Antidepressants May Increase Risk of Abnormal Bleeding

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Tue, 23 Nov 2004 21:06:38 -0500

Subject:Antidepressants May Increase Risk of Abnormal Bleeding

 

 

 

Doctor's Guide, Mon, 22 Nov 2004 2:21 PM PST

 

Antidepressants May Increase Risk of Abnormal Bleeding

 

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Antidepressants May Increase Risk of Abnormal Bleeding

 

CHICAGO, IL -- November 22, 2004 -- New users of selective serotonin

reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs, a type of antidepressant) have an

increased risk of being admitted to the hospital for abnormal

bleeding, according to an article in the November 22 issue of The

Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

 

According to the article, case reports and observational studies have

shown a relationship between SSRI use and abnormal bleeding. It is

believed that serotonin plays a role in blood clotting, and because

SSRIs affect serotonin levels, they may be associated with an

increased risk of bleeding, the article states.

 

Welmoed E. E. Meijer, Ph.D., of Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical

Sciences, the Netherlands, and colleagues estimated the risk of

abnormal bleeding associated with antidepressant use among 64,000 new

antidepressant users. The data analyzed were collected from 1992

through 2000. Individuals were classified according to the degree

(high, intermediate, or low) of serotonin reuptake inhibition of the

antidepressants they were taking.

 

Among study participants, there were 196 cases of abnormal bleeding

(including abnormal uterus bleeding and gastrointestinal bleeding).

The risk of hospitalization increased with the use of drugs providing

intermediate (twice as likely) and high (2.6 times as likely) degrees

of serotonin reuptake inhibition.

 

" We found a significant association between degree of serotonin

reuptake inhibition by antidepressants and risk of hospital admission

for abnormal bleeding, " the authors write. " Antidepressants with a

high degree of inhibition of serotonin reuptake were associated with a

2.6-fold increased risk of bleeding events compared with

antidepressants with a low degree of serotonin reuptake inhibition, "

the researchers conclude.

 

 

SOURCE: JAMA/Archives Media Relations