Depression: How to beat depression after a heart attack

But for those who suffer from depression following a heart attack, there's a winning combination of nutrients that may successfully relieve depression while also improving heart health.

Post-heart attack depression
Researchers at Stanford University in the US, recently examined how antidepressant drugs may affect mortality among heart attack survivors.

For about two and a half years, the Stanford team followed more than 1,800 patients who were diagnosed as depressed after suffering a heart attack. Researchers calculated that patients who took antidepressants had a significantly lower risk of a recurrent nonfatal heart attack compared with those who didn't take this type of drug.

Lead author of the study - C. Barr Taylor, M.D., of the Stanford University School of Medicine - told Reuters news service that he would, 'recommend that any post-heart attack patient with depression be evaluated for treatment.'

But there's a problem with that recommendation. If you ask someone who's just had a heart attack if they're depressed or feeling low, you'll probably get a 'Yes' in return. After all, their heart has just attacked them. That's enough to shake nearly anyone's peace of mind.

Based on such a casual evaluation, many mainstream doctors would not hesitate to automatically write a prescription for an antidepressant. And while antidepressant drugs might achieve the desired effect on a patient's mood and outlook, there are daunting adverse effects lurking as well.

SSRIs linked to suicide
Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning that adults and children who use the class of antidepressant drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may have an increased risk of suicide. After reanalysing the results of hundreds of SSRI studies the FDA issued a second warning last month, cautioning doctors and SSRI users to watch closely for signs of suicidal behaviour.

In the e-alert I sent you last week, Common antidepressant linked to suicide (24/8/05), I told you how Britains most widely used SSRI Seroxat is among those shown to increase suicide risk.

So, should a depressed heart attack patient risk the development of suicidal tendencies in order to reduce the risk of a second heart attack? Admittedly, the risk that SSRI use will trigger a suicide is small. But still a small risk is still a risk in my book.

As I mentioned in last weeks alert, the list of side effects isnt small. One side effect on that list that perhaps seems most benign is dry mouth, a salivary gland dysfunction known as xerostomia among dentists.

US HSI Panellist Richard P. Cohan, D.D.S., writes: 'As a group, antidepressants cause more xerostomia than any other. And, as you may know, xerostomia leads to an increase in caries (cavities), periodontal disease, and candidiasis, a yeast infection in the mouth often referred to as thrush. While not everyone who takes antidepressants experiences these side effects, those who do are often left with serious, permanent damage.'

Heart friendly
As I've noted in previous e-alerts, there are several nutrients that are known to help keep depression in check without triggering the powerful adverse side effects of SSRIs. For instance, high levels of B vitamins and magnesium have been shown to reduce depression symptoms. And both of these nutrients promote heart health as well.

Many studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids also do double duty in preventing depression and heart disease.

In a 2003 study from the Netherlands, researchers examined blood samples from more than 260 elderly, depressed subjects and found what they called a 'direct effect of fatty acid composition on mood.' Subjects with depressive disorders had a significantly higher ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids compared to more than 400 randomly selected subjects.

And in an the e-Alert 'Simple ways to protect your heart' (2/3/04), I told you about a study that analysed 16 years of data, collected from more than 120,000 women. Researchers found that subjects in the group with the highest omega-3 intake had about half the risk of developing coronary heart disease compared to subjects in the group with the lowest intake.

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that omega-3 intake will prevent a second heart attack. But you can be pretty certain you'll never hear about someone committing suicide or suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding, anxiety, sexual dysfunction or xerostomia as a direct result of taking supplements of omega-3, magnesium and B vitamins.