News Release

Painful side effects reported in some people taking SSRI Anti-depressants

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Mayo Clinic

ROCHESTER, MINN. -- A new report adds to the list of patients who have suffered painful headaches and tooth grinding as a side effect of taking popular anti-depressants.

Mayo Clinic psychiatrist John Michael Bostwick, M.D. and a Nebraska psychiatrist describe four patients who suffered symptoms of bruxism, including jaw clenching, headaches, tooth grinding and broken teeth, after they began taking Zoloft for relief of depression and anxiety. Their symptoms went away with the addition of another anti-anxiety drug, Buspar (buspirone). Their report was in the December issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Dr. Bostwick said three other recent reports in the literature have described cases of patients with similar side effects from taking Zoloft and two other popular SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) drugs, Paxil and Prozac. The new report describes a novel mechanism that may explain why the Buspar helps.

"I think it's important for doctors and people taking these drugs to be aware of this potential problem," says Dr. Bostwick. "These are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States. We don't know how common this problem is but we suspect that if physicians begin to ask about it, they will find it to be quite common."

He said identifying the problem can be difficult because headaches are a common side effect of these drugs. "Many patients are so relieved to be rid of their depressive or anxiety symptoms that they will tolerate a fair amount of discomfort without complaining," he says. "But if people taking these SSRI drugs have headaches or teeth grinding, the message is they 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."

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Mike O'Hara
newsbureau@mayo.edu
507-284-9522 (days)
507-284-2511 (evenings)


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