Over the counter painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs could reportedly be effective in treatment for depression, according to the media outlet HNGN.
A new study reportedly suggests that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) may help with the treatment of depressive symptoms along with antidepressants, according to the website Webmd.
The recent study reportedly marked the largest meta-analysis ever conducted on this particular subject, reported Aarhus University. The analysis reportedly looked at 14 international studies involving 6,262 patients who struggled from depression or specific symptoms of the condition.
"The meta-analysis supports this correlation and also demonstrates that anti-inflammatory medication in combination with antidepressants can have an effect on the treatment of depression. When combined they give an important result which, in the long term, strengthens the possibility of being able to provide the individual patient with more personalized treatment options," said graduate student Ole Köhler, who is first author of the scientific article and a member of the research group from Aarhus University.
Despite the information they gathered through the study, researchers reportedly still need to think about the possible risks and side effects that come with these drugs to determine if they can be a reasonable treatment for depression.
"The biggest problem with depression is that we do not know the causes that trigger the condition in the individual patient. Some studies suggest that the choice of antidepressant medication can be guided by a blood sample that measures whether there is an inflammatory condition in the body," stated Kohler.
The student continued, "Other studies show that the same blood samples could be used as a guideline on whether a depressive patient can be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs that works better when there is inflammation present simultaneously with the depression."
It is important to note that researchers reportedly stressed that the recent meta-analysis could not determine whether or not an inflammatory state was the only explanation for depression.
