Psychiatric Medications Linked to Higher ALS Risk and Poorer Prognosis: JAMA
A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Association showed that prescription usage of sedatives, antidepressants, or anxiety medications was linked to a higher chance of receiving an ALS diagnosis in the future as well as a lower chance of surviving after receiving one.
While a number of studies have indicated that people with a history of mental illnesses are more likely to be diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), there is little and conflicting evidence linking the use of popular psychiatric drugs to ALS. Thus, this study investigated if the risk and course of ALS are related to the prescribed use of popular psychiatric drugs, such as antidepressants, hypnotics and sedatives, and anxiolytics.
According to the Swedish Motor Neuron Disease Quality Registry, this nationwide register-based case-control study was carried out in Sweden among all patients diagnosed with ALS between January 1, 2015, and July 1, 2023. These patients were matched for age and sex with up to 5 people who did not have ALS, as well as their spouses and full siblings. Following diagnosis, ALS patients were monitored for a median (IQR) of 1.33 (0.64-2.37) years. Prior to the diagnosis of ALS, at least two prescriptions for the psychiatric drugs under study were considered.
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