Science News Today
  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Astronomy
  • Health and Medicine
  • Psychology
  • Earth Sciences
  • Archaeology
  • Technology
Science News Today
  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Astronomy
  • Health and Medicine
  • Psychology
  • Earth Sciences
  • Archaeology
  • Technology
No Result
View All Result
Science News Today
No Result
View All Result
Home Health and Medicine

Psychiatric Medications Linked to Higher ALS Risk and Faster Decline

by Muhammad Tuhin
June 12, 2025
0
SHARES

For decades, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis—ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease—has been understood as a disorder that stealthily attacks motor neurons, robbing the body of movement, speech, and eventually, life itself. But a growing body of research is now revealing a subtler, darker prelude to this neurodegenerative storm: the quiet intrusion of psychiatric symptoms long before muscle weakness sets in.

You might also like

America’s Babies Are Missing Gut Guardians That Protect Them for Life

The Hidden Heart Risks of Sleeping in Brightness

When Vision Fades, the Eye Fights Back with Hidden Networks

In a sweeping new nationwide study out of Sweden, researchers have uncovered a potentially profound connection between the early use of common psychiatric medications and both the risk and progression of ALS. The study, led by scientists at the prestigious Karolinska Institutet and published in JAMA Network Open, found that individuals prescribed antidepressants, anxiolytics, or sedatives prior to an ALS diagnosis were not only more likely to develop the disease, but also experienced more rapid deterioration and shorter survival after diagnosis.

“This is one of the most comprehensive studies to date linking psychiatric medication use to ALS,” said the study’s lead researchers. “It suggests we may be seeing the psychiatric shadow of ALS long before the motor symptoms appear.”

A Closer Look at ALS’s Psychiatric Prelude

ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative condition marked by the relentless destruction of motor neurons—the nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary movement. But before patients lose the ability to walk, speak, or swallow, many report a different kind of suffering: depression, anxiety, insomnia, or other psychiatric disturbances.

While prior studies have hinted at a connection between psychiatric disorders and ALS, the new Swedish investigation is among the first to directly explore whether the medications used to treat these conditions may be an early flag—or even a risk factor—for ALS itself.

Using a trove of Swedish national health and population data, researchers examined 1,057 ALS cases diagnosed between 2015 and 2023. Each case was matched with five ALS-free controls from the general population. To dig even deeper, they also analyzed health records from over 1,400 full siblings and nearly 900 spouses of ALS patients.

Increased Risk Before Diagnosis

The findings were striking. Individuals prescribed anxiolytics—commonly used to treat anxiety and panic disorders—had a 34% higher chance of developing ALS. Those taking hypnotics and sedatives (often prescribed for sleep problems or agitation) had a 21% increased risk, while those on antidepressants showed a 26% rise in the odds of future ALS diagnosis.

These figures held true even after adjusting for factors like age, sex, and familial history.

The results suggest that psychiatric disturbances treated with these medications may not just be coexisting conditions, but possible early signs of ALS. “We’re seeing patterns of psychiatric drug use in the years before ALS is clinically diagnosed,” said the authors. “That could mean these medications are being prescribed in response to symptoms that are actually part of the disease process.”

Faster Decline, Shorter Survival

Even more sobering were the outcomes for patients already diagnosed with ALS. Those with a history of psychiatric medication use fared significantly worse.

Patients who had previously used anxiolytics faced a 52% higher hazard of death or requiring invasive ventilation—a grim milestone in the disease’s progression. Prior antidepressant use carried an even steeper price: a 72% higher hazard. Sedatives and hypnotics were linked to a 23% increase, though that result narrowly missed statistical significance.

The decline wasn’t just faster—it was more profound. Using the ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R), which tracks patients’ ability to speak, move, and perform daily tasks, researchers found that functional deterioration occurred more rapidly in those with a history of antidepressant use.

What’s Driving the Link?

The authors are cautious not to assign blame to the medications themselves. Instead, they suggest the underlying psychiatric conditions—or the biological factors that drive them—might be intricately connected to ALS pathophysiology.

“There’s a real possibility that the psychiatric symptoms treated by these drugs are not just coexisting conditions,” said the study team. “They could represent early, non-motor symptoms of ALS or share biological roots with the disease.”

Among the possible biological culprits: dysregulation of the HPA axis (which governs stress responses), glial cell activation, and chronic neuroinflammation—all of which have been implicated in both psychiatric disorders and ALS. More research is needed to determine whether these mechanisms might serve as common threads.

