In a study published in EBioMedicine, a group of researchers at Uppsala University's Department of Psychology, Sweden, now demonstrate considerably better effects of the SSRI
escitalopram when given with correct as compared to incorrect verbal information.
In the randomised study, all patients with social anxiety disorder were treated with the same dosage of
escitalopram for nine weeks, but only one group was correctly informed about the drug and its effectiveness.
Struggling while going through a divorce, Newman, a documentary film - maker who had worked for the BBC, went to see a psychiatrist, who prescribed
escitalopram (Lexapro).
Pharmaceutical treatment of depression commonly makes use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) of which
escitalopram is the most frequently administered clinically.
«Our study shows that genotyping of CYP2C19 could be of considerable clinical value in individualising doses of
escitalopram so that a better all - round antidepressive effect could be achieved for the patients,» says Professor Magnus Ingelman - Sundberg at Karolinska Institutet's Department of Physiology and Pharmacology who led the study together with Professor Espen Molden.
However,
escitalopram therapy is currently limited by the fact that some patients do not respond well to the drug, while others develop adverse reactions requiring discontinuation of treatment.
Overall, one third of the 2,087 study participants achieved
escitalopram blood levels that were either too high or too low.
Title: An inflammatory biomarker as a differential predictor of outcome of depression treatment with
escitalopram and nortriptyline Author: R. Uher et al..
Title: Effect of a single dose of
escitalopram on serotonin concentration in the non-human and human primate brain Author: M. Nord et al..
Rasenick and colleagues further analyzed
escitalopram to investigate the properties of antidepressants that preferentially accumulate in lipid rafts.
For example, only monoamine oxidase inhibitors and selective serotonin receptor inhibitors, such as
escitalopram, showed association with lipid rafts over time.
Although both groups exhibited improvement in the severity of depression, larger reductions were seen in individuals taking
escitalopram as well as practicing tai chi, a kind of exercise that's gentle enough for older people.
For the research, 112 individuals aged 60 years or older having major depression were given the drug
escitalopram, a standard depression treatment, for about a month.
Experts don't know yet whether selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine and
escitalopram, increase fracture risk.
In one study, people prescribed
escitalopram (Lexapro / Cipralex) were given a supplement of 1000 mg curcumin or placebo.
«It looks like the women who had
escitalopram really noticed a difference when they didn't take it anymore,» Freeman says.
In the analysis of 12 different drugs, two came out on top as the most effective and best tolerated as first - line treatments: sertraline (Zoloft) and
escitalopram (Lexapro).
«The women on
escitalopram were much more likely to [think] their treatment was helpful,» says the lead researcher, Ellen W. Freeman, PhD, a professor of ob - gyn at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in Philadelphia.
The antidepressant Lexapro (
escitalopram) may reduce the frequency and severity of hot flashes, the bouts of sweating and overheating that are an uncomfortable fact of life for many menopausal women, a new government - funded study suggests.
These will include tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs; amitriptyline, clomipramine, nortriptyline, desipramine, imipramine, etc), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs;
escitalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, etc) and serotonin - norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs; venlafaxine, duloxetine), as well as novel agents mirtazapine and nefazodone.
All patients with MDD and PTSD were being treated with SSRIs (i.e., fluoxetine,
escitalopram, or paroxetine).
Compared with placebo, treatment of depressed systolic heart failure patients with
escitalopram will result in a significant improvement in symptoms of depression at six months, when measured using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.
Compared with placebo, treatment of depressed systolic heart failure patients with
escitalopram will result in a significant improvement in symptoms of depression at six months, when measured using the Cardiac Depression Scale.
Continued
escitalopram reduces risk of relapse in people with generalised social anxiety disorder
The improvement in depression of heart failure patients treated with
escitalopram will parallel improved autonomic function, as principally measured by HRV sympatho - vagal balance in the frequency domain.