A serious neurodegenerative disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) –sometimes referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease or motor neurone disease – causes muscle weakness and atrophy throughout the body. The life expectancy of patients generally averages between two to five years from the time of diagnosis.
For this study, researchers analyzed data from over 1,000 ALS patients diagnosed between 2015 and 2023, comparing them with more than 5,000 individuals from the general population, as well as with siblings and spouses of ALS patients. The study revealed that individuals who had been prescribed psychiatric medications prior to diagnosis were significantly more likely to develop ALS, with odds increases ranging from 21 percent to 34 percent depending on the medication class.
Beyond the elevated risk of developing ALS, psychiatric medication use was also associated with worse outcomes after diagnosis. Patients who had taken anxiolytics or antidepressants prior to being diagnosed faced notably increased rates of death or need for invasive ventilation, 52 percent and 72 percent higher, respectively. Those with prior use of hypnotics and sedatives showed a 23 percent increased risk. Patients with a history of antidepressant use also experienced a faster rate of functional decline.
To read how world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking – who famously survived more than 50 years with ALS – suspected the cause of his disease may have been a poor absorption of vitamins, see this news story on our website.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Says American Medical Schools Must Teach Nutrition or Risk Losing Federal Funding
June 13, 2025A Combination of Exercise and Omega-3 Can Reduce the Severity of Tooth Root Infections
June 20, 2025Psychiatric Prescriptions Linked to Higher Risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Faster Decline
News
Use of common psychiatric medications (anxiolytics, hypnotics, sedatives, and antidepressants) is linked to a higher risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and poorer outcomes after diagnosis, with shorter survival and faster functional decline, according to a nationwide Swedish study.
[Source: medicalxpress.com]
[Image source: Adobe Stock]
Comment
A serious neurodegenerative disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) –sometimes referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease or motor neurone disease – causes muscle weakness and atrophy throughout the body. The life expectancy of patients generally averages between two to five years from the time of diagnosis.
For this study, researchers analyzed data from over 1,000 ALS patients diagnosed between 2015 and 2023, comparing them with more than 5,000 individuals from the general population, as well as with siblings and spouses of ALS patients. The study revealed that individuals who had been prescribed psychiatric medications prior to diagnosis were significantly more likely to develop ALS, with odds increases ranging from 21 percent to 34 percent depending on the medication class.
Beyond the elevated risk of developing ALS, psychiatric medication use was also associated with worse outcomes after diagnosis. Patients who had taken anxiolytics or antidepressants prior to being diagnosed faced notably increased rates of death or need for invasive ventilation, 52 percent and 72 percent higher, respectively. Those with prior use of hypnotics and sedatives showed a 23 percent increased risk. Patients with a history of antidepressant use also experienced a faster rate of functional decline.
To read how world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking – who famously survived more than 50 years with ALS – suspected the cause of his disease may have been a poor absorption of vitamins, see this news story on our website.
Dr. Rath Health Foundation
Related posts
Study Helps Explain Vitamin C’s Extraordinary Power to Reverse Skin Ageing
Read more