Expanded Use of Antidepressants for Stroke Patients
Released on: May 29, 2008, 12:24 pm
Press Release Author: Monch Bravante
Industry: Pharmaceuticals
Press Release Summary: Depression is a common complication for patients who survived a stroke. A new research suggests that high-risk people like those who suffered stroke should be considered for antidepressants treatment even before they develop depression. The findings, however, may not apply to stroke patients who had cancer and other life-threatening conditions or severe verbal impairments.
Press Release Body: Doctors May Give High-Risk Patients The Drug Even Before Depression Develops
High-risk people like those who suffered stroke are being considered for antidepressant treatment right away instead of waiting until they develop depression.
Experts said that parts of the brain affecting mood may get damaged as a result of stroke. Aside from that, there is the stress of relearning simple tasks and adjusting to stroke-caused impairments that may lead to depression. The research findings may lead to an expanded use for antidepressants in the same way that people now take cholesterol drugs to prevent heart attacks.
In the study, stroke patients were given low doses of the antidepressant Lexapro. The result indicated that the patients on the drug were 4.5 times less likely to develop depression than patients taking a dummy pill.
Based on previous research, stroke patients with depression recover more slowly and are more likely to die.
Dr. Robert Robinson of the University of Iowa, lead author of the study, said that the experiment showed that development of depression after stroke can be prevented.
According to Dr. George Bartzokis of the University of California, Los Angeles, who was not involved in the new study, treating the depression may actually help treat the stroke and vice versa. He said that Lexapro may work by making the chemical serotonin more available in the brain and by promoting brain repair.
The research study involved 176 stroke patients, ranging in age from 50 to 90. One-third were randomly assigned to take Lexapro. One-third took matching dummy pills. And one-third were assigned to receive talk therapy focusing on problem-solving skills.
While at the start, none suffered from depression. After a year, however, about 9% of the Lexapro group had developed depression as compared to 22% of the placebo-takers and 12% of the people who got problem-solving therapy.
Side effects such as dry mouth, dizziness, rapid heart rate and sexual problems were reported by all three groups at about the same rates.
Dr. Charles Reynolds, a geriatric psychiatrist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, hopes that doctors will start prescribing preventive antidepressants to stroke patients.
Reynolds said that depression in the wake of a stroke amplifies the suffering and disability such patients experience. He even cited the work of Robinson as a novel way of preventing such suffering and disability.
The findings, however, may not apply to stroke patients who had cancer and other life-threatening conditions or severe verbal impairments.
Lexapro is a prescription medication used to treat depression and anxiety. It works by restoring the balance of certain natural substances (neurotransmitters such as serotonin) in the brain. Lexapro may improve your feelings of well-being and energy level and decrease nervousness.
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