SSRIs and Intracerebral Hemorrhage Risk

Topics: Bleeding | Citalopram | Depression | Escitalopram | Fluoxetine | Geriatric | Hemorrhagic | Intra-cerebral hemorrhage | Mortality | Paroxetine | Post-stroke depression | Prozac | Serotonin Specific Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) | Sertraline | SSRIs | Stroke

REVIEW OF: Kubiszewski P et al, JAMA Neurol 2020;e203142. Epub ahead of print. Depression after strokes is very common, affecting about 50% of stroke patients. Many such patients are treated with SSRIs, which are generally effective but potentially dangerous because they can increase the risk of bleeding due to impaired platelet aggregation. This is

Can Antidepressants Prolong Survival in Cancer Patients?

Topics: Adherence | Cancer | Citalopram | Depression | Escitalopram | Fluoxetine | Mortality | Paroxetine | Prozac | Serotonin Specific Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) | Sertraline | SSRIs

Review Of: Shoval G et al, Depress Anxiety 2019;36(10):921–929 Many cancer patients experience depression, especially those with poor prognoses. Compared with euthymic patients, depressed cancer patients are less adherent to their cytotoxic medications, and this poor adherence can worsen their long-term survival. Yet surprisingly, some studies have

How to Select an SSRI

Topics: Antidepressants | Citalopram | Escitalopram | Fluoxetine | Prozac | Psychopharmacology | Psychotropic medication | Serotonin Specific Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) | Sertraline | SSRIs

On March 14, 2012, Lexapro became the last SSRI to lose its patent, closing the book on a quarter century of science and marketing that changed and sometimes confused the way we think about antidepressants. Now that the unpublished studies have come to light and the incentives to favor one drug over another have dried up, it’s a good time to take a so

Optimal Antidepressant Doses in Major Depression

Topics: Antidepressants | Bupropion | Citalopram | Depression | Depressive Disorder | Escitalopram | Fluoxetine | Mirtazapine | Paroxetine | Pharmacology | Pharmacology Tips | Research | Research Update | Sertraline | SSRIs | Venlafaxine | Wellbutrin

Review of: Furukawa TA et al, Lancet Psychiatry;2019;6(7):601–609 Type of study: Systematic review and meta-analysis Most antidepressants do not have a linear response curve. In other words, the benefits level off as the dose goes up. If the dose gets too high, the side effects start to outweigh those diminishing returns. What’s not clear is whe