A new study from Rutgers University and Columbia University has found something worrying. It shows that some people with depression may face a higher risk of death if they take newer antipsychotic medications along with their regular antidepressants.
These findings are important because they suggest that doctors and patients should be more careful when using these powerful drugs.
Doctors usually start treating depression with antidepressants. But sometimes these medicines don’t help enough. When that happens, a doctor might try other options. One option is to switch to another antidepressant.
Another option is to add a second drug to the treatment. That second drug could be another antidepressant or a newer antipsychotic medicine like aripiprazole, quetiapine, or olanzapine.
These antipsychotic drugs are meant to help when regular treatments don’t work. But they can cause serious side effects, such as weight gain, blood sugar problems, and heart issues. In the past, researchers already found that these drugs can be dangerous for older people with dementia. This new study now shows they could be risky for younger adults too.
The researchers looked at the health records of over 39,000 adults aged 25 to 64 who were on Medicaid between 2001 and 2010. These people had depression and had already tried one antidepressant.
Then, some of them added a second antidepressant, while others added a newer antipsychotic. The researchers checked the National Death Index to see how many of these people later died.
The results were eye-opening. People who added an antipsychotic had a 45% higher risk of dying compared to those who just added another antidepressant. This means that for every 265 people who used a newer antipsychotic for one year, there was one extra death.
Why is this so concerning? Because many patients may be given these drugs too soon. Antidepressants usually take 4 to 6 weeks to fully work. But some patients are switched to antipsychotics before the antidepressant has had enough time to help. This may expose them to big risks without real need.
The study suggests that doctors should think twice before adding antipsychotics to treat depression. These drugs should only be used when other, safer treatments have failed. Doctors should also make sure patients understand the risks before starting these medications.
While this research does not prove that antipsychotics cause death, it shows a strong link that needs more study. Experts say we need bigger studies, funded by public sources, to learn more and make better treatment guidelines.
Until then, the message is clear: use antipsychotics for depression only when absolutely necessary, and only after safer options have been fully tried.
If you care about health, please read studies that scientists find a core feature of depression and this metal in the brain strongly linked to depression.
For more health information, please see recent studies about drug for mental health that may harm the brain, and results showing this therapy more effective than ketamine in treating severe depression.
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