National Post, Jan./17: "Antidepressants may be doubling risk of Alzheimer’s..."

The full title of this article from Canada's "The National Post" is "Antidepressants may be doubling risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, study suggests". Note the use of the word "may". There is no cause-and-effect established here, but it's worth reading the article to understand what the study found.

 

"According to the study, popular Prozac-like pills known as SSRIs — selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors — and other antidepressants are associated with a twofold increase in the odds of developing some form of dementia, including Alzheimer’s.

 

The association was even stronger for people who took antidepressants before age 65.

 

The study doesn’t prove cause and effect. However, the findings, which are published in the journal Depression and Anxiety, are expected to raise fresh concerns about a class of drugs experts say are being wildly and indiscriminately prescribed for everything from ordinary cases of “sadness” to insomnia, pain and hot flashes."

 

http://news.nationalpost.com/health/antidepressants-may-be-doubling-risk-of-alzheimers-and-other-dementias-study-suggests?__lsa=2617-e10e

 

“They’re being prescribed ‘off label,’ meaning for non-depression related situations. They’re being prescribed to very young children and to the very old,” said Dr. Darrell Mousseau, a professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan and the study’s senior author.

 

“They’re almost becoming the antibiotic of this century: ‘If you’ve got a disease, take an SSRI. It’s going to help you in one way, shape or form.’”

 

Good article, Lap. 

It's scary to think how liberally these meds are prescribed, and we still don't know what the long-term effects are. I SO regret that I took them. I'm hoping my brain cells are going to stay intact, but really, who knows? I know others who have stayed on these meds for years. 

I'm glad to see this new article and the older one in the National Post, if only to plant yet another anti-antidepressant seed in the minds of the readership.  I wish it was sooner, but I'm relieved to have learned and believed the real truth and got off the psychotropics.  I am hoping for the best outcome for all of us and our brain cells. 

 

Thank you for these articles Lapis!

You're welcome, benzohno. It was someone who works in the mental health field who told me about the article. She doesn't prescribe medications, but many of her clients are likely taking antidepressants.

 

Prozac came out in the 1980s, and it's now 2017. That's a looooong time to wait before knowing about associated risks that are as serious as the threat of Alzheimer's or dementia. I, too, am hoping for the best for everyone. It's still only an association and not a causal link, BUT......

 

 

I know, right?  The big BUT... Scares me.

 

Guinea pigs are cute, but I never thought I'd be one.