Antidepressants can trigger life-threatening side effects in just eight weeks.
They can raise the heart rate by around 21 beats a minute, increase body weight by an average of 4 kg (8.8lbs) and raise blood pressure levels in just the first two months, one of the first reviews of the general side effects of SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) antidepressants has discovered.
A large research group, headed by scientists from King’s College London, looked at the side effects of 30 different SSRI antidepressants on 58,534 participants.
Although many side effects—including suicidal thoughts, digestive problems and neurological issues—have been recorded, nobody had looked at the drugs’ impact on general physiological health.
The researchers discovered that half of all people on two of the antidepressants—maprotiline (Ludiomil) and amitriptyline (Elavil)—reported up to a 4 kg weight gain, and these changes could be life-threatening in the long term, the researchers warn.
It’s estimated that for every kilogram (2.2 lbs) increase in body weight, cardiovascular disease risk rises by 3 percent, while increased heart rate can be life-threatening, with every beat increase raising the risk of death by 3 percent.
For instance, people taking amitriptyline for eight weeks are likely to see their weight increase by 1·5 kg (3.3 lbs), their heart rate rise by nine beats per minute, and their systolic blood pressure rise 5 mmHg.
Most of the studies they reviewed looked only at the first eight weeks, and so the longer term side effects could be even more severe.
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