Depressed Women on SSRIs Handle Heat Better
A Penn State study suggests that women with clinical depression who take SSRI medications may be better equipped to regulate their body temperature in extreme heat compared to those with unmedicated depression. The findings indicate that SSRIs may help restore physiological cooling mechanisms like sweating and blood flow.
Why it matters
This research challenges the common assumption that SSRIs increase heat-related health risks, potentially changing medical advice for patients in warming climates.
Media stories, social media posts and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have asserted that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) - a class of medication commonly used to treat mental health conditions including depression and anxiety - may increase people's vulnerability to heat, leading to concerns that people who take SSRIs are at increased risk for heat-related illnesses in hot weather. A new study by researchers in the Penn State Department of Kinesiology, however, demonstrated that women with clinical depression who take an SSRI may be better able to withstand extreme heat compared to those who do not treat their depression with medication.
The article reports on scientific findings from a university study in a neutral, objective manner.
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