The influence of antidepressant medication on physiologic processes and exercise

 Introduction

Antidepressants are used to treat, relieve, and prevent psychic depression. When used with exercise, different physiologic responses can occur.

Exercise Effects

Antidepressants can have effects on the functional outcomes and the recovery process. The effects are dependent on the type of anitdepressant consumed. Research has compared the effects of fluoxetine and maprotiline used with and without rehabilitation therapy on individuals who have experience a stroke to evaluate the effectiveness of the antidepressant medications. Fluoxetine, a drug that inhibits the reuptake of serotonin, increased good outcomes during the recovery process; whereas maprotiline, a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, cause the least amount of improvements.¹ While both medications lowered depression, only fluoxetine combined with rehabilitation therapy was more beneficial than rehabilitation alone. Maprotiline was less beneficial, which could have been due to its hinderance of recovery.² Long-term treatment of fluoxetine could increase the spread of serotonin by blocking 5-HT sites to cause an increase in motor function and recovery.³ Serotonergic antidepressants combined with rehabilitation therapy could assist in the recovery process and lead to better outcomes.

References

1. Dam, M., Tonin, P., De Boni, A., Pizzolato, G., Casson, S., Ermani, M., . . . Battistin, L. (1996). Effects of fluoxetine and maprotiline on functional  recovery in postroke hemiplegic patients under rehabilitation therapy. Stroke, 27

2. Dam, M., Tonin, P., De Boni, A., Pizzolato, G., Casson, S., Ermani, M., . . . Battistin, L. (1996). Effects of fluoxetine and maprotiline on functional recovery in postroke hemiplegic patients under rehabilitation therapy. Stroke, 27(7), 1211-1214. doi: 10.1161/01.STR.27.7.1211

3. Dam, M., Tonin, P., De Boni, A., Pizzolato, G., Casson, S., Ermani, M., . . . Battistin, L. (1996). Effects of fluoxetine and maprotiline on functional recovery in postroke hemiplegic patients under rehabilitation therapy. Stroke, 27(7), 1211-1214. doi: 10.1161/01.STR.27.7.1211