7 Common Medications that Could Be Making You Depressed

While medications are supposed to make you feel better, which most of the time they do, they also come with side effects. While unwanted, they are usually minor, though in some cases, they can be serious. Some drugs may cause depression, regardless of whether or not you're predisposed to mental health problems. 

 

According to a study published in JAMA, more than one-third of adults may be using prescription medications which have the potential to cause depression and may also increase the risk of suicide. As part of the study, researchers found that more than 200 commonly used drugs have depression or suicide listed as potential side effects. 

 

However, because many of these drugs - including hormonal contraceptives, blood pressure and heart medications, antacids, and painkillers - are prescribed for purposes unrelated to mental health, it's worrying that patients may never be warned about the increased risks. Below are some commonly used drugs that are sometimes linked to depression. Be sure to talk to your doctor if you're taking any one of these.

1. Beta blockers  

 

Beta blockers such as metoprolol are widely prescribed to treat high blood pressure. They are also used for chest pain, irregular heartbeat, migraine, some tremors, and even glaucoma. It is especially used for hypertension, beta blockers are used long-term, however, research has also linked it with depression. Thankfully, there are plenty of alternatives and beta blockers aren't used as often anymore. Joshua Nathan, MD, president-elect o the Illinois Psychiatric Society and assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Illinois Chicago says "they've gone a little out of favor as a standard treatment because there are newer things that may work better without (the risk of depression)." 

 

2. Corticosteroids 

Steroids like prednisone are used to treat a surprising number of conditions, including autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, asthma, allergies, and cancer. However, they can have an effect on mental health. "Chronic use is associated with a range of psychiatric problems. It can cause depression, anxiety, psychosis - and I've seen all of those things," Dr. Nathan says. Euphoria and mania seem to be more common with short-term use while depression becomes more prominent with longer use, even if the doses aren't large. Furthermore, a family history of depression or alcoholism could put you at a greater risk for developing one of these side effects when using corticosteroids. Talk to your doctor or specialist about your risk factors and medication alternatives. 

 

3. Antibiotics  

While this does not apply to all antibiotics there are some which have been linked with depression, notably levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin. Both belong to the family of antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones and are prescribed for a variety of bacterial infections. A large study conducted in the United Kingdom found that just one course of quinolones was linked with a 25% higher risk of depression. Furthermore, taking one course of med in the penicillin group of antibiotics was associated with a 23% higher risk of depression. Two courses of penicillin took the risk up to 40%, and more than five courses involved a 56% higher risk. With this in mind, it is essential that you take antibiotics only when you need to. Overusing can also contribute to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. 

 

4. Interferon 

It has been found that 40% of people being treated with interferon develop depression. The drug is used to treat some cancers and viral infections like hepatitis C, among other things. Once the treatment has ended, depression usually goes away. However, one study found that it could come back later. Because interferon combats life-threatening illnesses, antidepressants are sometimes used so that a person can continue the treatment. Research has shown that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and other classes of antidepressants can bring relief up to 85% of people who develop depression during interferon treatment. medications that cause depression

5. Anticonvulsants  

According to some reports, anticonvulsant (or anti-seizure) drugs like topiramate and gabapentin may contribute to depression. These drugs suppress the central nervous system and may be associated with depression. Benzodiazepines, such as anti-anxiety meds Xanax and Valium, are also CNS depressants and have been associated with depression. Thankfully, medication-induced depression goes away when you stop the medication. Anticonvulsants are now used to treat bipolar disorder too, pain from damaged nerves and fibromyalgia. There are other treatments for all of these conditions, and there are also alternatives for benzodiazepines. 

 

6. Opioids 

The addictive painkillers - which are responsible for one of the greatest public health crises in American history-also seem to increase the risk of depression. In one study, it was found that the risk of depression in people who had never had it increased the longer they took opioids, starting at about 30 days. The dose didn't seem to play a role. People with these mood disorders are at a greater risk of abusing opioids. 

