Arthritis pills could help beat depression, new study suggests
Researchers found that the drugs typically used to treat inflammatory diseases also boosted patients' mood
ARTHRITIS pills could help beat depression, a study suggests.
The drugs are typically used to treat inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.
But researchers from the University of Cambridge found the medication also boosted patients’ mood.
The team analysed data from 5,063 people to see if the drugs – known as anti-cytokines – had any beneficial side-effects.
And they found the drugs led to an improvement in depressive symptoms independently of improvements in physical illness.
Around one in three people do not respond to standard antidepressants, which work by boosting mood-enhancing chemicals in the brain.
And a third of depressed patients have high levels of a protein in their blood that is also present in those who suffer from inflammatory diseases.
Researchers say this may not be a coincidence and could explain why the anti-inflammatory drugs made some patients happier.
Dr Golam Khandaker, who led the study, said: “It’s becoming increasingly clear to us that inflammation plays a role in depression, at least for some individuals, and now our review suggests that it may be possible to treat these individuals using some anti-inflammatory drugs.
“These are not your everyday anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, however, but a particular new class of drugs.”
He added: “About a third of patients who are resistant to antidepressants show evidence of inflammation.
“So, anti-inflammatory treatments could be relevant for a large number of people who suffer from depression.
“The current approach of a ‘one-size-fits-all’ medicine to treat depression is problematic.
“All currently available antidepressants target a particular type of neurotransmitter, but a third of patients do not respond to these drugs.
“We are now entering the era of ‘personalised medicine’ where we can tailor treatments to individual patients.
“This approach is starting to show success in treating cancers, and it’s possible that in future we would use anti-inflammatory drugs in psychiatry for certain patients with depression.”
Researchers say more trials are needed to see if the drugs can be safely used in practise to treat depression in patients without inflammatory diseases.
The findings are published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.