A new study is reporting reassuring findings that taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are a very popular group of antidepressants, does not increase risk of cardiovascular conditions.
The researchers of the study from The University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom noted that although previous studies have found an association between depression and an increased risk of heart disease, not many of them have looked into the effects of taking antidepressants on heart health.
They decided to examine the link between taking SSRIs and three types of heart problems - heart attacks, stroke/transient ischemic attacks and arrhythmia - in 238,963 participants between the ages of 20 and 64. All of the participants were diagnosed with depression from 2000 to 2011. Follow-ups lasted until 2012.
The researchers found taking common SSRIs, such as Lexapro and Zoloft, did not increase risk of heart events. They added that in some cases, SSRIs, fluoxetine in particular, appeared to reduce the risk of heart attacks. The researchers calculated that the absolute risk of heart attacks for patients taking fluoxetine (Prozac and Sarafem) was four per 10,000 over the course of a year. The absolute risks for patients on other SSRIs and people who were not taking SSRIs were six per 10,000 and 10 per 10,000, respectively.
"Our study found no evidence that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were associated with an increased risk of arrhythmia, heart attacks, or stroke/transient ischemic attacks in people with depression over the five-year period," said Carol Coupland, a professor of Medical Statistics in Primary Care.
The researchers also reported that patients taking Citalopram, which was the study's most commonly prescribed SSRI, did not have a higher risk of arrhythmia, which is characterized by an irregular heartbeat. When the researchers examined the drug's effect when taken in higher doses, they still did not find an increased risk of arrhythmia. The researchers noted that the sample size of patients on higher doses of Citalopram was very small at 18 percent.
Due to this limitation, and the fact that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning about taking high doses of Citalopram in 2011, the researchers are also recommending that doctors avoid prescribing higher doses, especially for patients who might have other risk factors.
The study was published in The BMJ.
