Antidepressants cause heart attack and stroke
Antidepressant drugs increase the chances of a heart attack and stroke, researchers have discovered this week. They quicken the ageing process of arteries, making them thicker.
All the antidepressant drug family, including the SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), cause thickening of the arteries, say researchers from the Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health.
In a study of 513 middle-aged male twins, the researchers discovered that those taking an antidepressant had arteries that were thicker than in those not taking the drug. Overall, the thickness was equivalent to that found in someone four years older, suggesting the drugs are quickening the ageing process of arteries.
(Source: Meeting of the American College of Cardiology, New Orleans, April 5, 2011).