Depression Poses Dilemma for Pregnant Women

Pregnant women suffering from depression face a dilemma: take an antidepressant that might pose a risk to the fetus or battle through the depressive symptoms that could harm the baby in other ways?

To help women in this predicament decide on a course of action, experts from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) teamed up to review existing data and make recommendations for managing depression during pregnancy.

Unfortunately, existing data are limited, given that pregnant women are rarely recruited for clinical trials. There is no data, for example, from the kind of randomized controlled trials considered the gold standard of research. Rather, much of our current information comes from large European observational studies that cannot control for factors other than medication use that may be affecting the pregnancies.

As many as 25% of all pregnant women suffer from depression; about 12.5% use an antidepressant at some point during pregnancy, according to the latest statistics. Although many antidepressants appear to be safe, studies have reported a slight increased risk of some fetal defects. Drug withdrawal and persistant pulmonary hypertension – a condition that can impair blood flow to the lungs – are other potential newborn problems.

Source: Healthcommunities

Antismoking Drug Not Linked to Risk of Self-harm or Depression

Last July, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued labeling requirements for Chantix and another antismoking drug, Zyban (bupropion), to include its strongest safety message, warning that people taking the drugs should be closely watched for signs of suicidal thoughts, hostility, and depressed mood. According to the FDA, 98 suicides and 188 suicide attempts had been reported among people taking Chantix since the drug was approved for sale in the United States in 2006. (Fourteen suicides and 17 suicide attempts had been reported in users of Zyban.)

Despite the FDA’s warning, few large-scale studies had been conducted to accurately assess the mental risks. Assessing risk is difficult because of the need to control for factors such as previous smoking habits and the presence of certain diseases. For example, people who smoke already have a two-to-threefold increased risk of suicide, since smoking is common among people with psychiatric illness, according to the researchers.

To clarify the risk, researchers from the University of Bristol and the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) compared the risk of self-harm among 80,660 patients, aged 18 to 95, who were prescribed a new course of any smoking-cessation product – Chantix, Zyban, or nicotine replacement products – between September 2006 and May 2008.

The researchers found “no clear evidence” that Chantix was associated with an increased risk of suicide or self-harm.
More studies are needed to further qualify the mental health risks associated with taking Chantix, but any risk should be weighed against the effectiveness of Chantix as an antismoking drug and the risks associated with continuing to smoke.

Source: Healthcommunities

Support for Chronic Fatigue and Seasonal Depression Probiotics and vitamins B and D ease anxiety and depression

Probiotics cut anxiety in chronic fatigue syndrome, depressed people may need more B vitamins, and vitamin D eased seasonal depression and improved mood in depressed overweight adults, in four new studies.

Researchers in a chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) study explained that most of those with CFS have anxiety, and that many also complain of gut (gastrointestinal) upset. The doctors noted that new research shows gut germs can communicate with the central nervous system and influence emotional behaviors, particularly anxiety. Scientists gave about 40 men and women with CFS, aged 18 to 65, 24 billion colony-forming units of the probiotic Lactobacillus casei per day or a placebo. After two months, those in the probiotics group had much less anxiety compared to the beginning of the study and to placebo.

Doctors in a mood study reviewed how vitamin deficiency and inflammation influence mood disorders. The researchers noted that in depression, deficiencies in folate, vitamins B12 and B6, and omega-3 fatty acids alter the central nervous system, reducing serotonin – the chemical that controls mood – and phospholipids – the fats that cover and protect nerves. Doctors also found about half of those with depression had high blood levels of homocysteine, a sign of inflammation when B vitamins are deficient.

In a small study, nine women with seasonal depression and low blood levels of vitamin D who took 5,000 IU of vitamin D were able to significantly increase vitamin D levels. Three of the women whose vitamin D increased to optimal levels had test scores that showed normal mood with little depression.

Reference: Gut Pathology; 2009, Vol. 1, No. 1,6.

Depression, Obesity, and Alcohol Abuse Linked in Young Women

Depression, obesity, and alcohol abuse are interrelated conditions among young women (but not men), according to University of Washington researchers.

