The meds you take may be linked to depression. A new study finds people who take Prilosec, Zantac or Xanax may be increasing their risk of depression.
The study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, included 26,192 adult participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. All of the participants listed the medications they were taking at the time of the survey.
Each of them also completed a depression screening.
Apparently, more than 200 common medications sold in the U.S. include depression as a potential side effect. Sometimes, the risk stems from taking several drugs at the same time.
The list includes commonly taken medications. Among them are proton pump inhibitors (used to treat acid reflux), beta blockers, anxiety drugs, painkillers including ibuprofen, ACE inhibitors (used to treat high blood pressure) and anti-convulsant drugs.
"The more of these medications you're taking, the more likely you are to report depression," says study author Mark Olfson, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University.
Source: NPR