Is your daily prescription raising your depression risk? It’s possible, according to a new study from the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Researchers at the University of Illinois: Chicago and Columbia University looked at 26,000 adults’ medication habits, among other health issues.
They found that nearly 1 in 3 participants took drugs that listed depression as a potential side effect — which include pills for heart disease, acid reflux, pain and anxiety, as well as birth control — and that taking them was linked to depression.
Participants who took such meds were “more likely” to be depressed than people who didn’t, study author Dr. Mark Olfson, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, tells NPR.
And more meds seems to equal more risk: 15 percent of people who took three or more of those medications reported symptoms of depression.
In contrast, only 5 percent of participants who didn’t use any of those medications reported depression.
That doesn’t mean that the drugs themselves cause the mood disorder — but it’s a good reminder to read the fine print on your pill bottle and share any concerns with your doctor.


