SSRIs May Increase Risks Associated With Anti-Amyloid Alzheimer ' s Medications

Doctors should be careful about prescribing anti-amyloid medications to patients with Alzheimer ’s disease who are taking antidepressants, caution the authors of aletter published inAlzheimer ’s& Dementia.Despite the recent buzz around theU.S. Food and Drug Administration ’s approval of multiple anti-amyloid medications for the treatment of Alzheimer ’s disease, it is well known that these drugs come with some risks, including internal swelling and bleeding in the brain. Several selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) also increase the risk of internal bleeding, and as depression is common among people with dementia, it is possible tha t patients eligible for anti-amyloid therapy will be taking SSRIs.“Drugs with the highest degree of serotonin reuptake inhibition, such as fluoxetine, sertraline, and paroxetine, are frequently associated with increased bleeding and modifications of hemostasis markers that require special attention in the era of the anti-amyloid drugs,” wrote Beatriz Pozuelo M oyano, M.D., of Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland and colleagues.In addition to evaluating patients eligible for anti-amyloid therapy for prior history of microhemorrhages, physicians may benefit from considering the following questions:What type of antidepressant is the patient taking? Tricyclic antidepressants, serotonin antagonist and reuptake inhibitors (such as trazodone), or some of the norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (such as atomoxetine or bupr...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Alzheimer ' s & Dementia s disease antidepressants brain bleed brain swelling depression risks SSRIs Source Type: research