With any drug, patients and doctors must weight the benefits against the risks. It may be time for postmenopausal women on antidepressants to talk with their doctors about potential risks in light of a recent study.
A new six-year study with 136,293 study participants (aged 50 to 79) has revealed that antidepressants carry a small, but statistically significant increased risk of stroke and death for postmenopausal women.
Despite these study results, the benefits of antidepressants may outweigh the risks for some postmenopausal women. Concerned women should speak with their doctors. Stopping antidepressants without a doctor’s approval could be dangerous.
Researchers found that postmenopausal antidepressant users were 45% more likely to have strokes than women who weren’t taking antidepressants.
Women on antidepressants also had a 32% higher risk of death from all causes compared with women not taking the drugs.
Researchers caution that the association between antidepressant use and increased stroke risk could partially be due to underlying depression, rather than the medication. Numerous studies have confirmed that depression is a risk factor for cardiovascular issues.
While the study found no difference in stroke risk among the two major classes of antidepressants, users of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) had a higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke caused by a bleed in the brain.
Lead author Dr. Jordan Smoller of Massachusetts General Hospital commented:
“While this study did find an association between antidepressants and cardiovascular events, additional research needs to be done to determine exactly what it signifies. Older women taking antidepressants, like everyone else, should also work on modifying their other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as maintaining a healthy weight and controlling cholesterol levels and blood pressure.”
The findings are from the multi-institution Women’s Health Initiative Study, which is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. Study results were published online in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Post from: Blisstree