Do antidepressants make you dumber

Depression affects 7 percent of Americans. It is one of the most common mental disorders in the US. Antidepressants are not only taken for depression but anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder.

I'm a senior, and for the past three years, I've been using an antidepressant called Celexa to treat my chemical depression. Recently, I asked my doctor if I could switch to Wellbutrin, because it has lower sexual side effects. I feel much better emotionally on Wellbutrin, and I am experiencing much more sexual drive and pleasure these days. However, the stupid pill makes me very jittery — slightly nervous and very twitchy, you know, like a bunny's nose. What should I do? I'm feeling so much better on this drug, but I can't go through life feeling jittery all the time. Wellbutrin generic name: bupropion is a treatment for major depressive disorder, seasonal affective disorder SAD , and smoking cessation quitting smoking.

Do antidepressants make you dumber

There's a word of warning after research on monkeys finds that an SSRI antidepressant may alter brain architecture if taken by those who aren't really depressed. There is new reason to be cautious about using popular antidepressants in people who are not really depressed. For the first time, research has shown that a widely used antidepressant may cause subtle changes in brain structure and function when taken by those who are not depressed. The drug is sertraline. It is most commonly known as Zoloft and is present in 16 other generic forms in Australia. There has been long debate about the effect such drugs can have on the architecture of the brain. While the changes it induces in the depressed brain are regarded as advantageous, researchers wanted to know what happens in the brains of those who are not depressed. They wanted to know because these drugs are commonly used for other conditions such as anxiety, bulimia, hot flushes, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, stroke recovery and sexual dysfunction. Published in the journal Neuropharmacology , their results showed the drugs reduced the volume of two important regions of the brain. The first was the anterior cingulate cortex, the part of the brain that controls and regulates mood. The other was the hippocampus where the registration and consolidation of memory takes place.

Open in a separate window. Large-scale mapping of cortical alterations in 22q

Federal government websites often end in. The site is secure. Cognitive deficits in individuals at risk of psychosis represent a significant challenge for research, as current strategies for symptomatic treatment are often ineffective. Recent studies showed that atypical cognitive development predicts the occurrence of psychotic symptoms. Additionally, abnormal brain development is known to predate clinical manifestations of psychosis. Therefore, critical developmental stages may be the best period for early interventions expected to prevent cognitive decline and protect brain maturation.

Some have strong opinions about antidepressants and whether they should be taken, concerned about side effects, psychological dependence, or addiction. Yet, many people find antidepressants can help them through different phases of depression and help them better cope. Deciding to use an antidepressant as a treatment option is a personal decision involving a collaborative effort with your doctor. Doing your research, learning more about antidepressants, and talking with your doctor can help you make a choice that is right for you. Antidepressants are medications used to treat depression. There are different kinds of antidepressants, and you might have to try more than one before finding the one that is right for you. There are also atypical antidepressants, as well as natural supplements that may help boost the therapeutic effects of antidepressants. There are many benefits to taking antidepressants. Being aware of these benefits can help you make an informed decision. Antidepressants have been found to be more effective than placebo in treating major depression in adults, though they usaully take a few weeks to reach their full effect, and you might have to try more than one to find the most effective antidepressant for you.

Do antidepressants make you dumber

Nancy Schimelpfening, MS is the administrator for the non-profit depression support group Depression Sanctuary. Nancy has a lifetime of experience with depression, experiencing firsthand how devastating this illness can be. Daniel B.

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Rethinking schizophrenia. Supplementary information Supplemental Information 19M, docx. Similar to subjects at risk for schizophrenia in the general population, deletion carriers undergo cognitive decline and abnormal brain development before the emergence of psychotic symptoms. They wanted to know because these drugs are commonly used for other conditions such as anxiety, bulimia, hot flushes, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, stroke recovery and sexual dysfunction. Individuals with 22q11DS and comorbid positive psychotic symptoms experience hippocampal atrophy during late adolescence, and DG, CA3, and CA4 are among the most affected subfields This girl's parents felt really sorry for her friends and the thought of calling the Police, retribution or newspaper capaigns against the suppliers never entered their heads. For the study middle-aged female monkeys were chosen because depression is nearly twice as common in women and antidepressants are most commonly used in women aged 40 to Thus, the changes observed in the study, if any, could be attributed to two factors, first the effect of drugs on cognition and memory parameters and second improvement in the disease, i. Verbal retention for similar pairs: A series of similar associative pairs of words were administered to the patient. This study also validates the tests used for evaluating the memory and psychomotor functions. Available tests for memory and psychomotor functions are cumbersome and not related to the Indian population but adaptations of tests meant for western population. According to the government watchdog on dangerous drugs sic , the Institute for Studies of Drug Dependency, there has never been a fatality in this country due to either an allergic reaction to Ecstasy or overdose of it.

Understanding the pros and cons of antidepressants can help an individual decide if they are the right treatment for them. Antidepressant medications can help relieve the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other conditions. Many people benefit from antidepressants.

For the first time, research has shown that a widely used antidepressant may cause subtle changes in brain structure and function when taken by those who are not depressed. Edward Collier, Cheltenham, Glos ewc techop. The antidepressant fluoxetine restores plasticity in the adult visual cortex. There has been long debate about the effect such drugs can have on the architecture of the brain. A candidate drug class that may theoretically exert a neuroprotective effect on brain development and attenuate cognitive decline is that of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor SSRIs. To test the correlation between the increase of a variable of interest e. Thus, the changes observed in the study, if any, could be attributed to two factors, first the effect of drugs on cognition and memory parameters and second improvement in the disease, i. More to Read. As in prior publications, the trajectories had a second-order model, meaning that the relationship between age and hippocampal volume was quadratic 19 , Did you know it was a hidden cry for help?