Tag Archive for 'antidepressants'

Depression can cause problems for your digestion

Published on November 26, 2011 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Is there a link with constipation and depression? Actually yes.

Depression is a condition that many people feel uncomfortable talking about. Then there is constipation. Hardly anyone wants to even think about that. This said, many people suffer from each of these conditions.

Constipation can be a side effect from numerous antidepressants. Also, people who are not very active tend to experience constipation. Depression can cause one to be less active since it can be hard to get out of bed or off the couch when you are down.

So it seems that your digestive health is tied to your mental health; sort of a mind-body connection.

If you are experiencing digestive problems due to antidepressants it would be wise to talk to your doctor before trying laxatives, stool softeners or some other type of medication for constipation. Some people have found that changing their diet is the answer. Eating less dairy, avoiding gluten, consuming more legumes and drinking water are some things to try.

Treating depression is a job that mostly comes from within. Sometimes the humiliation involving depression and its undesirable side effects can leave you feeling like you yourself are your on your own with this problem. But with your doctor’s help, you should be able to find an answer.

Study finds antidepressants more beneficial in serious cases

Published on March 11, 2010 in Health and Wellness. 0 Comments Tags: , .

A recent study has discovered that antidepressants do not give much help to people who have mild or moderate depression. For these people, just going to the doctor and talking about symptoms and understanding more about depression is often all they need to do to begin to achieve the similar positive effects that medication would provide.

Robert DeRubeis, a University of Pennsylvania psychology professor, claims that only the people who have severe depression get the extra benefits from taking antidepressants. The research was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

There have been many studies that have shown the benefits of antidepressants over placebos, but most only deal with participants who suffer from extreme depression. DeRubeis said that “confusion arises because there is a tendency to generalize the findings to mean that all depressed people benefit from medications.”

This analysis tried to figure out just how much of the antidepressants’ positive effects is from the specific chemical effects from medicine and how much can be attributed to other things like going to a doctor, making an effort to feel better or simply from the passage of time.

Six placebo-controlled studies were analyzed by researchers for the study. There were 718 patients who either took a placebo (fake pill) or an actual antidepressant. These patients were adults who suffered from a variety of depression cases that ranged from mild to severe according to the Hamilton Depression Ratings Scale, which is a commonly used questionnaire in depression research.

The results from the treatment were similar for those with mild, moderate and severe symptoms, whether or not they had the placebo or the actual antidepressant. The only people who showed notable improvements on the antidepressants were the ones who were considered very severe at the beginning of the study.

So what are some symptoms of a severely depressed person? Well they could have symptoms like feelings of sadness and guilt, feeling that life is not worth living, crying often, sleeping difficulties, being lethargic and discontinuing regular activities. People with this type of extreme depression usually need to take antidepressants to help them improve. DeRubeis said that those who don’t have such deep depression should think about doing cognitive therapies, because treatment can be helpful for any level of depression.