Antidepressants are often given without depression

Doctors warn about the health effects of antidepressants
Millions of people worldwide take antidepressants to relieve their depression. However, researchers have now found out that many people are prescribed these medicines even though they do not suffer from depression. The side effects of antidepressants could cause serious health problems for sufferers, the scientists warn.

Drugs should only be used if the effects on the disease are known and their efficacy has been tested. However, researchers from McGill University in Montreal found out in their research that depression medicines are often used to treat other conditions that can not really be called depression. The physicians published the results of their study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Antidepressants are designed to help people suffering from depression. Many physicians also prescribe these medications for disorders that have nothing to do with depression. This can be dangerous to health. (Image: Zerbor / fotolia.com)

Study examines data of almost ten years
We wanted to know exactly why and how often antidepressants are prescribed, says author Jenna Wong of McGill University. The new study looks at the medical records of nearly ten years of research on antidepressants. These included more than 100,000 prescriptions issued in Canada by 160 primary care physicians to about 20,000 patients, explains the medical doctor. The participating physicians documented the prescribed medication, along with the reason for the prescription. The researchers examined all types of antidepressants, except so-called monoamine oxidase inhibitors. These are older drugs that are rarely prescribed and therefore not analyzed in the study, the experts explain.

45% of antidepressants are prescribed to patients without depression
The results showed that only about 55 percent of all prescribed antidepressants were given to patients who were fully compliant with antidepressant prescriptions and really suffered from depression, the researchers say. The remaining 45 percent had been prescribed to treat other illnesses. These included, for example, anxiety disorders, insomnia, pain, and panic disorder, say the experts. Some doctors even prescribed antidepressants to treat migraine, attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and digestive system disorders. I can not say if these drugs work or not, Jenna Wong points out. However, patients would be exposed to health risks and harmful effects could occur. In addition, there is the possibility that the drugs are ineffective in such diseases, Wong explains. Without new research and scientific evidence, it would be difficult to make a reliable statement.

Antidepressants are often prescribed for insomnia
Some antidepressants may well have a wide range of uses, explain the doctors. For example, some knowledgeable internists use many of these medications for insomnia problems because they can be more effective and less problematic than other common insomnia medications. The latter often run the risk of becoming dependent on drugs quickly, the researchers explain. If you look through the medical textbooks of the last 50 years, you will notice that antidepressants have always been used for the treatment of certain cases of pain, the researchers add.

But what are the reasons why antidepressants are misused so often? Certainly, there are some doctors who have used antidepressants in patients and later told other doctors that the treatment worked wonderfully, the researchers explain. Thus, a kind of word of mouth. Marketing and advertising of pharmaceutical companies certainly play a role in prescribing antidepressants, says Wong. Although research was carried out in Canada, it would hardly be surprising if a similar study in the United States showed the same results, the scientists speculate. Wong and colleagues believe that many people in the United States are prescribed antidepressants even though they do not suffer from depression. (As)