A Link Between Antidepressants and Type 2 Diabetes
March 25, 2008
Digg This! | Send to Newsvine | Add to del.icio.usMarch 25, 2008 (EurekAlert) - While analyzing data from Saskatchewan health databases, Lauren Brown, researcher with the U of A’s School of Public Health, found people with a history of depression had a 30 per cent increased risk of type 2 Diabetes.
Brown then studied the medical history of 2,400 people who were diagnosed with depression and were taking antidepressants to determine whether there was a clear correlation between that disease and type 2 Diabetes.
Brown divided the group into four categories: those who took antidepressants that were considered older therapies, patients who were using newer treatments, those using a combination of both an old and new treatments and people who were switching medications.
What she found was the risk of diabetes almost doubled for the patients who were using two types of therapies at the same time, tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Brown says people are usually prescribed multiple medications “if they have severe depression or if they are having a problem finding the right therapy.”
Brown believes these results, and results of previous studies demonstrating an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in people with depression, emphasize the need for regular screening for type 2 diabetes in people with depression, particularly those taking more than one antidepressant. She also encourages diabetes and depression organizations to educate their members about this link.
Posted by dlife at March 25, 2008 03:37 PM
Comments
I've been on antidepressants for the last 20 years...sometimes 2 at a time. At the time that I started on them I weighed 98 pounds..I gained 40 pounds the first year, and have gained continuously since then, and now weight 190, And was diagnosed type 2 diabetic 2 years ago. I have always thought that the medication caused weight gain, because I saw it happen to everyone else on these meds also...I bet it is a combination of the two, weight gain and the meds, that contribute to this. It also has caused dental/gum problems, which is another whole can of worms. Good grief. :|
Posted by: janet at April 4, 2008 07:50 PM
I'm a type 2 diabetic that wasn't diagnosed until I started taking Lexapro three years ago. I've often wondered if it was the Lexapro that caused me to become insulin resistant. I've lost weight, however; no change in my blood sugar nos.
Posted by: Yvette at April 3, 2008 08:47 AM
I was the same way. I went through multiple trials of different antidepressants and gained about 80 pounds.
I'm still taking antidepressants, but I'm working out, walking and watching what I eat. As the weight has disappeared, my problems with diabetes has fallen away, too. For the last 2 years, my A1c has been between 4.9 and 5.1.
I don't believe it's the antidepressants, but the side effect of the weight gain that comes with being so depressed you can't move--plus the antidepressants' tendency to cause a person to gain weight.
The good news is the weight loss and the increased activity have helped me mentally. when I'm frustrated, I give the weights "names" before I push them around. I know when I'm done, because the weights don't have names anymore.
Hope this helps someone else besides me.
Posted by: Gwen at March 31, 2008 08:52 AM
i have never received my a1c testor, hope it is on its way. thank you for a great web site very informative.
Posted by: shirley jerding at March 28, 2008 08:32 PM
I have been taking Effexor (TCA)for about 6 years and have continuously gained weight (60 lbs.). Now I am being treated for type 2 diabetes. I am on so much medication, I can't keep track anymore. Is this genuinely a factor with my developing diabetes?
Posted by: Mary at March 25, 2008 08:59 PM