Dr. Shawn Talbott's latest e-newsletter warrants a full quote:
"Back in April, I wrote on my blog about a new study in the highly-respected scientific journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that showed how common painkillers such as aspirin and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) can interfere with the effects of antidepressant medications called SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) such as Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro, Luvox, and many others.
"I've received so many followup questions about the links between stress (and depression) and inflammation (and pain), that I thought I would update that original blog article and send the update out to the TALBOTT TIMES Newsletter.
"You can read the abstract of the PNAS study here =http://www.pnas.org/content/
"The new research showed that the anti-depression benefits of SSRI drugs were "cancelled out" when taken along with painkillers (called NSAIDs for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). NSAIDs cancel out SSRIs - sounds like a lot of alphabet soup - but millions and millions of people take BOTH types of drugs everyday - so this is important research.
"We've known for a long time that depression and chronic pain are closely related in many ways. Both conditions share some of the same underlying biochemistry (related to stress hormones such as cortisol and inflammatory compounds such as cytokines) and people with depression tend to experience more episodes of chronic pain (and vice versa). Indeed, physical pain can undoubtedly make psychological pain (depression) worse - likely due to the finding that inflammation is known to worsen and perhaps evencause depression in many people. You might find it interesting to know that cytokines (inflammatory hormone-like chemicals produced in the body)
"Conventional wisdom would suggest that controlling depression might also help to control pain - and that reducing pain would help to alleviate depression. However, the research findings in the PNAS article suggest that painkiller drugs may actually interfere with the activity of antidepressant drugs - potentially making depression worse.
"I have written about the numerous problems with antidepressant drugs HEREand HERE as well as the problems associated with painkillers HERE - and now we have new evidence of further problems when they are used together.
"I also cover the links between inflammation and stress in some detail (full chapters on each) in my upcoming book, The Secret of Vigor - How to Overcome Burnout, Restore Metabolic Balance, and Reclaim Your Natural Energy - which will be released on 11/11/11. You can pre-order a copy from Amazon.com here."
