Depression
Show 1350: Why Psychotherapy Matters: Lessons fr…
If you tell your healthcare provider that you’re feeling anxious or depressed, chances are they will prescribe you a medication. Millions of people take anti-anxiety pills or antidepressants, and ma…
Long COVID Is Common and Scary!
The immediate threat from a COVID infection is readily understood, but doctors are still struggling with a different problem patients often face. Lingering, debilitating symptoms affect an estimated 6…
Rediscovering Low-Dose Lithium for Mood Disorder…
Lithium is a chemical element that is widespread in nature. You can find it in the earth's crust, in water and even in the food you eat. Depending upon where you live, there is a good chance that ther…
Show 1368: Why Overcoming Loneliness Is Crucial …
In this week’s interview, Dr. Robert Waldinger of Harvard University explains why overcoming loneliness is essential for our health. His research, summarized in The Good Life, shows that close relat…
Authorized Generic Drugs Offer Quality and Affor…
Have you ever heard of authorized generic drugs? Most people, including some physicians and pharmacists, have no idea what they are. That’s largely because the Food and Drug Administration tells the…
Do Doctors Know How to Help Patients Stop Medica…
Imagine for a moment that you are the CEO of a major drug company. What is the ideal product? Sadly, it’s all about money. In other words, what would be a highly profitable medication that doctors w…
Show 1367: How to Evaluate Prescription Drugs
In this week’s interview, Dr. Aaron Carroll of Indiana University discusses what we should take into account when we evaluate prescription drugs. How can we tell if the benefits would outweigh the r…
Why You Should Eat the Mediterranean Way
The Mediterranean diet has been associated with a number of health benefits. We have written previously about studies showing that a Mediterranean-style eating plan can protect the brain, reduce arthr…
When a Drug Like Buproprion Smells Bad
Some drugs have a distinctive odor. That’s a nice way of saying that some medications naturally smell nasty. For example, we have seen complaints that the blood pressure medicine diltiazem has a str…
Do Conflicts of Interest Distort Antidepressant …
How reliable are studies of medicines used to treat psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, panic or depression? A quick count of popular antidepressants reveals that more than 40 million Americans fi…
What Should You Know about New Antidepressant Sp…
The Food and Drug Administration approved a completely new type of antidepressant on March 4, 2019. The nasal spray called esketamine is supposed to help people who have not responded to standard anti…
Beware of Sudden and Unexpected Psychiatric Drug…
Times are tough! There is a lot to worry about, from financial challenges and political turmoil to unusual weather patterns and health concerns. It’s hardly any wonder that tens of millions of Ameri…
How to Fight Back Against SAD This Winter
As the weather changes from a welcome chill in the air to wet and nasty to cold and icy, many people discover that they are spending more time inside. During short days, they get relatively little sun…
Which Medicines Can Cause Severe Depression? Weg…
Most people experience sadness or depression sometime during their lives. Divorce, the death of a loved one, work-related problems or financial setbacks can all trigger severe depression. Once the cri…
Antidepressant Combination (Amitriptyline &…
Mixing and matching medications can lead to pharmaceutical mess ups. This is especially true when the drugs do not go well together. We have been writing about dangerous drug interactions for about 50…
Psilocybin from Mushrooms Can Ease Depression
Psilocybin is the psychoactive compound in hallucinogenic mushrooms. Humans have used this "magic" mushroom compound in rituals for thousands of years. Psilocybin from mushrooms alters sensory percept…
Duloxetine (Cymbalta) Side Effects & Withdr…
We have received so many complaints about duloxetine (Cymbalta) side effects that we have lost count. Far more disturbing are the number of people who tell us how hard it is to discontinue this drug. …
Exercise Is Effective Treatment for Psychologica…
Exercise may help people overcome mild to moderate depression. Previous studies have shown that younger and middle aged people benefit. (Keep reading for more details on those.) Now we have evidence t…
Can Chantix Cause Depression?
