CDI might be more common among those in need of Effexor

Depression can be a debilitating disorder, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that roughly one-tenth of the American population has some form of the condition. Though antidepressants such as Effexor are often used in tandem with therapy to treat those with depression, a new study revealed risks associated with the condition and these pharmaceuticals.

BioMed Central, or BMC Medicine, recently published a study that sought to discover whether the use of antidepressants could . According to the authors of the report, there have been a variety studies that drew connections between the pharmaceuticals and the potentially deadly gut condition.

This study, however, discovered a link between depression itself and the onset of CDI, as subjects who did not take antidepressants still had a higher-than-average prevalence of developing the infection. The authors explained that CDI has become a major hospital-acquired infection, and has long been the most diagnosed cause of diarrhea induced by antibiotic use.

BMC Medicine explained that it was difficult to determine whether antidepressants had an influence on CDI prevalence, and that some results indicated a potential pathophysiological stimulation of the infection following the onset of depression. Other findings included a connection between widowhood and CDI, as well as an increased risk of the infection among depressed individuals who are prescribed antimicrobials.

The authors suggested clinicians be more diligent when prescribing antibiotics to those with depression, as it could lead to serious complications related to CDI.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that while the majority of hospital-acquired infections, also known as healthcare-associated infections or HAIs, are on the decline, . The CDC noted that CDI causes roughly 14,000 deaths annually in the U.S.