010 issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers from the University of Iowa report that escitalopram seems to improve cognitive recovery in stroke patients.

This 12-month study included 129 non-depressed stroke patients who were evaluated at the University of Iowa Stroke Center from July 9, 2003 to October 1, 2007. The study participants were randomly assigned to receive either escitalopram, a placebo pill, or problem solving therapy (PST) within 3 months following their stroke. The researchers found that, after 12 months, the patients who received escitalopram experienced an improvement in verbal and visual memory functions compared with their counterparts. Stroke patients who received escitalopram were also significantly more likely to show improvement in their activities of daily living.

According to a new study scheduled to appear in the February issue of Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, women who take SSRI antidepressants may experience delayed lactation after giving birth and may need additional support if they chose to breastfeed.

“The breasts are serotonin-regulated glands,” said study co-author Dr. Nelson Horseman of the University of Cincinnati, which means that “the breasts’ ability to secrete milk at the right time is closely related to the body’s production and regulation of the hormone serotonin.” Commonly used antidepressants such as Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil all belong to a class of drugs called SSRIs, which affect serotonin re-uptake, and might also affect serotonin regulation in the breast.

The antidepressant paroxetine, found in Seroxat and Paxil, can damage men’s sperm and impair fertility, according to research published in the journal Fertility & Sterility.

“It’s fairly well known that SSRI antidepressants negatively impact erectile function and ejaculation,” said Dr Peter Schlegel, the study’s senior author and professor of reproductive medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York told the Chicago Tribune. “This study goes one step further, demonstrating that they can cause a major increase in genetic damage to sperm.”

What do you do when you’re feeling blue? We all want to be happier, yet as a society depression is on the rise. As life coaches we believe each person has unique solutions to their problems. While antidepressants are the answer for some with clinical depression, others may seek natural methods in addition to or as an alternative to taking medication. While there is no cure-all for depression, there is research supporting several natural options that may help boost our minds as well as our spirits.

Study of omega-3 supplements for major depression is the largest to date

Fish oil supplements significantly benefited patients who were depressed but not anxious in the largest trial of omega-3 supplements for depression to date.

According to results of the Omega-3D trial, reported at the 9th World Congress of Biological Psychiatry, fish oil improved depression levels as much as what is typically reported with pharmacologic treatments.

In the study, 432 patients with an episode of major depression were randomized to treatment with eicosapentenoic acid (EPA)—an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil— or matched placebo masked with fish odor. Taking 1050 mg per day of EPA for 8 weeks led to significantly better scores in the subgroup of patients with major depression without anxiety.