Safety alert
date: 11/01/2006
First drug approved for winter blues
If you think you have seasonal affective disorder, ConsumerReportsHealth.org can help you sort through the facts and work with your doctor to decide whether to take medication or make changes in your lifestyle.
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The Food and Drug Administration 
has approved the first medication, bupropion (Wellbutrin XL), for preventing seasonal affective disorder, or winter depression. But if you suffer from SAD, it’s worth trying other steps first.Researchers
for Wellbutrin’s maker, GlaxoSmithKline, randomly assigned more than 1,000 people who previously had SAD to take either bupropion or a placebo daily, starting in autumn--before symptoms start--until spring. During that time, 16 percent of the bupropion group developed SAD vs. 28 percent on the placebo.But not everyone who has had winter depression will experience severe--or even any--symptoms every year. So some people who take bupropion or other antidepressants to prevent SAD will do so needlessly.
Before winter depression hits, most people get early warning signs: fatigue, oversleeping, carbohydrate cravings, and weight gain. If you spot those signs, consult your doctor promptly about starting light therapy, where you sit before a powerful light each morning. Cognitive behavioral therapy and an hour of daily outdoor exercise are also helpful.
If those steps don’t help, ask your doctor about taking an antidepressant--bupropion or an SSRI such as fluoxetine (generic, Prozac). All can help prevent or treat SAD and have similar side effects, including an elevated risk of suicide. However, SSRIs can also curb sex drive.
CITATIONS
FDA Press Release. “FDA approves first drug for seasonal depression,” June 12, 2006, http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01388.html.Modell JG, et al. “Seasonal affective disorder and its prevention by anticipatory treatment with bupropion XL,” Biological Psychiatry, October 15, 2005, pp. 658-667.This article first appeared in the November 2006 issue of Consumer Reports on Health.
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