Released on: May 29, 2008, 12:24 pm

Press Release Author: Monch Bravante

Industry: Pharmaceuticals

Press Release Summary: Depression is a common complication for patients who survived
a stroke. A new research suggests that high-risk people like those who suffered
stroke should be considered for antidepressants treatment even before they develop
depression. The findings, however, may not apply to stroke patients who had cancer
and other life-threatening conditions or severe verbal impairments.

Press Release Body: Doctors May Give High-Risk Patients The Drug Even Before
Depression Develops

High-risk people like those who suffered stroke are being considered for
antidepressant treatment right away instead of waiting until they develop
depression.

Experts said that parts of the brain affecting mood may get damaged as a result of
stroke. Aside from that, there is the stress of relearning simple tasks and
adjusting to stroke-caused impairments that may lead to depression.
The research findings may lead to an expanded use for antidepressants in the same
way that people now take cholesterol drugs to prevent heart attacks.

In the study, stroke patients were given low doses of the antidepressant Lexapro.
The result indicated that the patients on the drug were 4.5 times less likely to
develop depression than patients taking a dummy pill.

Based on previous research, stroke patients with depression recover more slowly and
are more likely to die.

Dr. Robert Robinson of the University of Iowa, lead author of the study, said that
the experiment showed that development of depression after stroke can be prevented.

According to Dr. George Bartzokis of the University of California, Los Angeles, who
was not involved in the new study, treating the depression may actually help treat
the stroke and vice versa. He said that Lexapro may work by making the chemical
serotonin more available in the brain and by promoting brain repair.

The research study involved 176 stroke patients, ranging in age from 50 to 90.
One-third were randomly assigned to take Lexapro. One-third took matching dummy
pills. And one-third were assigned to receive talk therapy focusing on
problem-solving skills.

While at the start, none suffered from depression. After a year, however, about 9%
of the Lexapro group had developed depression as compared to 22% of the
placebo-takers and 12% of the people who got problem-solving therapy.

Side effects such as dry mouth, dizziness, rapid heart rate and sexual problems were
reported by all three groups at about the same rates.

Dr. Charles Reynolds, a geriatric psychiatrist at the University of Pittsburgh
Medical Center, hopes that doctors will start prescribing preventive antidepressants
to stroke patients.

Reynolds said that depression in the wake of a stroke amplifies the suffering and
disability such patients experience. He even cited the work of Robinson as a novel
way of preventing such suffering and disability.

The findings, however, may not apply to stroke patients who had cancer and other
life-threatening conditions or severe verbal impairments.

Lexapro is a prescription medication used to treat depression and anxiety. It works
by restoring the balance of certain natural substances (neurotransmitters such as
serotonin) in the brain. Lexapro may improve your feelings of well-being and energy
level and decrease nervousness.

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