Antidepressants And Painkillers: Antidepressants And NSAID Combination Increases Stroke Risk

Statistics from the National Health and Nutrition Examination surveys reveal that more than 60 percent of Americans taking antidepressant medications have been taking them for 2 years or more. Some (14 percent) have even been taking them for over 10 years.

Now researchers at the University of Medicine from Seoul Korea have found that the use of antidepressants, particularly if painkillers are involved, can increase the risk of stroke; this was true for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), including commonly used medications to reduce fever, swelling and pain, such as Excedrin, Advil, Motrin and Aleve.

For the study, researchers compared the medical records of 4 million people who had received prescriptions for antidepressants between 2009 and 2013. Researchers compared those who used NSAIDs along with their antidepressants to those who used antidepressants alone. They also obtained hospital records to identify admissions of patients using antidepressants for intracranial hemorrhage, otherwise known as brain bleeding.

Findings revealed that compared to those who just used antidepressants, the combined use of both antidepressants and NSAIDs was linked to a significantly higher risk of hemorrhage, in a news release. However, researchers found no statistical differences in the risk of bleeding between ages or the type of antidepressant used. They did find an increased risk difference, however, if the participant was male.

Previous studies have linked painkillers and antidepressants to an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. However, at this time, no evidence was found that either type of drug could lead to intracranial bleeding, otherwise known as a bleeding that occurs inside the skull. This type is more likely to result in death or major disability than subarachnoid hemorrhage or ischemic stroke as intracranial hemorrhages can disrupt brain tissue and subsequent neurological dysfunction.

"The results give some cause for concern," Stewart Mercer, a professor of primary care research at the University of Glasgow, wrote in an editorial published with the study.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the British Medical Journal. 

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