title: Safety of antidepressant drugs in the patient with cardiac disease: a review of the literature.
abstract: Patients with cardiac disease, specifically ischemic heart disease and heart failure, have a higher frequency of major depressive disorder than patients without cardiac disease. The pathophysiologic reason for this is not completely understood. Previous depression, other debilitating illnesses, and type A personality are risk factors for the development of depression in cardiac patients. Depression has been shown to lower the threshold for ventricular arrhythmias. Therefore, treatment of depression potentially may prolong life in these patients. Antidepressant options that have been evaluated include several of the tricyclic antidepressants, trazodone, bupropion, and several of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Individual antidepressant drugs vary in their pharmacologic activity and side-effect profiles. Although clinical data are limited, it is important to individualize therapy in order to minimize cardiac adverse effects. Clinicians are encouraged to evaluate patients with cardiac disease for major depressive disorder and to consider antidepressant drug therapy for these patients when appropriate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland 21287-6180, USA.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: Kerry K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Pickworth
mesh_terms: D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic