Posted by djmmm on June 30, 2006, at 6:54:27
from Medscape:
Antidepressant and Lithium Therapy Linked to Future Use of Antiparkinson Drugs
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jun 16 - Treatment with antidepressants and lithium is associated with an increased risk of later treatment with antiparkinson drugs, according to findings from a Danish study.The findings suggest that "patients with anxiety or affective disorders are at increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease," Dr. M. Brandt-Christensen, from the University of Copenhagen, and colleagues note.
The study, reported in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry for June, involved an analysis of prescription data for nearly 1.3 million people logged in a Danish national registry between 1995 and 1999.
Treatment with an antidepressant raised the risk of later treatment with an antiparkinson medication by 2.27- and 1.50-fold in men and women, respectively. The corresponding rate ratios with lithium were 2.22 and 1.64.
The new findings support other recent reports suggesting an association between affective/anxiety disorders and Parkinson's disease. It is possible that the treatments for these disorders, and not the disorders themselves, are what precipitate Parkinson's disease, the authors point out.
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 2006;77:781-783.
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