Antidepressant use does not increase Alzheimer's risk in midlife veterans, reveals study

Further examination of specific classes of antidepressants also showed no significant associations. However, a stratified analysis by gender revealed a potential risk reduction for the female patients. The research cautioned that the number of female cases were small and this result should be interpreted with caution. The study emphasized that these findings suggest antidepressant use does not increase or decrease the risk of developing AD/ADRD among veterans with MDD. This data indicates that no significant relationship between antidepressant exposure and Alzheimer's risk. 

The gender-specific findings underline the need for further studies. While we observed a risk reduction in female patients, the sample size was too small to draw definitive conclusions and more extensive studies are required to explore this potential association.

Overall, this study provides important insights for healthcare providers treating midlife patients with MDD. The reassurance that antidepressant use does not increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease could influence treatment plans and patient counseling. The gender-specific results highlight an area for future research to ensure that all patient groups receive the most effective and safe care.

Reference:

Ramos‐Cejudo, J., Corrigan, J. K., Zheng, C., Swinnerton, K. N., Jacobson, S. R., La, J., Betensky, R. A., Osorio, R. S., Madanes, S., Pomara, N., Iosifescu, D., Brophy, M., Do, N. V., & Fillmore, N. R. (2024). Antidepressant exposure and long‐term dementia risk in a nationwide retrospective study on US veterans with midlife major depressive disorder. In Alzheimer’s & Dementia. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.13853