Study: second-generation antidepressants
Because clinical depression is so disabling and affects more than 16 percent of adults in the United States at some time in their lives, researchers have worked hard to develop more effective treatments. But how much better are the newer pharmaceuticals?
Many second-generation antidepressants, despite differences in drug classification and cost, offer patients essentially the same benefits with little variation in risks, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have found.
Such antidepressants include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and other drugs that affect the activity of neurotransmitters in a selective way.
In a paper published online today (Sept. 19) and to be published in the October issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, Dr. Richard A. Hansen and colleagues examined the effects of 10 commonly prescribed second-generation antidepressants. Those drugs included familiar brand-name drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft, Click on the linkEffexor, Wellbutrin and Paxil.
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