SSRI anti-depressants do not increase the risk of cardiovascular conditions, according to the findings of a major study published today.
There has been controversy as to whether these drugs, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, increase or reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Randomised controlled trials have tended to be short term and too small to detect cardiovascular effects. Observational studies show conflicting results and are often unreliable, according to the authors of the latest research.
"Evidence for specific commonly prescribed antidepressants is lacking, especially in younger people," state Professor Carol Coupland and colleagues at Nottingham University, UK, in today’s British Medical Journal.
The researchers carried out a study on 238,963 people aged 20 to 64 to measure the risk of heart attack, arrhythmia, and stroke/transient ischaemic attack when taking antidepressants.
During the subsequent five years, no significant links were found between antidepressants and heart attack. In fact, the heart attack risk appeared to be lower among those taking antidepressants in the first year of treatment.
"No significant associations were found between antidepressant class or individual drugs and risk of stroke or transient ischaemic attack," report the researchers.
They conclude: "This study found no evidence that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are associated with an increased risk of arrhythmia or stroke/transient ischaemic attack in people diagnosed as having depression between the ages of 20 to 64.
"It found some indication of a reduced risk of myocardial infarction with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, particularly fluoxetine, and of an increased risk with lofepramine."
Professor Coupland commented: "These findings are reassuring in the light of recent safety concerns about selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors."
Coupland, C. et al. Antidepressant use and risk of cardiovascular outcomes in people aged 20 to 64: cohort study using primary care database. BMJ 22 March 2016; doi: 10.1136/bmj.i1350 [abstract]
Leave a Reply