With so many side effects linked to antidepressant use from drugs like Paxil or Effexor, there had to eventually be something available to help combat them. Now researchers from the universities of Granada and Murcia have developed a spray that is made with 1 percent malic acid, which helps treat xerostomy (dry mouth) that is caused by drugs like Paxil or Effexor.
Both Paxil and Effexor are also known to cause serious side effects, which can include violent and suicidal thoughts and behaviors as well as birth defects in babies whose mothers take the drug while pregnant. Some of those defects include PPHN, spina bifida, neural tube defects and oral clefts. However, dry mouth is also a problem linked to the pills’ use. Now, however, there is a product that uses xylitol and fluorides in spray form to help get the saliva flowing in patients. Researchers believe it will help improve the quality of life in depressed patients suffering from dry mouth.
The study’s lead author, University of Granada lecturer Gerardo Gomez Moreno, explains that medication is one of the primary causes of dry mouth.
“There are over 500 drugs belonging to 42 pharmacological groups which can provoke xerostomy as a side effect. Those that are most related are antidepressants, the prescription of which has increased over recent years, thus leading to a higher number of patients with xerostomy from taking anti-depressive drugs, above all in 45-50 year olds,” he says.
Perhaps the worst thing about side effects linked to antidepressants like Paxil and Effexor is the fact that the drugs aren’t needed as much as they are prescribed in the first place. With studies showing that antidepressants don’t work any better than placebos or talk therapy, the use of potentially dangerous antidepressants at all is frowned upon unless other therapies aren’t working. This study merely provides patients with more drugs to help patients deal with some of the side effects.
