Experts warn that long-term use of antidepressants could increase the risk of developing a silent killer.
Millions of Brits have taken the drugs used to treat clinical depression and other conditions, such as OCD and PTSD.
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A new study now shows that the medication may increase your risk of developing heart disease.
Experts warn people to not stop using the drug.
Researchers from the University of Bristol have discovered “concerning associations”Between taking the pill for ten years and an increase in heart disease, death due to cardiovascular disease and earlier deaths from any cause,
Experts said that they couldn’t be certain it wasn’t depression pushing up heart problems risks. This was also supported by other experts, who stated that people shouldn’t be alarmed at the findings.
Researchers looked at eight antidepressants, including sertraline (SSRIs), citalopram (SSRIs), fluoxetine, paroxetine, and sertraline.
They also considered four other antidepressants: duloxetine (venlafaxine), mirtazapine, duloxetine (venlafaxine), and trazodone.
Published in British Journal of Psychiatry openThe data contained over 200,000 individuals from the UK Biobank, aged 40-69. Their GP records could also be examined.
SSRIs were most frequently prescribed antidepressants. Other 80 percent of the group took one.
The majority of people read Mental Health
Antidepressant users were compared to those who did not take the drug.
After 10 years, SSRI users had a 34% higher risk of developing heart disease and almost twice the risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
A 73% higher chance of dying from any cause was also seen in them.
All the risks for the antidepressants were approximately double.
The researchers said: “Antidepressants, and especially SSRIs, may have a good safety profile in the short term, but are associated with adverse outcomes in the long term.
“This is important because most of the substantial increase in prescribing in the past 20 or more years is in long-term repeat prescribing.”
The study found that antidepressants, especially SSRIs, are associated with a 23% to 32% lower risk of developing diabetes and high blood pressure. However, more research is required.
Dr Narinder Bansal, the study’s lead author, said people should not stop taking their drugs suddenly and should speak to their GP if concerned.
“While we have taken into account a wide range of pre-existing risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including those that are linked to depression such as excess weight, smoking, and low physical activity, it is difficult to fully control for the effects of depression in this kind of study.
“This is partly because there is considerable variability in the recording of depression severity in primary care,”He said.
He adds: “This is important because many people taking antidepressants such as mirtazapine, venlafaxine, duloxetine and trazodone may have a more severe depression.
“This makes it difficult to fully separate the effects of the depression from the effects of medication
“Further research is needed to assess whether the associations we have seen are genuinely due to the drugs, and if so, why this might be,” he said.
The experts said that clinicians must be aware that prescribing of antidepressants in the long term “may not be harm-free.”
They were called for “proactive cardiovascular monitoring”Patients who have been on long-term antidepressants for a while may experience withdrawal symptoms. “given that both have been associated with higher risks”.
Glyn L. Lewis, professor of psychiatric epidemiology and University College London (UCL), stated that people should not be “alarmed or worried”You can either accept the findings or discontinue using your medication.
He stated that the study couldn’t determine whether depression was increasing health risks or if antidepressants were being used.
“There is a lot of evidence, from other research, that depression is associated with increased cardiovascular disease,”He said.
“Clearly, there’s behavioural things (associated with depression), where people might not look after themselves as well.
“There may also be hormonal changes and metabolic changes which might increase risk of physical illnesses in the longer term,”He added.
Prof Glyn said experts should remain alert to the possible long-term effects of antidepressants as they are a commonly used drug, but he added: “We wouldn’t want people to stop their medication on the basis of this kind of result.
“These results on their own should not lead to people thinking they should stop their antidepressants. This kind of study isn’t robust enough to be able to make that kind of conclusion.”
Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “Existing evidence shows that antidepressants can be an effective treatment for the distressing and often-debilitating symptoms of anxiety and depression when used appropriately.
“GPs are highly trained to have open and sensitive conversations with their patients, and when discussing mental health concerns they will consider various treatment options based on the unique needs of the patient.
“Antidepressants will be prescribed at the lowest possible dose and for the least amount of time.
“This is an interesting study and as outlined by the authors, further research is needed in this area.
“However, it’s really important that patients do not stop taking their prescribed antidepressants as a result of this research, but if they are concerned, they should discuss this at their next medication review,” he explained.
Professor Carmine Pariante, from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “Long-term use of antidepressants should only be considered for people that have recurrent depression and repeated, severe relapses after stopping antidepressants.
“For those patients, the beneficial effects of continuous use of antidepressants are more likely to balance the potential risks.”
The July NHS figures showed that 8.3 Million patients in England received antidepressants in the 2021/22 year. This is 6 percent more than the 7.9 million who were treated in the previous year.
Central Recorder reported that teens received over a million prescriptions of anti-depressants last year.
Research examining around 1000 studies published in JAMA Psychiatry concluded that antidepressants were generally safe.