SSRIs and Your Ticker

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were not tied to heart problems in a recent study published in The BMJ.

Past research has found that patients with depression may face a raised risk of heart health problems. Some have suggested that antidepressant medications — such as SSRIs — may play a role in that raised risk.

But the results of this new study suggest otherwise. The study authors looked at 238,963 patients with depression. Some patients took SSRIs, but others did not.

After adjusting for other heart disease risk factors like smoking and alcohol intake, these researchers found no increased risk of heart attack, stroke or irregular heartbeat in patients who took SSRIs.

In fact, patients who took SSRIs appeared to be slightly less likely than non-users to have a heart attack over one year.

The National Institute for Health Research School for Primary Care Research funded this study. One study author was the director of a nonprofit research firm.