Summary: According to a recent study that was based on data from 18, 740 memory patients, drugs may speed mental drop. Experts found that patients taking antidepressants, especially SSRIs like methylphenidate, citalopram, and fluoxetine, experienced faster decay compared to those no on medication.
The findings emphasize the need for more precisely targeted opioid choices in dementia care, even though melancholy itself can aggravate dementia symptoms. Future research will examine whether certain markers or memory types influence how patients respond to various antidepressants.
Major Information
- More Rapid Cognitive Decline: Depression people with drugs demonstrated a faster cognitive decline over time.
- SSRI Impact: Escitalopram, fluoxetine, and sertraline were linked to the fastest decline, while sertraline had a lighter result.
- Require for Individualized Care: Researchers want to know which person groups might react to particular antidepressants better or worse.
Origin: Karolinska Institute
Antidepressants may speed up mental decline in people with dementia, according to recent research. At the same time, some medications appear to be less dangerous than others, which can help doctors make better care decisions, according to the research published in , BMC Medicine.
Drugs are often used to relieve indicators such as anxiety, depression, anger, and sleep disturbances in memory sufferers.
However, a recent observational study based on data from the Swedish Dementia Registry ( SveDem ) found that patients who are taking antidepressants have an increased cognitive decline as compared to those who do not.
The study is based on a thorough examination of registry files from 18, 740 individuals, of whom about 23 percent were treated with antidepressants. During the course of the study, a total of 11, 912 prescriptions of antidepressants were registered, with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) accounting for 65 percent.
It is crucial to cure depressive symptoms because they can both increase mental decline and lower quality of life. Our findings can assist doctors and other healthcare professionals choose drugs that are much adapted for people with dementia”, says Sara Garcia Ptacek, scientist at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, and the study’s next writer.
The researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Göteborg have examined the cognitive development of the patients over time and compared both medicated and non-medicated groups as well as various antidepressant types.
The researchers discovered that antidepressants had an increased correlation with cognitive decline, despite it being not currently possible to determine whether the cognitive impairment is caused by the drugs or the depressive symptoms themselves.
Differences between drugs
Additionally, the study makes distinctions between various medications. The SSRIs citalopram and sertraline were linked to the quickest cognitive decline, with the SSRIs citalopram and sertraline following.
Mirtazapine, which has a different mechanism of action, had less negative cognitive impact than escitalopram.
The researchers are now looking into whether certain patient groups, such as those who have particular dementia types or biomarkers, respond better or worse to various antidepressants.
” The goal is to find these subgroups to provide more individualized care,” says Sara Garcia Ptacek.
Funding: The study has been funded by the Swedish Research Council, Region Stockholm, the Swedish Dementia Research Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Foundation and New Innovative Roads Call – a private initiative from the Leif Lundblad family and others. There are no potential conflicts of interest, according to the researchers.
About this news item about cognitive and psychopharmacology research
Author: Press Office
Source: Karolinska Institute
Contact: Press Office – Karolinska Institute
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: The findings will appear in BMC Medicine
