British Study Shows Zoloft Ineffective at Treating Depression in Patients with Dementia

According to a recent article published in USA Today, British researchers have found that prescribing Zoloft to patients suffering from dementia-related depression is no more effective than taking a placebo.

The drugs used in the study were Zoloft (sertraline) and Remeron (mirtazapine). Researchers claim, “The two classes of antidepressants most likely to be prescribed for depression in Alzheimer’s disease are no more effective than a placebo. In our study, there were more adverse reactions in individuals treated with antidepressants than there were with placebo. Clinicians and investigators need to reframe the way they think about the treatment of people with Alzheimer’s disease who are depressed, and reconsider routine prescriptions of antidepressants.”

What are the Other Details of the Study?

The study, conducted by researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry at Kings College in London, focused on 325 patients undergoing treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia at heath centers across England. In addition to symptoms of dementia, the patients also suffered from bouts of depression that lasted at least one month. None of the patients had previously been prescribed antidepressants nor were there any reports of suicidal thoughts. The patients were divided into three groups to receive thirteen weeks of treatment. One group took 150 mg of Zoloft daily, the other took 45 mg of Remeron daily, and the third received a placebo.

After three weeks, there was no appreciable difference in the depression symptoms in any patients among the three groups. There was no significant improvement shown ten months after the study began, according to the findings published in the July 19 edition of the medical journal The Lancet.

No Effective Treatment for Depression Combined with Dementia

Right now, dementia specialists are suggesting that “creative alternatives” need to be found in order to deal with the depression symptoms that accompany Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Family members, caregivers and the medical community are left with what has already proven to be effective, rather than relying upon antidepressants as an effective alternative. Currently, there are no drugs that effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease, an illness which effects approximately 26 million people around the world, and costs about $600 million annually to treat.

Zoloft has proven harmful and ineffective in many cases, particularly to pregnant women and their unborn children. Studies have proven that a woman taking Zoloft prior to and during the early stages of pregnancy has the potential to give birth to a child with serious birth defects.

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