2 August 2005

Health professionals can now consider the use of antidepressants in a variety of disorders. In the latest issue of Australian Prescriber Dr Lisa Lampe, psychiatrist from St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, examines alternative uses for antidepressants.

“Antidepressants are useful in a range of disorders other than depression” says Dr Lampe. Disorders that can be improved with antidepressants include panic, social anxiety disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

Most people with anxiety disorders will benefit from cognitive behaviour therapy. But Dr Lampe says, “patients can sometimes be too depressed or too anxious to engage in cognitive behaviour therapy, so antidepressants can be worth considering in these cases. However, pharmacotherapy is associated with higher rates of relapse than cognitive behaviour therapy."

Antidepressants can help in bulimia nervosa, however cognitive behaviour therapy is more  effective. In the case of anorexia nervosa, drug treatments have not been proven to provide any significant advantage.

The August issue of Australian Prescriber also features an article on dealing with dizziness and an editorial on the value of the polypill in preventing cardiovascular disease.

For the complete articles visit the Australian Prescriber website www.australianprescriber.com. 

END

Australian Prescriber is an independent peer reviewed journal providing critical commentary on therapeutic topics for health professionals. It is published by National Prescribing Service Limited (NPS), an independent, non-profit organisation funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

TP 08.2005