Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Anti-depressants can cause internal bleeding

Some popular anti-depressant drugs can cause internal bleeding similar to that triggered by aspirin and related painkillers, researchers said on Monday.

The anti-depressants involved are Prozac-type selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, the report from the Northwestern University Medical School said.

A review of the medical records of 549 patients admitted to hospitals for acute gastrointestinal bleeding found that ongoing use of such anti-depressants caused a risk of bleeding similar to that caused by the regular use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen.

"While more research needs to be conducted ... physicians must closely monitor for this serious adverse event, especially in patients who are taking both SSRIs and NSAIDs," said Michael Jones, a physician who was the report's chief author.

Courtesy of Reuters 5/17/2005

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