Data collected when 776 young adults were 24, 27, and 30 years of age reveal that women with an alcohol disorder at age 24 were more than three times as likely to be obese when they were 27. Women who were obese at 27 were more than twice as likely to be depressed when they were 30. And women who were depressed at 27 were at increased risk for alcohol disorders at 30.

By contrast, young men who had one of these conditions didn’t tend to develop another one later on.

The research did not reveal a clear progression in women from one of these disorders to another. But women with one condition should be aware that they are at increased risk of developing another.

Source: Health Insider

High Rate of Depression Among People with Chronic Kidney Disease

One in five people with chronic kidney disease (20%) suffers from depression, even before beginning long-term dialysis therapy or developing end-stage renal disease, according to new research conducted at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Depression rates among patients with other chronic diseases include: diabetes, 11%; congestive heart failure, 14%; and coronary artery disease after heart attack, 16%.

Research is already under way to determine whether antidepressant medication would be tolerated in people with kidney disease and whether such treatment can improve depression.

Source: Health Insider

Depression and Anxiety Common in Preschoolers

A large six-year study that tracked children ranging in age from 5 months to 5 years reports that 15% of participants had typically high symptoms of depression and anxiety, and that these children were more likely to have mothers with a history of depression.

The study, published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, also found that difficult temperament at 5 months was the most important predictor of depression and anxiety in children.

Source: Health Insider

L-Tyrosine For Mood Elevation

L-Tyrosine is an important amino acid that can be used to treat allergies, anxiety and depression. It also aids in function of the following glands: adrenal, pituitary, and thyroid glands.

L-Tyrosine acts as a mood elevator, suppresses the appetite and helps decrease body fat. A lack of tyrosine can cause the body to not produce the hormone norephinephrine. This in turn causes depression, and mood disorders. It has also been used for withdrawal from drugs.

L-Tyrosine is best taken on an empty stomach, and mixed with Vitamin B6. Wait one hour before eating.

St. John’s Wort

St. John’s Wort has been used as an herbal supplement for depression for many years. This herb has been used in numerous double-blind controlled studies, and also compared to prescription antidepressants. In these studies it was concluded that St. John’s Wort improved depression, sadness, anxiety and insomnia.

St. John’s Wort improves the flow of a hormone called serotonin. Serotonin is a mood elevator, and helps balance brain chemistry, in a gentle fashion without the side effects of drugs.

St. John’s Wort can be purchased at most health food stores. Follow the recommended dosages listed on the bottle.

Music Healing

Music seems to have a positive effect on our moods and health in much the same way color does. Soft music, when combined with some relaxation techniques, has been used to lessen stress and relax muscles. Music touches the spirit and can be very relaxing and healing. Researchers suggest that music increases the production of pain-killing hormones called endorphins in the brain. It creates the relaxation response. Music healing has produced some good results in those undergoing alcohol and drug rehabilitation. It’s been proven beneficial to those suffering from depression, high blood pressure, migraines, and ulcers. Although soft music can be soothing, certain types of hard rock music can have the opposite effect.

Depression Part II

Depression starts when the mood area of the brain is disturbed. The brain communicates through chemicals called neurotransmitters. These chemicals control our behavior, and are controlled by the food we eat.

Eating carbohydrates helps calm down the mind, where ingesting proteins can make you more alert.

Consumption of B-Complex vitamins have shown to normalize brain function. The amino acid L-Tyrosine raises the happy chemicals in the brain, and influences mood in a positive direction.

Genetics can play a part in depression. Around 50 percent of people with depression have one or more parents that suffer from depression.

Consult a physician for more information.

 

Depression Part I

This is a subject that will affect most people some time in their life. Some get angry, and others become withdrawn. The good news is most cases of depression are short lived, and not serious.

Cardinal signs of depression are: fatigue, back and neck pain, headaches, loss of appetite, binge eating and worse case scenarios include suicidal thoughts.

Depression causes are vast. It can be brought on by stress, improper food intake, allergies and sugar. Lack of sunlight in the winter months can also trigger depression. Research has shown that two hours of a.m. sun is great towards alleviating depression.

Consult a qualified physician if depression is effecting your life.