According to a new study, arthritis in the knee can get worsened when patients are going through depression regardless of how mild or bad the condition is in the X-ray.
The study was conducted by assessing arthritis pain in patients that had depression as well as arthritis. It also seemed to show that the patients with depression experienced more pain than those that didn’t have symptoms of depression. What that means is that the depressed patients simply experienced the arthritis pain differently. So even if the X-ray showed that the arthritis wasn’t severe, the depressed patients reported extreme pain. This information was conducted by interviewing 660 men and women that were 65 yeas old or older.
It stands to reason that a depressed person is more likely to focus on the pain of arthritis, but would an antidepressant like Paxil or Effexor help? In cases where the actual arthritis X-ray shows a mild case, Paxil or Effexor may well help relieve the depressive symptoms that could cause a patient to experience more pain than they should be feeling.
“The relationship between pain and depression suggests that both should be considered by physicians when treating patients with knee osteoarthritis, particularly in those with X-rays not indicating severe damage to the joint,” Tae Kyun Kim, author of the study, says.
Since pain and depression seem to be joined when dealing with arthritis pain levels, Paxil or Effexor may help the patient relieve some pain — but at what cost to them? Both Paxil and Effexor have been linked to severe side effects that can be fatal to some patients, specifically the elderly. The damage could get even worse if taken in conjunction with arthritis medications. If you or someone you love is experiencing depression while suffering from arthritis pain, talk to a doctor before agreeing to take SSRI antidepressants like Paxil or Effexor. It could just save your life.
