Cholesterol lowering medication is linked to higher depression rates

This study was published in Psychopharmacology Bulletin 2003;37(4):92-8.

Study title and authors:
Cholesterol-lowering medication and relapse of depression.

Steffens DC, McQuoid DR, Krishnan KR.
Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA. steff001@mc.duke.edu

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15131520

This study examined the effects of taking cholesterol-lowering medication on outcomes of depression among 167 older depressed adults over 6 years of duration.

The study found:
(a) Those taking cholesterol lowering medication were 21.8% more likely to relapse into depression compared to those not taking cholesterol lowering medication.
(b) Those taking cholesterol lowering medication relapsed more quickly into depression compared to those not taking cholesterol lowering medication.

This study shows that cholesterol lowering medication is linked to higher depression rates.