Medications that can Cause Depression

• Amphetamines
• Antihypertensives (clonidine, propranolol, thiazides, reserpine)
• Benzodiazepines
• Cimetidine
• Cocaine
• Hormones (oral contraceptives)
• Interferon
• Isotretinoin
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents
• Ranitidine
• Steroids

Questions should also be directed at the possibility of recreational drug or alcohol use. Studies suggest that 10% to 30% of alcoholic patients suffer from depression. Ideally, patients who are using mind-altering substances should discontinue them and be reevaluated before antidepressant drug treatment is initiated. In the real world, this often is impossible, and treatment of depression with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) may help promote abstinence from alcohol. Use of tricyclic antidepressants or monoamine oxidase inhibitors should be avoided in this group.