Anti-inflammatory Medicine In The Treatment Of Depression

For some time, researchers have focused their studies on why many people suffer from inflammation during depressive periods. In this article, you will learn more about the therapeutic benefits of using anti-inflammatory medication in the treatment of depression.

According to a number of studies, the conventional treatment of depression consists of the use of antidepressants and cognitive therapy. Nevertheless, this form of treatment is only effective in around 60% of all patients. This means that around 40% of all patients do not benefit from this treatment. Here it is worth remembering that depressive conditions in some cases end in suicide.

In severe cases of depression, the proportion of patients without effective treatment is high. Depression affects over 350 million people worldwide, which means that one in ten adults is affected by this disorder. Depression is a complex issue and people should seek out therapeutic alternatives that can help them get a good and effective treatment.

Inflammation and its relation to depression

As we have noted above, more and more studies point to the relationship between depression and inflammatory conditions in the brain. At first, it was unclear whether depression could be a consequence of an inflammation or whether it was the opposite and depression was the cause of the inflammation itself.

In a broader perspective, we must also recognize that depression is a disorder with many causes and symptoms. It combines several psychosocial, genetic and biological aspects. Among these, stress can be an important detonator. To summarize, we can say that the above aspects, along with stress, send inflammatory signals to the brain.

Some patients with major depression have been shown to have a higher proportion of inflammatory markers in the blood. This includes inflammatory cytokines, capable of modifying your central nervous system and the neuroendocrine systems. It can also increase the amount of C-reactive protein in the blood as well as other interleukins.

The use of anti-inflammatory drugs to treat depression

The theory of the relationship between inflammation and depression opens up a number of therapeutic options for how to treat this disorder. This is especially interesting for patients who do not respond to more traditional therapies, such as antidepressants.

Inhibition of proinflammatory cytokines improves the effectiveness of antidepressant medication and leads to recovery in the mental state of patients suffering from depression. This condition was discovered thanks to a number of oncological and anti-infective treatments. During these treatments, the medical staff noted that by administering interferon-alpha to patients, they gave them depression-like symptoms.

Today, more and more researchers are investigating the real therapeutic benefits of using anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of depression. A number of tests done on animals show that by taking inhibitors of inflammatory cytokines, can reduce depressive behavior and other reactions to stress.

These inhibitors, also called anti-inflammatory cycotines or anti-cycotines, are used, among other things, in patients with autoimmune pathologies such as psoriasis or arthritis. Research on this form of therapy has shown that it can have a significant antidepressant effect on these patients compared to placebo.

Omega-3 as an important supplement in the fight against depression

Some studies suggest the use of omega-3 supplements as an alternative due to their strong anti-inflammatory effect. Research results attribute depressive states to a deficiency of polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to be very effective during depressive periods. Omega-3 thus has the ability to affect our immune system and reduce some cytokines and inflammatory per

These alternative therapies require more research. Depression is a complex disorder and inflammation has too many vague symptoms that make it difficult to establish a clear relationship between the two. However, it is worth noting that this is an open therapeutic field with many different opinions and a lot of hope for the future.