Do antidepressants lower IQ?

Question

I met a guy who said once that after being on effexor, he wasn't as sharp anymore.

Is there any evidence (non anecdotal) that antidepressants have a negative impact on IQ?

Answer 1

It sounds like you want some empirical research. I initially thought that a decrease in IQ would be possible due to the sedative side effects, however it may be a negligible effect. The research appears to support that antidepressants can be more positive. One study tested women on an SSRI. Treatment of depression with escitalopram in a population of middle-aged women was shown to improve mood and cognitive efficiency in complex attention, short- and long-term recall of contextual information, short-term recall of visual information, and cognitive flexibility; however, it was shown to worsen phonemic fluency. So, it increased some components of intelligence and lowered one.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16855452&query_hl=6&itool=pubmed_docsum

In another study, patients treated with imipramine or fluvoxamine showed faster processing speed.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=12393308&query_hl=14&itool=pubmed_DocSum

This is just a small handful of articles. I am sure there are some that say antidepressants have a negative effect, so I encourage you to do some research on your own.

Answer 2

Some antidepressants can cause you to feel "cloudy" but none of them actually lower your IQ. Some people also claim they feel sharper after being on the medication because they are now able to concentrate (this is what happened with me.) It may be that this guy was not on the correct dosage or the correct medication. Not all antidepressants work the same for everyone (which is why there are so many to choose from.)

Answer 3

I don't think that effexor could have a negative impact on IQ. The way it works is by inhibiting the re-uptake of serotonin in the synopsis. Your friend should consult his/her doctor if is taking other prescription drug because there may be strange interactions. My father used effexor and the side effects where restlessness, and a little hostility towards the family.

Answer 4

It doesn't lower one's IQ, but the side effects can affect the memory. A person may take longer to recall something, may have more blank thoughts, etc. Side effects can vary depending on which anti-depressant a person is on. Anti-depressants change brain chemicals, therefore the mind and memory are effected.

Answer 5

umm i shud think not. i took one once and it made me feel rough, in that sense i was not able to be my self and complete a days work, thus meanin i was unable to be my usual self but u must remember that IQ only means part of the brains uses, for example ppl who get high IQ scores arent necassarily wholy intelligent, it just means they are good at IQ tests!
unless the anti depressent killed someone (which is very unlikely) then obviously being dead there is no more intelligence if the brain is dead. anti depressents cant effect intelligence because intelliegence isnt a chemical or an idea or the way someone writes etc etc intelligence is an all round thing that cant be measured through a test like the IQ test which they do not use e.g. getin kids into clever schools because IQ tests mean very little these days.
as i said if you become ill like i did after takin one anti depressent then obviously in that way you are not able to perform your best but any other way an anti depressent cannot change your IQ or intelligence. Rememeber intelligence isnt just how academicaly clever you but also your coping skills, physical ability, memory, social skills, development speed, learning styles etc etc etc, there is so much more to it than a test and they are tryin to develop a test that tests more than just IQ, a more all round test.

Answer 6

I think so. I have been taking various antidepressants for the past 8 years, and I feel like I am getting dumber by the day. My thoughts seem very slow and uncoordinated, I forget things easily, I have black-outs when I am talking. It really sucks. I used to feel like I was clever and fast on my feet, but now I feel like the village idiot. Of course there haven't been any studies on this, to my knowledge. The pharmaceutical companies wouldn't like that.

Answer 7

antidepressants block the break-down of monoamine neurotransmitters (serotonin and norepinephrine). serotonin and norepinephrine play a definitive role in emotions or emotional reactions. some antidepressants totally block the breakdown, others block part of it, allowing minimal breakdown. anyway, as for your friend's sharpness, i dont really understand how you categorize or define the word sharp. it may be that he does not react as before, but it doesnt mean that his IQ is lowered.

Answer 8

If the amount of antidepressants are too high of a dose, they can make you feel like you are in a fog and it's harder to concentrate. I had the same problem when i was on them so I took myself off.

Answer 9

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Some of them are horrible about that. They slowly tear down your brain's ability to learn or think about anything.

Answer 10

Never heard that one. He may find another kind works better without the side-effect.