Post-stroke depression and the abilities of antidepressants to enhance the effectiveness of neurorehabilitation

Abstract

Stroke is the leading cause of disability in adults. Depression after a stroke is detected in one third of patients, complicating physical rehabilitation, worsening functional outcome, increasing mortality rates. The question of the use of antidepressants in the treatment of post-stroke depression is currently not completely resolved, there is no consensus on the most optimal drug. The drugs of choice are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the use of tricyclic antidepressants is possible. A number of clinical studies indicate the effectiveness of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the treatment of post-stroke depression, including through mechanisms including increased neuroplasticity and stimulation of neurogenesis, while others disprove their effectiveness. The article presents a clinical case of the use of vortiroxetin in the patient’s neurorehabilitation in the early recovery period of a stroke, its safety and positive effect are shown.

Keywords

• stroke
• neurorehabilitation
• post-stroke depression
• antidepressants