Senior cataracts linked to antidepressants

Love your eyes? Then look away from antidepressants-- because a new study finds yet another awful side effect to add to the list: cataracts in seniors.

But look on the bright side: If you lose your vision, you won't have to read any more studies about how awful these meds are. Now there's a side effect only Big Pharma could love!

Researchers looked at data on 19,000 seniors taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and 190,000 people the same age who were not. And they found that, on the whole, the meds boosted cataract risk by 15 percent, according to the study published the journal Ophthalmology.

In plain talk, the increased risk means 22,000 seniors will get cataracts thanks solely to their antidepressant use.

The reason can be found in the eye itself: Your peepers have serotonin receptors in them. That means when you load up on these meds, you can get an eyeful of this stuff... and animal studies have found that excess serotonin in the eyes can cause cataracts.

Three meds in particular had the highest cataract risk:
Fluvoxamine (Luvox)--39 percent
Venlafaxine (Effexor)--33 percent
Paroxetine (Paxil)--23 percent
Not every antidepressant was linked to cataracts in the study, but that doesn't mean you should look for a med with a lower risk, either. You don't need any of these drugs to beat your bouts of the blues--and that's true whether you're a senior or a spring chicken.

Remember, antidepressants are among the most-prescribed and least-effective drugs on the market--in studies, they're routinely beaten by everything from exercise to sugar pills. As I recently mentioned, one new study even finds that simple B vitamins can lower the risk of depression in seniors.

Not only that, but the increased cataract risk is only the beginning of the possible side effects that can come from using these meds. Antidepressants can lead to weight gain, nausea, diarrhea, rashes, agitation, headaches and the sweats. In some people, they can cause insomnia. In others, drowsiness. And these meds can reduce the flames of your sex life into a pile of ashes.

Even worse, these drugs can lead to an increased risk of suicide or attempted suicide--something you'd hope an antidepressant would stop, not cause.

If you're having trouble beating depression on your own, or can't get relief from proven natural remedies such as St. John's wort, talk to a naturopathic doctor--because your condition may be caused by easily correctable nutritional or hormonal deficiencies.