Study: Antidepressants Increase the Risk of Death from Heart Attacks
The study presented at last week’s European Society of Cardiology conference confirms that individuals taking antidepressant medications are more likely to die suddenly from heart disease, with the risk increasing the longer these medications are used.
Jasmin Mukanovic, the lead researcher from Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen, Denmark, stated that “the duration of antidepressant use is associated with a higher risk of sudden death due to heart attacks.”
In remarks reported by the medical research website Health Day, she explained that “using antidepressants for six years or more significantly increases the risk of death from heart attacks compared to those who have used these medications for one to five years, and this is in comparison to those who do not take antidepressants at all.”
To draw these conclusions, researchers examined cases of death among adults in Denmark throughout the year 2010, focusing on individuals taking antidepressants and those who died suddenly from heart attacks.
The research team confirmed that individuals taking antidepressants between one and five years had a 56% increased risk of dying suddenly from heart attacks, with this figure doubling for those who used these drugs for more than six years.
The researchers noted that the risk of sudden death from taking antidepressants increased among younger individuals more than among older adults.
