Antidepressants for elderly

What are the best antidepressants for the elderly? What is the best anti-depressant with the least side effects? Is Lexapro good for elderly? How to help an elderly person with depression?

Identification followed by a thorough assessment can help guide the selection of an appropriate antidepressant medication.

There are several factors to consider when selecting, adjusting, and changing antidepressants in the elderly. Together, these strategies can help promote the safe use of antidepressants in the elderly. Blindly throwing medications at an elderly patient without taking their feedback into consideration is a losing strategy. If an off-label option works really well, it may be preferred over traditional options. The clinical pharmacology of new active substances needs to be comprehensively described and understood.

Phase II studies should address optimum dosage regimens in the elderly. Specific Phase III trials are also required in the elderly to determine the efficacy and safety of antidepressants in the treatment of depressive illness.

Thus the majority of treated elders receive only antidepressant medications. However, safety concerns have arisen about the use of antidepressants in older adults. Confused by the choice in antidepressants ? With persistence, you and your doctor should find one that works so that you can enjoy life more fully again. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCA’s). Examples: Nortriptyline, amitriptyline.

These drugs are highly anticholinergic and can exacerbate multiple different disease states. Depression is a common mental issue that is especially problematic for elderly adults. It can affect your energy, sleep habits, and appetite as well as lower your interest in hobbies, work,.

Since many commonly prescribed antidepressants can lead to increased risk of falls, treating depression can be especially tricky in the elderly population. Continued How Do Antidepressants Relieve Depression In the Elderly ? Studies have found that while antidepressants can be helpful in older adults, they may not always be as effective as in younger. Older Antidepressants May Be Safer For Elderly. Clinical trials of antidepressants in older adults need to be conducted to determine whether one class of drugs is safer than the other. However, cyclic antidepressants may be a good option for some people.

Chronic illness often coexists with depression in elderly patients, along with frailty, possibly mitigating effects.

How effective are antidepressants for treating depression in the elderly ? Response to antidepressants in the elderly varies widely from to , compared with to for placebo, with inconsistencies in part owing to use of secondary analysis, variable age cutoffs, and short trials. Along with increasing personal suffering, depression is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline, dementia, poor medical outcomes, suicide and high mortality. Study found that SSRIs seemed to have more side effects than older antidepressants.

Please note: This article was published more than one year ago. The facts and conclusions presented may have since changed and may no longer be accurate. And More information links may no longer work. Careful monitoring is needed for adverse effects, particularly in the first month of treatment Because older people with clinical depression have high rates of concurrent medical illness, particularly cerebrovascular disease, they are at high risk of adverse events from most antidepressants.

However, given the likelihood of poor functional outcomes and the increased risk of premature death by.