AntiDepressants Expert

The antidepressant bupropion may hold promise for improving symptoms in younger women diagnosed with so-called hypoactive sexual desire disorder, a study suggests. The disorder, called HSDD for short, is diagnosed when a person has a persistently low interest in sex, and that disinterest is causing personal distress or relationship problems.

In the new study, Iranian researchers found that bupropion sustained-release (Wellbutrin SR) generally boosted sex drive among 116 women with HSDD who took the drug for 12 weeks. Compared with 116 women given an inactive placebo, their scores on a standard measure of sexual function were twice as high, according to findings published in the medical journal BJU International.
Read the rest of this entry »

Congress is worried that antidepressant drugs may be causing more suicides among members of the military than they prevent. But a University of Utah dean told lawmakers Wednesday that the benefits of such drugs far outweigh their risks.

M. David Rudd, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Science at the U., also said the real danger is that some depressed soldiers and veterans are less willing to seek treatment because they or their families have heard that drugs may increase risk of suicide. Read the rest of this entry »

When pregnant women take antidepressants, it sometimes causes their babies to hit developmental milestones late, Danish researchers.

However, the delays–up to one month–still place the toddlers within the normal range of development.

“These drugs have an effect on the fetus’ brain,” said Dr. Lars Henning Pedersen, who worked on the study. But, he said, the delays “may not matter for the child at all.” Pedersen, from Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, spoke to Reuters Health in a telephone interview. Read the rest of this entry »

Researchers at UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute have uncovered how antidepressants stimulate the brain to improve a person’s mood.

They have discovered the class of drugs that increase levels of a neurotransmitter known as ‘norepinephrine’ triggers neurogenesis – the growth of new neurons – in a brain region called the hippocampus. “If you block hippocampus neurogenesis, antidepressants no longer work,” lead researcher Dr Dhanisha Jhaveri said. “That suggests antidepressants must up-regulate neurogenesis in order for them to actually have any affect on behaviour.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Women who take certain antidepressant drugs while pregnant may double their child’s risk of being born with a certain variety of heart defect, according to a study conducted by researchers from Aarhaus University in Denmark and published in the medical journal BMJ.

“Anyone who is pregnant or considering becoming pregnant and has any concerns about the treatment for depression should speak to their doctor,” said Cathy Ross of the British Heart Foundation.
Read the rest of this entry »