Depression drugs may trigger teeth-grinding, headaches
NEW YORK, Jan 21, 2000 (Reuters Health) -- The family of antidepressant
medications that includes Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft may cause
teeth-grinding and associated headaches, researchers report. But adding
the antidepressant drug Buspar (buspirone) appears to provide relief
from these symptoms.
``I think it's important for doctors and people taking these drugs to be
aware of this potential problem,'' said study co-author Dr. John Michael
Bostwick of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He and colleague
Dr. Michael Jaffee published their findings in a recent issue of the
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
The researchers point out that the selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitor (SSRI) family of medications can all suppress activity of the
brain chemical dopamine. One of dopamine's important functions is the
control of muscular or motor activity. For example, reduced dopamine
activity is thought to be a cause of the tremor and other movement
disorders associated with PARKINSON'S disease.
Bostwick and Jaffee describe the case of one 61-year-old housewife, who
reported severe nighttime teeth-grinding soon after starting on Zoloft
(sertraline). ``I'm doing so much damage to my teeth from clenching
during sleep,'' she complained -- damage that included two cracked
crowns. In another case, a 35-year-old man reported constant
jaw-clenching and severe headaches connected with Zoloft use.
Symptoms were relieved in both cases after doctors added another
(non-SSRI) antidepressant -- Buspar.
According to the researchers, Buspar may help the problem by enhancing
the activity of dopamine.
In a Mayo Clinic statement, Bostwick noted that SSRIs are among the most
commonly prescribed drugs in the US. ``We don't know how common this
problem is,'' he said, ``but we suspect that if physicians begin to ask
about it, they will find it to be quite common.''
The bottom line, he said, was that SSRI users who experience
teeth-grinding or headaches ``don't necessarily have to live with this
pain. We may be able to help them with another drug, while still
allowing them to keep the benefit of their antidepressant.''
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 1999;60:857-860.
Copyright © 2000 Reuters Limited.
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All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a
substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical
conditions.
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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