Antidepressants Linked to Type 2 Diabetes?

Lauren Brown of the University of Alberta's School of Public Health has discovered a possible link between depression and diabetes. While analyzing data from Saskatchewan health databases, she found that people with a history of depression had a 30 per cent increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Brown then studied the medical history of 2,400 people with depression who were taking antidepressants to see if she could further clarify the link.

The group was divided into four categories: those who took antidepressants which were considered older drugs, patients taking newer antidepressants, those using a combination of both and people who were switching medications.

Brown found that those patients who were using a combination of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) had an almost double risk for diabetes.

Brown recommends that people with depression, especially those taking more than one antidepressant, should be routinely screened for type 2 diabetes.

The study was published in Diabetes Research & Clinical Practice.