Antidepressants increased the likelihood of stroke in elderly patients
The use of antidepressants with strong and moderate levels of serotonin reuptake inhibition was associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke in the elderly. The likelihood of the disease increased with high doses of antidepressants, even if they were prescribed for a short period of time.Researchers from Chung-Ang University in Korea found that taking antidepressants with strong and moderate serotonin reuptake inhibition increased the likelihood of developing ischemic stroke. The results of the study are published in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
Taking antidepressants with strong serotonin reuptake inhibition increased the risk of developing stroke by 1.19 times, and medium inhibitors increased the risk by 1.06 times compared to weak inhibitors. The likelihood of occurrence was increased if the drugs were administered at a high dosage for a short period of time.
In case of combination of strong serotonin reuptake inhibitors with anticonvulsants, the risk of stroke increased 1.75 times, and when using medium-acting inhibitors in combination with proton pump inhibitors - 1.39 times.Ученые сравнили риск развития инсульта среди 223 тыс. пожилых пациентов, которые получали различные ингибиторы обратного захвата серотонина.
Drugs with a weak level of serotonin reuptake inhibition were taken by 97 thousand people. Antidepressants with moderate and strong serotonin reuptake inhibition were taken by 18.7 thousand and 107 thousand people, respectively.
The average age of the participants was 63.7 years. The most frequent history was hypertension and hyperlipidemia. More than 80% of patients received non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs during the year before the study. People who were taking drugs with a weak ability to inhibit serotonin reuptake were used as a comparison group. The authors took into account the dose of the drugs and the duration of their use.