Posted by Ted R on January 22, 2001, at 21:59:59
In reply to Re: Celebrex aggravating depression! WHY?, posted by mars on January 16, 2001, at 5:11:12
> Hi nhgrandma -
>
> I went to www.google.com and searched on "celebrex" and "depression". (Unfortunately, if you add in the term "celexa" you pull up a bunch of pages about how people are confusing the names of Celebrex and Celexa.) I did see some reports of depression beginning or increasing after starting Celebrex. I think you should look at them. Have you spoken to your doctor? Are there any other NSAIDs you can take?
>
> best,
>
> mary
>
> > Why do anti-inflamatory medications (the latest being Celebrex) aggravate depression? I am currently on 20 mg Celexa and .50 mg Clonazepam for sleep. The combo has been working great until I added Celebrex for neck pain. I have experimented over the last 3 months and have found a definite correlation between Celebrex and increased depression. But the pain diminishes. Bummer. I do not understand. Is there any reason or answer for this problem? Thanks
> Celebrex is a new specific inhibitor of pain and inflammation, safer than the older meds like Ibuprofen or Naprosyn, because it spares important prostaglandins in the stomach, and is very unlikely to cause ulcers. However Celebrex is
pretty highly lipophilic, and achieves high levels in the brain, thus affecting and reducing the level of certain prostaglandins in the brain. For most people, mood should not be affected, but as with the older meds, some people like yourself, may complain of worsening of mood or bad dreams etc. or other CNS side effects, probably occuring as a result of the reduced prostaglandin levels in the brain. These side effects may be transient, but often times patients are sensitive to the change in brain levels of these mediators of inflammation, and depression can be a result. The good news is that Celebrex is being looked at, for the prevention of Alzheimers, because of the role that an excess of prostaglandins in the brain may play, in the development of the disease. Hope that helps.
poster:Ted R
thread:51763
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010122/msgs/52265.html