Depression May Be Treated By Anti-inflammatory Drug, Will This Be A Medical Breakthrough?

Depression has been linked with so many deaths that include suicide. Experts have been trying to find several medications with this mental illness. The current study shows that anti-inflammatory may help cure depression.

A new study found that a new group of anti-inflammatory drugs may able to treat patients suffering from depression. The connection between these drugs and depression is, it may site the inflammation that is present in the mental health condition.

These new anti-inflammatory drugs are used to treat autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis. In a review published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, experts also shared that the new anti-inflammatory drugs can also reduce symptoms of depression.

However, the anti-inflammatory drugs were not tested to treat depression. But, when it was tested as treatment fir autoimmune conditions, the collected data shows that the patients have symptoms of depression. The experts added that for future research regarding these drugs to treat depression, the patients being tested is warranted.

To further their research with the connection of the anti-inflammatory drugs and depression, the researcher conducted a meta-analysis. For example one meta-analysis the studied seven random controlled trials. They compared this anti-cytokine drug to a placebo. These seven trials are composed of 2,370 people that have an autoimmune condition, in a report by Live Science.  

As a result, the patients who were given the anti-inflammatory drugs have shown significant improvement, compared to those who were given the placebo. The result also shows that the anti-cytokine drugs might be helpful for people being treated with depression n cases anti-depressants does not work.

Meanwhile, professor of psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, Peter Jones said that "it's too early to say whether these anti-cytokine drugs can be used in clinical practice for depression. We will need clinical trials to test how effective they are in patients who do not have the chronic conditions for which the drugs have been developed," according to Medical Xpress.