Antidepressants Found to Increase Stroke Risk December 15, 2009

A study released Monday by the Archives of Internal Medicine¹ found that post-menopausal women who are taking antidepressants are at a higher risk for stroke or death. The study said that the increased risk was modest. However, post-menopausal women represent the largest number of patients taking antidepressants so the increased risks could be much more significant.

These findings came from the federally funded Women’s Health Initiative ²

Women should talk with a doctor to find out if they are already at a high risk for stroke and other potentially fatal conditions before deciding whether or not to start taking antidepressants. If you find that you are at an increased risk for stroke you should take action to reduce that risk by lowering blood pressure, maintaining a healthy weight and diet, and keeping stress under control.

Antidepressants Found to Increase Stroke Risk by Feminestra is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Sources: ¹Archives of Internal Medicine
²Woman’s Health Initiative