Common medication prescribed for depression was assumed to decrease the risk of stroke. But, the recent study proved that there is no such benefit
![Antidepressant Doesn`t Seem to Help Stroke Recovery Antidepressant Doesn`t Seem to Help Stroke Recovery](https://images.medindia.net/health-images/1200_1000/aspirin-use-in-patients-with-acute-stroke.jpg)
‘Patients suffering from depression should not modify their medication without consulting their doctor’
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Fluoxetine is a common type of antidepressant that includes the branded drugs Prozac and Prozep.The University of Edinburgh-led study involved more than 3000 stroke patients at over 100 hospitals around the UK.Read More..
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Half of the participants started taking fluoxetine daily within the first two weeks of their stroke, while the remainder took a placebo. Those who took fluoxetine were less likely to develop depression, but, there was a small increase in bone fractures reported in this group.
Researchers say their findings do not support the use of fluoxetine to promote recovery after stroke in the UK. The study, called FOCUS, is published in The Lancet and was funded by the Stroke Association and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The findings are being announced at the UK Stroke Forum annual conference in Telford, UK.
Co-chief investigator Professor Gillian Mead, of the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, said: "FOCUS has shown that there is no benefit in the routine prescription of fluoxetine to improve recovery after a stroke, contrary to the promising results of smaller trials.
"There are other reasons a patient may be prescribed fluoxetine and we do not recommend that people change their treatment regimen without first consulting with their doctor."
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Source-Eurekalert