New research recently looked at patients who were on both antidepressant and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). The study found that the combination of both kinds of drugs resulted in an increased risk of hospitalization within 30 days of using the drugs for intracranial hemorrhage.

You can read a synopsis of the study here:

[Antidepressant/NSAID Combo Linked to Brain Bleed Risk](http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/848016)

Previously, doctors knew that each of these types of drugs resulted in an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding independent of one another. However, this is the first study that noted the risk to brain bleeds.

This is particularly concerning because many people are currently prescribed both types of drugs. The study found that 65% of adults with major depression are also having chronic pain.

While there were limitations on the usefulness of the study’s findings, and further research is needed, the results should hopefully “severe as a wake-up call for clinicians to more closely monitor drug interactions,” one doctor was quoted as stating.

Certainly, given the benefits of each of these classes of drugs, the standard of care does not prohibit a doctor from prescribing both of these drugs to a particular patient. However, it should make a physician – including a family practice doctor, Physician Assistant or ARNP – consider this new information along with other patient information in evaluating the risks and benefits of the drug regimen, and properly informing the patient of such risks.

In a hospital or emergency room setting, it may also be the responsibility of the physician there to know that such patients are at increased risk of brain bleed when triaging a patient. This information may help such a clinician more quickly and accurately test for and diagnose an intracranial hemorrhage, which is a potentially devastating condition.