A new study released this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal revealed that heart attack patients using selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in combination with anti-blood clotting medications could be at greater risk for bleeding.
According to the study’s authors, patients taking the combination of an SSRI and an antiplatelet (anti-clotting) drug have a higher risk for bleeding, compared to those taking aspirin alone as their antiplatelet therapy. In fact, analyzing data collected from the study allowed researchers to determine that mixing an SSRI with aspirin increased the risk for bleeding by 42 percent, and when taking an SSRI in combination with a two-pronged antiplatelet therapy, the risk increased by 57 percent. Given their findings, the study’s researchers noted that doctors should weigh the positives and the negatives when prescribing SSRIs to heart attack patients taking antiplatelet medications. The wrote, “The potential for drug interactions must be evaluated to guide the choice of medication.”