A Call for Rethinking ALS’s Timeline

This research forces a major reconsideration of ALS’s clinical timeline. Traditionally, the disease is marked by the onset of muscle weakness. But if psychiatric symptoms—like depression or anxiety—emerge years earlier, it could open new windows for earlier detection, monitoring, and potentially intervention.

“This doesn’t mean we should stop prescribing these medications,” said the study authors. “But it does mean we should be asking deeper questions when we see new-onset psychiatric symptoms, especially in middle-aged and older adults.”

Could a patient’s new antidepressant prescription also be an early flag for a neurodegenerative process already underway? Should neurologists and psychiatrists work more closely together when assessing psychiatric patients with otherwise unexplained symptoms? These are the kinds of paradigm-shifting questions that studies like this bring to the surface.

Caution, Not Panic

While the associations uncovered in this study are robust, the researchers emphasize that they don’t prove causation. The medications are associated with ALS risk and progression, but may not be driving it directly.

Still, the pattern is compelling enough to warrant further investigation. The sheer size and scope of the Swedish study—combined with its inclusion of sibling and spousal comparisons—makes it one of the most rigorously controlled analyses to date.

It also points toward a possible future in which psychiatric symptoms aren’t just mental health red flags, but early warnings of neurological disorders still taking shape beneath the surface.

A New Frontier in ALS Research

For patients, families, and clinicians facing the brutal reality of ALS, this research opens a new—and unexpected—frontier. It suggests that by looking back at psychiatric histories, we may one day be able to look forward more clearly, catching the disease earlier, slowing its progression, or even intervening before motor symptoms appear.

In the meantime, this study adds another layer to the deeply complex narrative of ALS, reminding us that neurodegeneration may whisper before it roars—and that sometimes, the mind’s earliest cries for help are echoes of the body’s coming struggle.

Reference: Charilaos Chourpiliadis et al, Use of Common Psychiatric Medications and Risk and Prognosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, JAMA Network Open (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.14437

TweetShareSharePinShare

Recommended For You

Health and Medicine

America’s Babies Are Missing Gut Guardians That Protect Them for Life

July 8, 2025
Health and Medicine

The Hidden Heart Risks of Sleeping in Brightness

July 8, 2025
Graphical abstract. Credit: Current Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.05.057
Health and Medicine

When Vision Fades, the Eye Fights Back with Hidden Networks

July 8, 2025
Health and Medicine

Your Brain Keeps Growing New Neurons Even in Old Age

July 5, 2025
Health and Medicine

This Pig Kidney Survived in a Human Body for 61 Days and Changed Everything

July 4, 2025
Woman hand checking lumps on her breast for signs of breast cancer on white background. Healthcare concept. Cancer self check; healthy girl.
Health and Medicine

One Hormone Combo Raises Cancer Risk While Another May Lower It

July 4, 2025
Two-photon microscopy captures axonal segments in a living brain, enabling researchers to quantify structural changes in specialized areas under noninvasive low-intensity repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). A zoomed-out survey of the brain area (A) shows complex networks of neurons, visible via fluorescent marker. Insets (B and C) show specialized axonal endings (termed "boutons") where synapses form. TB axon: "terminaux boutons" are short protrusions from the axon shaft typically connecting neurons in a local area. EPB axon: "en passant boutons" are small bead-like structures along axons typically connecting distal regions. Credit: B. Fulopova (Queen's University).
Health and Medicine

Magnetic Brain Pulses Awaken Lost Connections in Alzheimer’s

July 4, 2025
Health and Medicine

The Brain’s Sugar Secret Could Be the Key to Beating Alzheimer’s

July 4, 2025
Cytomegalovirus. Credit: CDC/Dr. Edwin P. Ewing, Jr. (PHIL #958), 1982.
Health and Medicine

The Secret Door That Lets a Silent Virus Harm Newborns

July 4, 2025
Next Post

Exercise Makes You Smarter at Any Age

Kids Who Struggle to Remember Personal Events Face Higher Risk of Depression

10 Fascinating Facts About Earth’s Layers You Didn’t Know

Legal

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Disclaimer
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

© 2025 Science News Today. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Biology
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Astronomy
  • Health and Medicine
  • Psychology
  • Earth Sciences
  • Archaeology
  • Technology

© 2025 Science News Today. All rights reserved.

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.