Is there anyway possible anti depressants can cause brain damage over very extended periods of time?
Answer:
Not quite sure what you mean by brain damage. If you're referring to necrosis it is not been demonstrated in any clinical data by taking just anti-depressants alone. There has been evidence which shows damage done when taken in combinations with other types of medication (specifically those that alter brain chemistry as well).
Anti depressants have been shown to alter brain chemistry in a process that either increases or decreases the numbers of receptors that are presented in a post-synapse. This will have an effect in the number of receptors that are exposed and thus capable of facilitating excitation/inhibition. Changes in brain chemistry may cause undesired side effects.
There has been some evidence that glutamate (another neurotransmitter) is closely linked to alzheimer's disease, causing a condition called excitotoxicity. This condition eventually leads to cellular death. However most antidepressants deal with serotonin, not glutamate.
This is not to say that they don't cause brain damage, there just isn't any hard evidence which draws a direct link between anti-depressants and brain damage.
Probably. Some medications, like stimulants (Ritalin) have been tested over 40 years, but these new SSRI's have only been out a few years. I'm not sure anyone really knows the very long-term effects of them.
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