Zoloft Enhances the Risk of Stroke Sufferers

Depressed women prescribed with antidepressant medication such as Zoloft are prone to greater risk of suffering from stroke, according to a recent clinical study published in the journal Stroke Magazine. Dr. Kathryn Rexrode, an internist of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston is the senior author of the clinical study. A case about those who suffer from asthma is similar to those who had strokes due to depression. Depression is a common mental disorder with depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low-self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration defined by the World Health Organization (WHO)rnIn six-year period, among study those study participants who had depression were 29 percent more likely to suffer a stroke. About 39 percent increase in stroke-related depression was monitored with those women who took an antidepressant medication such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor like Zoloft. SSRIs is being defined by the book of “Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing” as a class of antidepressant drug which used in the treatment of major depressive illness, anxiety disorders, the depressed phase of bipolar disorder, and psychotic. The cyclic compound has more risk of side effects compared to SSRIs. Enhanced serotonin transmission can lead to several common side effects such as anxiety agitation, akathisia, nausea, insomnia, and sexual dysfunction, especially diminished sexual drive of difficulty achieving erection or orgasm. However, Dr. Rexrode says researchers do not think anti-depressants cause the increased stroke risk; rather, the connection exists because those who take these medications may have more severe depression. The Harvard School of Public Health had a clinical study headed by An Pan about depression linking to inflammation in the body which leads to the increase of the risk of stroke as well as other conditions or underlying vascular diseases in the brain. rnThe clinical study conducted by the team of Dr. Rexrode wants to clarify that they are not suggesting people should stop their medications to lower the number of patients suffering from stroke rather to create awareness of what can cause the intake of these medication and the possible consequences. Patients who are being prescribed with antidepressant medication and who noticed that their depression worsened may consider filing a Zoloft lawsuit an option.