Anti-depressants?

Antidepressants, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), have been linked to an increased risk for first-time seizures in patients being treated for depression, new research shows.

Results of a study conducted by investigators at the University of Basel, in Switzerland, showed that with the exception of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) “antidepressant use in depressed patients was associated with an increased risk of seizures compared to non-use. Risk estimates differed across antidepressants and depended on timing of therapy, dose, and sex,” the investigators, led by Marlene Blöchliger, a PhD candidate in the pharmacoepidemiology unit at the University of Basel, write.

The findings were presented here at the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) 23rd Congress.

image