Depression is a condition
which is characterized by persistently feeling sad, hopeless and helpless. These
feelings can be compounded by difficulties concentrating or making relatively
simple decisions and losing interest in everyday activities.
Excessive sleepiness
and weight gain due to overeating are other symptoms of depression though some
patients develop insomnia and lose weight as their appetite dwindles.
Headaches,
indigestion and body aches that do not improve with treatment are also typical
of depression.
Suicidal ideation or
thinking about committing suicide is another serious symptom of depression
which must be addressed quickly.
Depression Causing Prescription Medications
Medications which can cause
depression include:
1. Beta blockers like atenolol, metoprolol and carvedilol which are used to
treat high blood pressure, angina chest pain and heart failure.
2. Calcium channel blockers (CCB) are other medications used to lower high
blood pressure that can also lower the mood. Nifedipine, verapamil and diltiazem
are some of the more commonly used CCB.
3. Statins are used to lower high cholesterol levels but they can also depress
the mood. Examples of such statins include atorvastatin, lovastatin and
simvastatin.
4. Diazepam, lorazepan and flurazepam belong to a group of drugs known
as benzodiazepines which are used to treat anxiety and insomnia and known to
cause depression.
5. Barbiturates like phenobarbitone and secobarbital, which are used to
prevent epilepsy and treat anxiety, can also increase a person’s predisposition
for developing depression.
6. Analgesics like codeine, morphine and oxycontin are known to leave a
person feeling dejected after taking away their pain.
7. Anticonvulsants like ethosuximide and methsuximide which are used to
treat seizure disorders, can also cause depression.
8. Antibiotics, and especially the flouroquinolones like ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin which are used to
treat infections of the urinary tract, can also increase a person’s risk of developing
depression.
9. Acyclovir, an antiviral used to manage herpes or shingles,
is another prescription medication that can cause melancholy.
10. Isotretinoin is a potent vitamin A derivative which is
used to treat severe acne and sadly also causes medication induced depression.
Other Causes of Depression
If you are taking any
of these medications and you begin feeling blue, do not stop taking them without
consulting your doctor because depression has many other causes.
For starters, genetics
have a role to play in the development of depression since it has been known to
run in some families. Major life events like getting divorced or getting a baby,
losing a job, starting a new one and even retiring can all cause depression.
Ongoing traumatic experiences
like physical or sexual abuse and even those which happened in a person’s past
can all darken their present with depression. These depressing effects of abuse
are compounded by social isolation and substance abuse which can also cause
depression by their own.
Therefore if you start
feeling sad while taking drugs prescribed by your doctor, do not stop taking
them. Consult your healthcare provider, tell them your symptoms, voice your suspicions
and ask them what you should do.