The stop-smoking drug varenicline (Chantix) was first approved by the FDA on May 11, 2006. It wasn't long before millions of people were taking this oral medication to help them quit cigarettes. The i…
Usual Antidepressants Don’t Help New Type …
According to the CDC, 16 million adults will suffer from depression this year. This illness has a negative impact on mood, thinking and behavior. It takes the joy out of activities that are normally p…
Antidepressants and Suicide: Why Don’t Peo…
Antidepressants are, by definition, supposed to improve mood. They are prescribed to lift people out of psychological depression. In theory, drugs like fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil) and sert…
How Long Will Dizziness Last After Stopping Lexa…
It is always smart to have an exit strategy. That is just as true when you begin taking a prescription medication as when you take a new job that might or might not be quite suitable. Doctors and phar…
Prednisone Can Cause Anxiety, Depression and Ins…
Corticosteroids are both a blessing and a curse. They can calm a serious allergic reaction and reduce inflammation. People with asthma may profit from a drug like prednisone during a flareup. Patients…
Vitamin D Supplements for Babies May Boost Kids&…
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for both children and adults. Long ago, scientists dubbed it the "sunshine vitamin" because skin can synthesize it in the presence of sunlight. Doctors in northern c…
Will Ketamine Really Battle Life-Long Depression…
People with depression have a really tough time. Not only does the condition suck all of the joy out of life, the medications used to treat it have some potentially serious side effects. Moreover, ant…
Are You “Addicted” to Your Prescription Medi…
Before you read another word, rethink the term addiction! It is loaded with emotional baggage and is a terrible description of drug dependence. It often implies character flaws or vulnerability and fr…
Are Old Antidepressants (MAO Inhibitors) Still H…
It is estimated that depression affects as many as 1 out of 10 Americans. Teenagers and young adults are even more vulnerable, with as many as 17% impacted. There are ongoing questions about the effec…
Can You Overcome Depression with Exercise?
Millions of people globally are suffering from depression or anxiety. There is some good news, however. An overview of systematic reviews (an "umbrella review") of more than a thousand randomized cont…
Antidepressants and Thoughts of Suicide – Were…
We are living through some really rough times. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, tens of millions of Americans were anxious or depressed. Young adults have been hit especially hard. Many are exper…
Doctors Still Doubt Antidepressants Can Trigger …
Most healthcare professionals have a hard time believing antidepressants can trigger suicide. It seems implausible that drugs which are supposed to help relieve depression might make some people suici…
Can Lithium in Water Supply Prevent Dementia?
The chances are good that you are exposed to some lithium almost every day of your life. That's because this natural element is plentiful in nature. It is found in rocks and soil all over the earth. T…
Drug Boomerang: When Meds Cause What They Should…
When a doctor prescribes a medicine there is an implicit promise that it will relieve symptoms or cure us when we are ill. The Hippocratic Oath that most physicians take upon graduation is widely unde…
Beware of Serotonin Syndrome from Cough Remedy I…
Chances are good that you’ve heard of serotonin. Scientists have linked this neurotransmitter in the brain to mood. Fluoxetine (Prozac) and its antidepressant chemical cousins (citalopram or Celexa,…
Show 1318: Challenging Dogma About Alzheimer Dis…
Examining the Basis of Neuroscience Dogma: This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, our guests discuss the evidence supporting widely accepted ideas about Alzheimer disease and depression. N…
Teaching Old Drugs New Tricks
Drug companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars to bring a brand-new medication to market (JAMA, March 3, 2020). They then turn around and charge patients and their insurance companies enormous p…
Novel New Uses for Fenofibrate (Tricor) vs. Trig…
Fenofibrate is an old drug that is prescribed to lower triglycerides (TG). It also reduces so-called bad LDL cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC) and raises “good” HDL cholesterol. Bottom l…
Show 1317: Psychedelic Compounds for Healing
This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, we speak with scientists studying the potential of psychedelic compounds to help heal mental illness. Recreational use of drugs like LSD during the 1…
Show 1303: The Mental Health Crisis Affecting Am…
This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, we talk with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Matt Richtel. His latest series for The New York Times takes a long look at the mental health crisis a…
Debunking the Chemical Imbalance Theory of Depre…
First, a confession. I got my start in research by working in a neuropharmacology laboratory at the New Jersey Neuropsychiatric Institute. My mentors were Carl Pfeiffer, MD, and Leonide Goldstein, DSc…
Show 1315: Are We Medicating Normal Emotions?
This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, we examine the consequences of prescriptions for anxiety or grief. All of us, at some point in our lives, will experience some of these emotions. If …