Beta blockers making heart patients depressed

People who’ve had a heart attack are routinely prescribed a beta blocker, which helps slow the heart—but often the drugs aren’t doing any good and can make the patient depressed.

The drugs aren’t helpful if the heart attack survivor’s heart has a normal pumping action and isn’t likely to suffer from heart failure, and they also raise the risk of depression, researchers from Uppsala University have confirmed.  The patient is also more likely to suffer from insomnia while taking the drugs.

Only patients who have irregular heart rhythms could be helped by the drugs, which block the effects of adrenaline on the heart.

But aside from this subset of heart attack survivors, most patients don’t benefit from the drugs.  Earlier studies from the university discovered that the drugs didn’t protect people from having a second heart attack or from dying.

In the latest study, the researchers analysed the health of around 200 heart attack survivors, half of whom were given beta blockers.  Of these, many were reporting severe symptoms of depression.

Doctors should reconsider the practice of routinely prescribing beta blockers to heart attack survivors who weren’t at risk of heart failure, the researchers concluded.

What do you think? Start a conversation over on the... WDDTY Community