Associations seen for sertraline, citalopram, escitalopram, and mirtazapine<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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WEDNESDAY, March 5, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Current antidepressant use is associated with faster cognitive decline in patients with dementia, according to a study published online Feb. 25 in BMC Medicine<\/em>.<\/p>\n Minjia Mo, Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues examined the association between antidepressants and cognitive decline in patients with dementia in a national cohort study. Data were included for 18,740 patients, of whom 22.8 percent received at least one prescription for an antidepressant.<\/p>\n The researchers found that 11,912 prescriptions for antidepressants were issued during follow-up, with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) being the most common (64.8 percent). Compared with nonuse, there was an association for antidepressant use with faster cognitive decline (\u03b2 = \u22120.30 points\/year), especially for sertraline, citalopram, escitalopram, and mirtazapine (\u03b2 = \u22120.25, \u22120.41, \u22120.76, and \u22120.19 points\/year, respectively). Patients with severe dementia (initial Mini-Mental State Examination scores 0 to 9) had a stronger association. A greater rate of decline was seen for escitalopram than sertraline. Dose response of SSRIs on greater cognitive decline and higher risks for severe dementia, all-cause mortality, and fracture were seen compared with nonuse.<\/p>\n “Our study cannot distinguish whether these findings are due to the antidepressants or the underlying psychiatric indication,” the authors write.<\/p>\n