Lately, there have been a lot of depression cases leading to suicide. It is indeed a sad thing. We would think- how would one end his own life? Especially for people who are famous and seems to have everything in their lives, how can they still not be happy and resort to killing themselves? These questions seem not to have answers yet. But one thing is the main cause of it all-depression.
Now, depression, more than ever has been treated as a serious problem. But what really causes it? When it comes to this problem, there can be a lot of causes. But what is surprising is that, the common drugs that you are taking, which seem safe can actually be the cause of your depression.
Read on below to know more information about depression. Also, it’s a must to know that help is always available. Just like when treating drug problems, there are rehab services available. When it comes to depression, there are professionals who can extend their help and you have your loved ones to support you.
NEW YORK: Could common prescription medications be contributing to depression and rising suicide rates?
Over one-third of Americans take at least one prescription drug that lists depression as a potential side effect, a new study reports, and users of such drugs have higher rates of depression than those who don’t take such drugs.
Many patients are taking more than one drug that has depression as a side effect, and the study found that the risk of depression increased with each additional such drug taken at the same time.
About 200 prescription drugs can cause depression, and the list includes common medications like proton pump inhibitors used to treat acid reflux, beta-blockers used to treat high blood pressure, birth control pills and emergency contraceptives, anticonvulsants like gabapentin, corticosteroids like prednisone and even prescription-strength ibuprofen. Some of these drugs are also sold over-the-counter in pharmacies.
For some drugs, like beta-blockers and interferon, the side effect of depression is well-known, but the authors of the study were surprised at how many drugs were on the list.
“It was both surprising and worrisome to see how many medications have depression or suicidal symptoms as a side effect, given the burden of depression and suicide rates in the country,” said Dima Mazen Qato, an assistant professor and pharmacist at the University of Illinois at Chicago who was the lead author of the paper, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
She acknowledged that there are still “a lot of unanswered questions,” and that the study only points to a correlation, not a cause-and-effect relationship.
“We didn’t prove that using these medications could cause someone who was otherwise healthy to develop depression or suicidal symptoms. But we see a worrisome dose-response pattern: The more of these medications that have these adverse effects that you’re taking concurrently, the higher the risk of depression,” Qato said.
The researchers used a large and nationally representative database, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, to analyse the medications used by a representative sample of more than 26,000 American adults from 2005 to 2014. They researched side effects of commonly used prescription drugs, compiling a list of more than 200 medications that have depression or suicidal symptoms listed as potential side effects…
Source
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/lifestyle/common-drugs-may-be-contributing-to-depression-10434564
