High Blood Pressure Risks Linked to Some Antidepressants: Study

Researchers found that side effects of Zoloft were associated with the most reported cases of hypertension.

Doctors widely prescribe antidepressant medications to treat a variety of mental health issues, including depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, new research warns that side effects of some of the drugs may put users at higher risk of hypertension, which can result in heart problems and strokes.

According to findings published in the journal PLOS One on March 7, people who used serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) antidepressants, including Zoloft, Prozac, Celexa, Lexapro and Paxil, had a higher risk of suffering from high blood pressure, than those who used other types of antidepressants.

Serotonin reuptake inhibitors are a class of prescription antidepressants that inhibit the reuptake of serotonin, a type of neurotransmitter, in the brain. They are used to help reduce symptoms of depression and are generally considered to have fewer side effects when compared to other antidepressants.

However, when the drugs are used inappropriately or at high doses, patients can experience side effects like issues with heart rhythm, weight gain, drowsiness, blurred vision and seizures.

In the new study, French researchers led by Xavier Humbert analyzed data from VigiBase, the World Health Organization pharmacovigilance database, reviewing more than 625,000 reports of antidepressant use and focusing on SRI use specifically.

According to their findings, 2% of patients reported experiencing hypertension, or high blood pressure. That included 13,682 reports of SRI use linked with hypertension, predominantly among women.

The highest number of cases reported was among people who used the antidepressant Zoloft, with nearly 4,000 cases of hypertension reported. Patients using Prozac, Celexa, Lexapro and Paxil also had a significant number of cases of high blood pressure, with 2,800 cases reported among Prozac users, 2,500 cases among Celexa users, 2,500 cases among Lexapro users, and 2,400 cases among Paxil users.

Users of the antidepressant Luvox had about 200 cases of high blood pressure reported and only eight cases among users of Zelmid.

Overall researchers said there was a significant risk of suffering from high blood pressure observed for all SRI users. More than 1,700 patients who were taking SRIs like Zoloft as well as antihypertensive drugs suffered from heart attack and 1,000 patients suffered a stroke.

The researchers called for more studies to fully flesh out the link between using SRIs like Prozac and Zoloft and an increased risk of high blood pressure. However, researchers think SRIs may not only block serotonin reuptake but may also block nitric oxide production, which is a key factor in how the body dilates the blood vessels.

While it may be important for some patients to continue SRI use to treat their symptoms of major depression, some patients with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and heart conditions may want to talk to their doctor about using alternative types of antidepressants that don’t pose as great a risk, the researchers recommended.

They called for doctors who treat patients with depressive disorders to monitor patients for high blood pressure and work to find the best dose to reduce the risk.