“Happiness medicines” may be good for the heart

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Offline russellmitu

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“Happiness medicines” may be good for the heart
« on: September 10, 2015, 02:36:40 PM »
Clinical depression is a serious condition that affects an astonishing number of people worldwide. Depression is frequently associated with heart disease.

Unfortunately, it is often not diagnosed and therefore not treated. Untreated depression leads to increased cardiac morbidity. Antidepressant medications do not just improve the feeling of well-being, but as shown in recent studies they also reduce cardiovascular events. Antidepressants are prescribed to patients with moderate or severe depression, and typically take a few weeks to exhibit an effect.

Most antidepressants regulate the levels of certain molecules in the brain, such as serotonin, thus alleviating the symptoms of depression. Researchers have sought to examine the effects of these drugs on other systems in the body, such as the heart, and a recent study presented at the annual conference of the American College of Cardiology demonstrated that antidepressants may offer protection from heart disease.

The study was conducted over a 3-year period and included 5311 patients with moderate to severe depression. Depression screening questionnaires evaluated factors such as mood, sleep and appetite to assess the extent of depression in the patients. Data regarding death, heart disease and stroke was analyzed with reference to the level of depression and its treatment, and the results suggested that risk of those three events was lower in patients who were being treated with antidepressants than patients who were not. This was true in cases with moderate or severe depression, but not in people with mild depression. In addition, there appeared to be no additional benefit from heart medication, such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, in patients who were on antidepressants. Although the mechanisms by which antidepressants reduce the risk of heart disease are unknown, this research provides the foundation for further exploration of the previously unknown benefits of these drugs.

Caution however needs to be exercised as their effectiveness has only been shown in moderate and severe depression. Indiscriminate and inappropriate use of anti-depressants, especially without doctor's prescription has the potential to cause more harm than benefit.

While depression is not something to be joyful about, the silver lining in this cloud is that the medicines that make you happy can possibly make your heart smile as well.

Ref
1. May H. et al., Annual conference of the American College of Cardiology, March 2015.

The article has been contributed by :
Dr. Suvro Banerjee, Senior Consultant- Interventional Cardiologist, Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, Kolkata.
KH Zaman
Lecturer, Pharmacy