Antidepressants that are commonly prescribed to treat dementia in those suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease have been found to be ineffective according to a study published by the British medical journal The Lancet. In fact, researchers found the drugs may cause nausea and drowsiness in those who are prescribed them.
FoxNews reported that the two antidepressants studied are sertraline and mirtazapine, which are commonly known as Zoloft and Remeron, respectively, in the U.S. The placebo-controlled research measured the affects of the medications and placebos on more than 325 patients across nine clinical sites in Britain.
About one-third of the patients received sertraline, one-third received mirtazapine and one-third received a sugar pill. According to FoxNews, the study found that after 39 weeks, there was no change in the depression experienced by those participating in the study. In addition, those receiving the two drugs actually experienced more severe side effects than those receiving the placebo.
According to CNN, the researchers at King’s College London, led by Sube Banerjee of the Institute of Psychiatry, said, “The practical implications of this study are that we should reframe the way we think about the treatment of people with dementia who are depressed, and reconsider the routine prescription of antidepressants.”
