Posted on 03/05/2025 7:01:40 PM PST by ConservativeMind
New research suggests that antidepressants can accelerate cognitive decline in people with dementia. At the same time, some drugs appear to be less harmful than others, which can help doctors make better treatment decisions.
Antidepressants are often used to relieve symptoms such as anxiety, depression, aggressiveness, and sleep disturbances in dementia sufferers.
However, a new observational study based on data from the Swedish Dementia Registry (SveDem) shows that patients with dementia who are treated with antidepressants experience an increased cognitive decline compared to patients who do not receive this medication.
The study is based on a comprehensive analysis of registry data from 18,740 patients, of whom approximately 23% 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%.
"Depressive symptoms can both worsen cognitive decline and impair quality of life, so it is important to treat them. Our results can help doctors and other health care professionals choose antidepressants that are better adapted for patients with dementia," says Sara Garcia Ptacekz
The researchers have followed the patients' cognitive development over time and compared both medicated and non-medicated groups as well as different types of antidepressants.
Although it is not currently possible to determine whether the cognitive impairment is due to the drugs or to the depressive symptoms themselves, the researchers were able to see that antidepressants were associated with increased cognitive decline.
The study also points to differences between different drugs. The SSRI escitalopram was associated with the fastest cognitive decline, followed by the SSRIs citalopram and sertraline.
Mirtazapine, which has a different mechanism of action, had less negative cognitive impact than escitalopram.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
“Mirtazapine, which has a different mechanism of action, had less negative cognitive impact than escitalopram.”
Crap I’m screwed
My advice to SSRI depression patients: Drop them and do one, just one clinical Ketamine treatment. Research case studies and patient reports on the stuff if you need convincing. Being off SSRI’s is huge. Huge...
Bkmk
Bkmk
“Mirtazapine may cause drowsiness, trouble with thinking, or trouble with controlling body movements. Make sure you know how you react to this medicine before you drive, use machines, or do anything else that requires you to be alert, well-coordinated, and able to think well.”
But other than causing drowsiness, trouble with thinking, or trouble with controlling body movements, it’s a FANTASTIC drug!
Had a customer whose parents both had dementia. The two sons both moved back into the home for 24 hour care.
Their dad was 6’7” and about a trim/fit 270 pounds for his height.
He had a stroke was was very mild mannered.
The boys said before the stroke, he would become very violent and they had numerous bar type fights in the home. For them, they said the stroke was a blessing.
I was there for a targeted pest control problem and found a very interesting pest interaction if any one is interested in knowing.
I’ve been on wellbutrin for a long time now.
After I damgaed my noggin, things were out of whack.
On top of the depression, thing that dopamine affected seemed to be off.
Docs said that Wellbutrin is a dopamine reuptake inhibitor and I started it and it made a whole lot of things I was having trouble with get better.
They dont call it “the poor man’s cocaine” for nothing :)
BUT...I wonder, if I have had issues producing enough dopamine on my own since my early 40s, and that’s what causes parkinson’s, am I in for an early surprise in life?
Guess can’t worry about it
The pests were interacting with the dementia guy?? What happened??
Targeted pest was bedbugs. Dominant area was master bedroom and no live bedbugs found in rest of home.
The man would often wear his bed clothes and nap on the sofa.
No live bedbugs were found on the sofa but many dead ones on the carpet at the back corners of the sofa.
At the back legs of the sofa were House Spiders that were eating the bedbugs.
Conclusion was the house spiders were picking off the bedbugs from the man as he napped and carried them to their nest at the sofa legs and them dropping them on the carpet when sucked dry.
House spiders are helpful when searching for bedbugs and left as they are, ugly as they may be.
House spiders do not stay were one finds them, but travel distances to find food (insects) to feed on then bring back to their nest (web).
I did not kill house spiders when targeting bedbugs for that reason.
I love those little white spiders, they clean out silverfish.
They sound handy to have around but they don’t sell them at the pet store.
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