 

7. Hormonal birth control 

Some studies have found a correlation between contraceptive methods (including birth control pills, patches, vaginal rings, and hormonal IUDs) and depression or lower quality of life. Researchers say that hormonal changes triggered by these medications, such as a decrease in testosterone or an increase in progesterone, may play a role. Nevertheless, it is important to take these findings with a grain of salt and to also bear in mind that birth control can affect each woman differently. A recent review published in Contraception found that there is no link between hormonal contraception and depression. Furthermore, a study published last year in Menopause discovered that hormonal birth control may actually protect women from depression later in life.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement
https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com  for infor on cancer and health related topics
https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs. I'm going to add posts there, do give me your valuable feed back on my blogs. Thanks a lot, take care, be healthy and be happy. 

Urine Test Predicts Transplanted Kidney Rejection

A urine test can determine whether a transplanted kidney recipient is in the process of rejecting the donated organ, as well as identifying who is at risk of rejection several weeks and even months before symptoms appear.

The test measures three genetic molecules in a urine sample to diagnose acute rejection of kidney transplant, a common and serious complication of kidney transplants.

Lead author,  said "It looks to us that we can actually anticipate rejection of a kidney several weeks before rejection begins to damage the transplant."

The test could be a useful for doctors in deciding the right dosage of immuno-suppressive drugs that organ transplant recipients need to receive for the rest of their lives. Scientists feel that one day kidney transplant recipients may one day not require daily drugs.

Dr. said: "We have, for the first time, the opportunity to manage transplant patients in a more precise, individualized fashion. This is good news since it moves us from the current one-size-fits-all treatment model to a much more personalized plan."


When the immuno-suppressive drug dosage is too low the risk of rejection is greater. However, if patients are given too much their immune systems go right down and they have a much higher risk of infection, and even cancer.

The team conducted a multi-centre clinical trial involving 485 kidney transplant recipients at five medical centres. 

Co-author, explained that this bio-marker urine test is "sorely needed" to help improve the lives of transplant recipients as well as the longevity of donor organs. This three-gene signature in the new urine test is much more specific than the current primary blood test that measures creatinine levels to determine kidney rejection.

Dr.  said "Creatinine can go up for many reasons, including simple dehydration in a patient, and when this happens we then need to do a highly invasive needle-stick biopsy to look at the kidney and determine the cause. Our goal is to provide the most effective care possible for our transplant patients, and that means individualizing their post transplant care. Using an innovative bio-marker test like this will eliminate unnecessary biopsies and provide a yardstick to measure adequate immuno-suppression to keep organs -- and our patients -- healthy."

The scientists measured levels of mRNA (messenger RNA) molecules produced as genes are being expressed, or activated to make proteins. They developed some sophisticated tools to measure this genetic material.

They found that an organ will be (or is being) rejected when the expression of three mRNAs increases. "The mRNAs (18S ribosomal (rRNA)-normalized CD3ε mRNA, 18S rRNA-normalized interferon-inducible protein 10 (IP-10) mRNA, and 18S rRNA) indicate that killer T immune cells are being recruited to the kidney in order to destroy what the body has come to recognize as alien tissue."

The three mRNA levels in urine are added into a composite score and tracked over time. A rising score indicates that the immune system is very active and working against the transplanted kidney (rejecting the kidney). If the score remains the same, this suggests that the patient is not at risk of rejection.

Dr.  said "We were always looking for the most parsimonious model for an organ rejection biomarker test. Minimizing the number of genes that we test for is just more practical and helps to give us a clearer path towards diagnosis and use in the clinic."

Doctors can administer each patient's specific multiple immuno-suppressive drug dosage by monitoring their composite scores over time and adjusting accordingly. Any increase in composite scores would mean than a higher dose of therapy is needed to prevent rejection.

Dr. explained "This is akin to monitoring blood glucose in a patient with diabetes. Because different people have different sensitivity to the two-to-four immuno-suppressive drugs they have to take, this test offers us a very personalized approach to managing transplantations."

