Study Finds that SSRIs are Tougher on Seniors
New research is now suggesting that SSRI antidepressants like Effexor and Paxil may not be the right prescription option for seniors because the drugs appear to have more negative side effects associated with them than other types of antidepressants.
Paxil and Effexor are a part of a class of drugs commonly known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and have been linked to various adverse side effects. A new British study that is currently appearing in the Aug. 2 issue of the BMJ has found that older antidepressants, known as tricyclic antidepressants, may in fact be safer for patients older than 65 years of age. This new research adds to many existing questions about how to choose which type of antidepressant to give seniors.
"The choice of class of antidepressant is a complex decision, and some evidence is still lacking to help with that choice in older patients," says study author Carol Coupland, associate professor of medical statistics at the University of Nottingham. "Low-dose [tricyclic antidepressants] may be more suitable in frail elderly patients at increased risk of falls and fracture."
During the study, Coupland's team evaluated prescription information for more than 60,000 patients between the ages of 65 and 100 who were recently diagnosed with depression. Of those people, 90 percent were given one or more antidepressant prescriptions; 55 percent of those given prescriptions were given SSRIs which may have included Paxil or Effexor and the other 32 percent were given a tricyclic antidepressant. The rest of the patients were given other antidepressants. The results showed that the seniors taking the SSRIs experienced a “higher risk of dying, having a stroke, falling, breaking a bone and seizures compared with those not taking any antidepressant.”
These results are scary because while many seniors say that the SSRIs like Paxil or Effexor work for ebbing their depression symptoms, they seemingly are dangerous, too. While these terrible effects are scary, one thing should be taken into consideration: The SSRIs were proven more dangerous to seniors but the people taking the tricyclics were given smaller doses than those taking the SSRIs. Still, these results, combined with other studies that have proven that the efficacy of antidepressants is the same as those taking placebos. makes one wonder — why risk it at all?
