Antidepressants can make depression worse

Up to 20 percent of patients who are treated for depression feel worse than people who receive a placebo instead of antidepressants, warned American experts from the Yale University School of Medicine.

They analyzed the results of seven studies, which included about 2.500 people with severe depression. Using the method of random selection, some of these patients received the anti-depressant drug cymbalta (also known by the generic name duloxetine) or another antidepressant, while the rest received a placebo.

Subjects on placebo generally reported small, gradual improvements in depression symptoms, while there was considerable polarization among patients who actually received antidepressants.

The majority of those who received cymbalta, i.e. 84 percent, saw progressive relief of depression symptoms, while the condition of the others did not improve.

Those 16 percent were actually worse off than the placebo subjects because, without any improvement in depressive symptoms, they were exposed to unwanted side effects of antidepressants, such as stomach problems and sleep problems.

The Yale team suggests that within the first few weeks of treatment with antidepressants, doctors could identify which patients are not responding to the drug.

Some recent research is trying to identify genetic and other factors and symptoms, which would indicate in advance which patients will not be affected by a certain medication.

- That would be a huge advance in this field - said University of Miami depression expert Hendricks Brown.