Previous Story Depression and Heart Disease Depression after a heart attack or heart surgery is common and can be fatal. Research has found that depression actually effects the nervous system and it's links to to the heart. While there rare a variety of drugs to treat depression, a study in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association found some of these drugs may also be hazardous to the heart. It's understandable that surviving a heart attack could affect a person's mental state. But it's more than just feeling sad or about afraid-studies show that after a heart attack twenty percent of patients suffer a severe depression. Dr. Steven Roose-MD Columbia University-"Patients who have depression after a heart attack have a much higher chance of dying in six months than patients who are not depressed. " Patients can often be helped out of their depression with antidepressant medications. The two main types are the Tricycle antidepressants and the Serotonin Repute inhibitors. The question is whether these drugs might cause adverse reactions to the heart. So Dr. Steven Roose headed a team followed a small group of depressed patients who had suffered a heart attack at least three months earlier or had a bypass surgery or angiplasty for blocked heart arteries. AS reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association for six weeks some patients received Nortriptyline, a Tricycle antidepressant, while others took Paroxetine, a Serration Repute inhibitor. Dr. Roose-Columbia University- "What we found was that both medications were effective in treating depression. However, the Tricycle antidepressant Nortiptyline proved to cause many more was problems in patients with heart disease. there a high rate of adverse events- the kind of events that could be potentially life-threatening if the medication were not stopped." Nortriptyline was nine times more likely to cause a very rapid heartbeat or abnormal heart rhythms compared to Paroxetine. The researchers caution that while it appears the Serotonin Repute inhibitors are safer than the Tricycle antidepressant for some patients with heart disease, additional research is needed to see if these medications are safe to use with all types of heart patents and immediately after a heart attack. Given the risk depression poses for a heart attack survivor, Dr. Roose says the main message this study carries for patients and their families is clear. Dr. Roose- "Depression after a heart attack is something that is common, that it's important to recognize it, and not just simply think that everybody after a heart attack is depressed, and when you are ware there are signs or when you think there are sign of depression to consult your doctor and ask about depression." Dr. Roose says some of the signs to look for include losing interest in things that previously gave someone pleasure, sleep troubles, loss of appetite, and feeling of despair or thoughts of suicide. Research still needs to be done whether treating the depression will, in fact, reduce the risk of dying from a heart attack. Funding for this study came from SmithKline Beecham, the company that make the drug Paroxetine. Home | Upcoming Stories | Previous Stories |Survey | About Healthy Living | E-Mail