Posted by larryhoover on May 30, 2011, at 12:17:27
In reply to Re: Anti Depressant-Cardio Vascula damage?! » Phillipa, posted by 49er on May 30, 2011, at 11:20:40
> What's the take-away message for people taking antidepressants?
>
> "They should know that the association between antidepressants and cardiovascular risk was mild but significant," Dr. Wright said."They should not stop taking their antidepressant but should mention this result to their doctor." In turn, doctors should carefully assess cholesterol levels, blood pressure, lifestyle habits, and other cardiovascular risk factors in patients taking antidepressants, she said.
>
> Obviously, it is not a clear cut issue but personally, if I were on ADS, I wouldn't blow off this risk, particularly if I had an increased cardiovascular and stroke risk or a family history of one.
>
> 49erI was afraid that this modest increase in one cardiovascular risk factor would be generalized to cardiovascular risk overall. The evidence is overwhelming that antidepressant treatment for depression reduces the frequency of cardiovascular events, even in those with a history of cardiovascular disease.
Here are a couple of just-published reviews of the issue. There are many more, with the same message.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21256471
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21435422Here's an older study, written by cardiologists following patients who had experienced a heart attack.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15997021
And, considering that antidepressants are also prescribed for other disorders than depression, the overall impact has also been assessed. Only tricyclics had an increased CVD risk (but we knew that 40 years ago, which prompted the development of the SSRI antidepressants).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21118851
Lar
poster:larryhoover
thread:986513
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110529/msgs/986652.html