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• Posted April 4, 2025

Antidepressants Linked To Sudden Cardiac Death

Antidepressants appear to increase people’s risk of sudden cardiac death, a new study says.

People taking the mood meds are more likely to die suddenly from heart problems, and their risk rises the longer they’re on the drugs, according to findings presented Monday in Vienna at a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology.

“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,” said lead researcher Jasmin Mujkanovic of Rigshospitalet Heart Center in Copenhagen.

“Those exposed for six years or more were at even more increased risk than those exposed for one to five years, when compared with people unexposed to antidepressants in the general population,” Mujkanovic said in a news release.

For the new study, researchers examined all deaths among adults in Denmark in 2010, looking for people taking andepressants and people who suffered sudden cardiac death.

Sudden cardiac death involves a person’s heart unexpectedly stopping due to some heart-related problem, researchers said in background notes.

Younger adults usually suffer sudden cardiac death due to heart disease or an electrical problem with the heart, while older people most often fall prey due to clogged arteries, researchers said.

Overall, people who’d been taking antidepressants for one to five years had a 56% increased risk of sudden cardiac death, and a more than doubled risk if they’d been taking the drugs for six or more years.

However, the risk posed by antidepressants appears to affect younger people more than older folks, researchers found.

Results show that younger adults 30 to 39 were three times more likely to suffer sudden cardiac death if they’d been taking antidepressants for one to five years, and five times more likely if they’d been on the drugs for six or more years.

Likewise, middle-aged folks 50 to 59 had a doubled risk from one to five years of antidepressant use and a quadrupled risk for six or more years on the meds.

And seniors 70 to 79 had an 83% increased risk for one to five years and a doubled risk for more than six years on the drugs, researchers report.

It’s not clear why antidepressants might increase a person’s risk of sudden cardiac death, Mujkanovic said.

“The increased risk of sudden cardiac death may be attributed to the potential adverse effects of the antidepressants,” Mujkanovic said. “However, the exposure time to antidepressants might also serve as a marker for more severe underlying illness. Additionally, the increase could be influenced by behavioral or lifestyle factors associated with depression, such as delayed healthcare seeking, and poor cardiovascular health. Further research is warranted.”

Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The Cleveland Clinic has more on sudden cardiac death.

SOURCE: European Society of Cardiology, news release, March 30, 2025