Posted by dave_fox on October 11, 2001, at 15:12:48
In reply to Re: Blood pressure meds which can worsen depression? » dave_fox, posted by Elizabeth on October 11, 2001, at 11:36:59
Elisabeth, thanks for your reply.
I had been wary of starting with beta-blockers for my blood pressure because I heard somewhere that they can cause depression. However Psychopharm Nut's cutting suggests that this may not be the case.
My doc wanted to start me on beta-blockers or thiazide diuretics for my blood pressure. I had heard the thiazide diuretics can adversely affect men sexually so I ruled them out and I had heard that beta blockers can affect mood so I ruled them out.
We have started on an ACE-inhibitor but with no good results yet. I was wondering if I had been too paranoid in ruling out the beta-blockers. I am now thinking that maybe the depressive side effects of beta blockers are so very rare as to be almost insignificant excet for special cases.
The newer classes of BP meds (alpha blockers and AA) are rather too expensive to try just yet (this is the UK here), so I supect that the calcium channel blockers will be next for me. Do you have any more info on the depressive effects of these meds which you mention?
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I am sure that depression and blood pressure affect such huge numbers of people that there really must be a study somewhere which seeks to address exactly these sorts of questions.
However I can't find any such thing! Maybe "Psychopharm Nut" has more info about the paper he had quoted from.
Dave
poster:dave_fox
thread:80913
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011007/msgs/80999.html