Rejection can be predicted weeks in advance

The human study started in 2006 and was conducted at five medical centres  4,300 urine samples were collected during the first 12 months of transplantation, starting at day three after the procedure. They were tested and where analysis revealed that the three gene-based bio-markers signature could distinguish organ recipients with biopsy-confirmed rejection from those whose biopsies showed no signs of rejection or who had no biopsy because no clinical sign of rejection was present.

The scientists used the signature to derive a composite score and set a threshold value which suggested rejection. This score detected transplant rejection accurately and had a low occurrence of false-positive and false-negative results.

Dr.  said "It is about 85 percent accurate, which is much higher than the creatinine test used today."

The team said they are soon conducting another trial to determine whether the signature test can be utilized to personalize individual immuno-suppressive therapy.

A single dose of special immune cells to prevent kidney transplant rejection shows promise, said researchers.





ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

ps- those interested in recipes are free to view my blog-

http://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/

for info about knee replacement, you can view my blog-

http://Knee replacement-stick club.blogspot.com/

for crochet designs

http://My Crochet Creations.blogspot.com/

I've not given details about designs, but those interested are free to mail me for the same.

Tumours disable immune cells by using up sugar

Cancer cells' appetite for sugar may have serious consequences for immune cell function, a new study has found.

Researchers  have found that when they kept sugar away from critical immune cells called T cells, the cells no longer produced interferon gamma, an inflammatory compound important for fighting tumours and some kinds of infection.

"T cells can get into tumours, but unfortunately they are often ineffective at killing the cancer cells," said an assistant professor of pathology and immunology. "Lack of the ability to make interferon gamma could be one reason why they fail to kill tumours. By understanding more about how sugar metabolism affects interferon production, we may be able to develop treatments that fight tumours by enhancing T cell function,".

According to researcher, inhibiting interferon gamma production also may help scientists treat autoimmune disorders in which T cells cause too much inflammation. Like most cells, T cells can make energy either by using an efficient process called oxidative phosphorylation or a less efficient pathway called aerobic glycolysis.

Cells normally make most of their energy via oxidative phosphorylation, but they need oxygen to do so. If oxygen runs short, most cells switch to aerobic glycolysis. Low sugar levels can force cells to use oxidative phosphorylation for their energy.

Scientists aren't sure why, but many cells, including T cells, switch to aerobic glycolysis when they need to reproduce rapidly.

T cells proliferate quickly as they begin to respond to invaders or tumours, and scientists have assumed their switch to aerobic glycolysis was essential for this replicative process. For the new study, researcher  set up a system that allowed him to control the resources available to T cells in test tubes. When the scientists put T cells in a dish with cancer cells, which regularly consume large amounts of sugar, the T cells' ability to make inflammatory compounds was impaired.

But when the researchers gave sugar directly to the T cells, production of those inflammatory compounds doubled. "It's like an on-off switch, and all we need to do to flip it is change the availability of sugar,". "T cells often can go everywhere tumours, inflammation, infections but sometimes they don't do anything. If we can confirm that this same switch is involved in these failures in the body, we might be able to find a way to put the fight back into those T cells," .

How breast cancer cells damage bones

Some scientists have found that some breast cancer cells can turn off a signal that causes the immune system to attack them. 

Switching off the interferon immune signal lets the cancer cells secretly spread to secondary sites, most commonly the bones. 

We have discovered a mask that breast cancer cells put on, allowing them to hide and spread to bone, thriving undetected, said the scientists.

Researchers hope that existing interferon therapies could be used to "unmask" the cancer cells. 

Researchers said once the cells were detectable and open to attacks from the immune system, they could contain them to the breast and stop them forming secondary tumours. 

There are already interferon treatments for hepatitis, skin cancer and HIV, but they have not been tried in breast cancer patients. 

If they can stop the first spread to bone, then it is possible that we could prevent subsequent metastases  to the brain, lung and liver the researchers feel. 

Researchers said interferon responses were critical in protecting people from infection.