London - Painkillers could prevent anti-depressants such as Prozac from working properly, research suggests.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, are prescribed to two million Britons a year, but many complain the “happy pills” do nothing to clear their depression. Now scientists may have worked out why.
A study has found that popular painkillers such as aspirin, ibuprofen and paracetamol appeared to make SSRIs less effective.
The researchers said it was “not yet clear” why the pills had this effect, but warned their findings could have “profound implications” for patients.
The US research team gave anti-depressants to mice with depression, and watched whether their behaviour changed. Half of the mice were also put on painkillers.
Their tests revealed that SSRIs worked less well when the painkiller was also in the animal’s system.”Other types of anti-depressant were not affected”, the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports.
The team found a similar effect occurred in humans, after studying medical records. They said anti-depressants were successful in just 40 percent of cases involving people also taking aspirin-like painkillers, compared with 54 percent for others.
The researchers, from New York’s Rockefeller University, said that the impact on pensioners may be particularly severe.
This is because depression in the elderly raises the risk of Alzheimer’s disease - and if depression isn’t properly treated in Alzheimer’s patients, the illness can progress more rapidly.
Dr Paul Greengard said: “Many elderly individuals suffering from depression also have arthritic or related diseases and as a consequence are taking both anti-depressant and anti-inflammatory medications.
“Our results suggest that physicians should carefully balance the advantages and disadvantages of continuing anti-inflammatory therapy in patients being treated with anti-depressant medications.”
Previous British research has concluded that some of the most widely-prescribed anti-depressants work little better than dummy pills.
The drugs studied - including Prozac, Seroxat and Effexor - were little more effective than placebos in improving the mental health in the majority of cases, according to the University of Hull. Only in the most extreme depression did the tablets prove substantially superior in improving mental health.
The university’s Professor Irving Kirsch said there seemed to be “little evidence” to support the prescription of anti-depressants Ô”o any but the most severely depressed patients”. - Daily Mail