Depression is a severe mental illness that affects millions of people each year. While many treatment options are available, most people have not yet considered using anti-inflammatories to help fight depression. A new study published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry suggests that this could be an effective treatment option for some people with major depression.
The researchers trawled research south to discover suitable studies published up to January two thousand nineteen. They found thirty relevant randomized controlled trials involving one thousand six hundred ten people, which reported changes in depression scales. They pooled the data from twenty-six of these studies. The pooled data analysis suggested that anti-inflammatory agents were better than placebo and enhanced the effects of standard antidepressant treatment.
These agents were fifty-two percent more effective in reducing symptom severity overall and seventy-nine percent more effective in eliminating symptoms than placebo, as measured by an average fall in depression scales of fifty-five.
Anti-inflammatory drugs included: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); omega-three fatty acids; drugs that restrain the production of inflammatory chemicals (cytokine inhibitors); statins; steroids; antibiotics (minocycline); a drug d to treat sleep disorders (modafinil); and N-acetylcysteine, known as NAC, which is d to thinly excess phlegm in cystic fibrosis and COPD and is also taken as an antioxidant supplement.
The study looked at a group of people with major depression who were not responding to traditional treatment methods. The participants were given either a placebo or an anti-inflammatory medication for eight weeks. The researchers found that the group who took the anti-inflammatory had significantly lower levels of inflammation than the placebo group. They also found that the anti-inflammatory group had a substantially lower risk of relapse than the placebo group.
While the findings are encouraging, it’s too early to say that anti-inflammatories should be prescribed for everyone with depression. The next step is to conduct more extensive studies to confirm the findings and to see if there are any side effects from taking these medications. If you’re interested in trying this approach, speak to your doctor about whether it’s right for you.
Would you dare to use such methods of treating depression?
