The conclusion of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown was characterised by an increase in sales for a specific medication in India – antidepressants (AD). According to Pharmarack, the market saw a massive 64 per cent surge in sales, highlighting the Indian population’s increasing dependence on the medication. Now, a brand new study has shown that prolonged consumption of AD can cause adverse effects on health. According to a study by the European Society of Cardiology, it shows that long-term usage of antidepressants can lead to sudden cardiac death (SCD).
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It was earlier understood that those with psychiatric symptoms have a higher risk of SCD and low mortality, but it is now revealed that those who use antidepressants also have a concerning link with it, too. Using the 2010 death records from Denmark as its subject, the researchers classified fatalities as SCD and non-SCD. They further examined individuals with long-term use of AD, prescription twice a year for twelve years, further dividing them into two groups – those who used it for 1 to 5 years, and 6 or more years.
During the studied period, 6002 fatalities were a result of SCD, out of which 1,981 SCDs were reported with those who used antidepressants. The incidence rate ratio of SCD was significantly higher in the AD-exposed groups compared to the general population across almost all age groups.
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Further analysis found a general statistic that those who used AD for 1 to 5 years had a 56 per cent higher risk of sudden cardiac death, and the group who consumed it for 6 or more years had a risk of SCD 2.2 times higher.
The likelihood of sudden cardiac death due to anti-depressants varied with age:
Ages 30-39:
1 to 5 years (of AD consumption) – three times more likely to suffer sudden cardiac death
6 or more years – five times more likely to suffer sudden cardiac death
Ages 40-49:
1 to 5 years – 1.6 times more likely to suffer sudden cardiac death
6 or more years – three times more likely to suffer sudden cardiac death
Ages 50-59:
1 to 5 years – two times more likely to suffer sudden cardiac death
6 or more years – four times more likely to suffer sudden cardiac death
Ages 60-69:
1 to 5 years – two times more likely to suffer sudden cardiac death
6 or more years – 2.6 more likely to suffer sudden cardiac death
Ages 70-79:
1 to 5 years – two times more likely to suffer sudden cardiac death
6 or more years – 2.2 more likely to suffer sudden cardiac death
Study co-author Dr Jasmin Mujkanovic from Rigshospitalet Hjertecentret in Copenhagen observed, "Exposure time to antidepressants was associated with a higher risk of sudden cardiac death, and linked to how long the person had been exposed to antidepressants. Those exposed for 6 years or more were at even more increased risk than those exposed for 1 to 5 years, when compared with people unexposed to antidepressants in the general population."
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“The exposure time to antidepressants might also serve as a marker for more severe underlying illness. Additionally, the increase could be influenced by behavioural or lifestyle factors associated with depression, such as delayed healthcare seeking and poor cardiovascular health,” he added.