Antidepressants

Antidepressants are dangerous drugs that increase your chances of a stroke, and of death by any cause, especially if you’re a postmenopausal woman, a new study has discovered. Doctors believed that the new generation of SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressants were safer than the older tricyclics – but a major study by the Women’s Health Initiative has discovered they are every bit as dangerous. The researchers are now recommending women talk about their cardiovascular risks with their doctor before starting their prescription. The study is monitoring the health of around 136,000 women and, over a period of 15 years, 5,500 women started taking an antidepressant. The group had many more deaths from any cause and of stroke than those who weren’t taking the drug. (Source: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2009; 169: 2128-39).