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ABSTRACT FROM: Kohler O, Gasse C, Petersen L, et al. The effect of concomitant treatment with SSRIs and statins: a population-based study. Am J Psychiatry 2016;173:807–15.
What is already known on this topic
Observational studies have identified inflammatory changes in depression,1 ,2 and randomised controlled trials (RCTs) suggest that depression may respond better when anti-inflammatory drugs are used to augment antidepressant drugs.3 Statins have anti-inflammatory properties. The present study is the first population-level investigation of the benefits and risks of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)–statin combination.
Methods of the study
The data for this cohort study were drawn from nationwide Danish electronic national health records from 1997 to 2012. Incident SSRI users (those who received their first prescription for an SSRI) who subsequently received a first prescription for a statin (n=113 108) were compared with incident SSRI users with no statin exposure …
Footnotes
Competing interests CA publishes an electronic newsletter which attracts donations from Sun Pharmaceuticals to registered charities. Micro Labs publishes a Critical Readings in Psychiatry series, authored by CA, as a free service to psychiatrists in India.
Provenance and peer review Commissioned; internally peer reviewed.