Prozac and Aspirin Don't Mix: Study Shows That the Use of NSAIDs With SSRIs Inhibits the Effectiveness of Antidepressants

If you are taking antidepressants such as Lexapro, Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft (common antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs) and also taking painkillers such as ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen (common painkillers known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, NSAIDs), then you may be reducing the effectiveness of the antidepressants.

A study authored by Jennifer Warner-Schmidt at the Rockefeller University claimed a much poorer depression treatment outcome for patients taking both kinds of drugs simultaneously.

Until a double-blind real clinical trial is performed, however, scientists can't figure in dosages and time courses.

Dr. Charles Nemeroff, the Leonard M. Miller Professor and chairman of the psychiatry and behavioral sciences department at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, claims that "depressed patients with chronic pain are difficult to treat" so "if it is possible that drugs that treat pain in any way antagonize the effects of antidepressants, it's really important to know because of the widespread use of both agents."