Some drugs commonly prescribed to treat depression and obesity may cause changes in brain cells that are similar to the effects of the 'recreational' drug Ecstasy.

While it is not clear if these changes affect brain function, the findings may raise concern about long-term use of drugs such as Prozac and Zoloft. (This week Zoloft surpassed Prozac as the number one selling antidepressant). The drugs studied are known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Serotonin is a chemical messenger produced in the brain that is believed to regulate an array of functions, including appetite and mood.

In experiments with rats, scientists discovered that large doses of these antidepressants, as well as the obesity drug Redux, caused certain brain cells to swell or take on a corkscrew shape. Redux is no longer on the market, pulled in 1997 due to evidence of heart-valve damage in some patients.

While further research is needed, these findings cast doubt on the assumption that such drugs do no damage to brain cells. This raises a red flag to doctors who prescribe these drugs indiscriminately.

Normally, after brain cells release serotonin to do its job, they "suck it back up again" to be recycled. SSRIs such as Prozac and Zoloft block this process in order to prolong serotonin's activity. So does the drug MDMA -- also known as Ecstasy.

Ecstasy, however, goes one step further: it also pushes serotonin supplies out of brain cells. Because prescription SSRIs don't do this, doctors have assumed they cannot cause the damage to serotonin-producing cells that has been linked to Ecstasy in animal and human studies.

To test this assumption, the researchers studied serotonin-producing brain cells in rats after 4 days of heavy-dose SSRIs. Each animal received only one drug, and the results were compared with those from rats given MDMA or a similar drug called 5,7-DHT. The prescription drugs, they discovered, produced ecstasy-like effects on brain cells.

The researchers are unsure whether the mutated brain cells were dying, or just changing temporarily. The next step is to measure the effects of long-term drug exposure in animals. Animals in this study showed brain-cell changes after just 4 days of high-dose treatment.

Brain Research March 6, 2000

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Antidepressants can be useful and save people's lives when needed. I don't question that. However, they are used far more than they should be and are rarely, if ever, the long-term optimal solution. Ten years ago I was a drug pushing doctor and had well over one thousand patients on Prozac. I, like many current traditional doctors, believed it to be a terrific solution. Now, it appears that truth is coming out and there may be some long-term brain damage from using these drugs. That makes perfect sense to me, since they are not natural solutions. My current favorite approach for treating depression is Applied Psycho Neurobiology.