Top GP reveals the antidepressant taken by millions that he thinks patients should AVOID… and two other common medications he’s reluctant to prescribe

A doctor has revealed the medication he avoids prescribing to patients — including an antidepressant taken by millions of people. 

Dr Ahmed Abd Elbary, a UK based GP, told his 291,000 followers on TikTok that some medications ‘don’t work very well’ and others just have ‘too many side-effects’.

In the video, which has amassed 4.5 million views, he said that there are often far better alternatives to prescribe.  

One medication listed by Dr Ahmed is citalopram, a type of antidepressant known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI).

It can cause side-effects such as tiredness, nervousness, a dry mouth and sweating, but that’s not why Dr Ahmed avoids prescribing it. 

Instead he claims there are better alternatives to treat depression.  

He said: ‘I don’t particularly have a huge issue with citalopram the only thing is there’s a far better alternative called escitalopram which studies have shown it works far better to treat depression and I found this in my own clinical practice.’

There are a few difference between the two drugs, such as that twice as much citalopram is needed to have the same effect as escitalopram.

Escitalopram can also be useful for anxiety is also used to treat social anxiety disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) as well as depression, according to the NHS. 

Another drug gabapentin, which is taken to treat nerve pain and epilepsy, is also avoided by Dr Ahmed. 

‘The issue I have with gabapentin is that there’s no real evidence that it actually works that well for pain,’ he said. 

He added: ‘Even when it does work, the doses you need are so high. So, most of the time people stay on it for many years, get the dose increased every few months and all it does is make them sleepy, cause confusion and reduce their memory.’

Feeling tired and sick, getting swollen arms and legs, a dry mouth and blurred vision are just some of the long list of common side effects caused by the drug, according to the NHS. 

The third drug Dr Ahmed mentioned is sumatriptan — a medication used to treat migraines and cluster headaches. 

However, Dr Ahmed prefers zolmitriptan, another type of drug known as a triptan that works to relieve headaches in a slightly different way.

‘You need a lower dose and it’s far more effective,’ he said. 

Triptans are often given in cases whereby painkillers do not work. They have a different mechanism of action to painkillers and work by imitating the action of a brain chemical called 5- hydroxytryptamine, also known as serotonin.

Bursts of the hormone, which is known for boosting mood, can trigger headaches due to its effect on the blood vessels inside the brain. 

One 2000 study showed 2.5 mg and 5 mg of zolmitriptan was as effective as 10 times the dose of sumatriptan at treating migraines. 

Other doctors have recently taken to social media to warn of the risks of commonly prescribed medication. 

Dr Zain Hasan, a Los Angeles-based anesthetist, told his 635,000 followers on TikTok that there are at least five drugs linked to dementia — including some antidepressants, painkillers and allergy meds. 

He explained long-term use of antihistamine medication used to help ease the symptoms of allergies, as well as anticholinergics, also used to treat allergies have been linked to dementia.

Deborah Grayson, a top pharmacist, also that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) — used to relieve acid reflux — could trigger depression.

PPIs are a type of medication that helps reduce stomach acid and are one of Britain’s most commonly taken medications with over 74million prescriptions in England alone in 2023.

But they can also cause symptoms of depression among those who take them.

This is because PPIs, two examples being omeprazole and lansoprazole, can stop the body from properly absorbing vitamin B12 — a vital nutrient found in meat, fish, dairy, eggs and  some fortified cereals that keeps the nervous system healthy.

A lack of it is a known cause of psychological problems which the NHS says can range from ‘mild depression or anxiety to confusion and dementia’.