title: Differential Associations of Specific Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors With Resting-State Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability: Implications for Health and Well-Being.
abstract: Debate has focused on the effects of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants on heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV), both of which are predictors of adverse cardiovascular events. Here, we examine the associations between specific SSRI antidepressants and resting state HR (and HRV) after accounting for a host of potential confounding factors using propensity score techniques.
  
  
  
  Participants included 10,466 not taking antidepressants, 46 participants taking escitalopram, 86 taking citalopram, 66 taking fluoxetine, 103 taking paroxetine, and 139 taking sertraline. HR and HRV (root mean square of successive squared differences, high frequency) were extracted from 10-minute resting-state ECGs. Analyses including propensity score weighting and matching were conducted using R-statistics to control for potentially confounding variables.
  
  
  
  Major findings indicated that users of all SSRI medications-except fluoxetine-displayed lower HRV relative to nonusers. Users of paroxetine also displayed significantly lower HRV relative to users of citalopram (Cohen's d = 0.42), fluoxetine (Cohen's d = 0.54), and sertraline (Cohen's d = 0.35), but not escitalopram. Although associations were also observed for HR, these were less robust than those for HRV.
  
  
  
  Although paroxetine is associated with decreases in HRV relative to nonusers, as well as users of other SSRI medications, fluoxetine was the only medication not to display significant alterations in HR or HRV. These conclusions are limited by the cross-sectional design and nonrandomized nature of medication prescriptions. Findings highlight the importance of focusing on specific medications, rather than more heterogeneous groupings according to antidepressant action, and may have implications for health and well-being for the longer term.
authors.affiliation: From the School of Psychology and Discipline of Psychiatry (Kemp), University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Department of Psychology (Kemp), Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom; Consultation-Liaison Group (Fráguas), Laboratory of Neuro Imaging (LIM-21), Department and Institute of Psychiatry Faculty of Medicine, Division of Psychiatry and Psychology at University Hospital, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; University Hospital (Brunoni, Bittencourt, Benseñor, Lotufo), University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Nunes), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Collegiate of Biological Sciences (Dantas), Federal University of Vale do São Francisco, Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil; Department of Physiological Sciences (Andreão, Mill), Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil; Federal Institut of Espírito Santo (Andreão), Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil; Hospital das Clínicas and Faculty of Medicine (Ribeiro), Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil; Section for Translational Psychobiology in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Koenig), Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre of Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; and Department of Psychology (Koenig, Thayer), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
authors.forename: Andrew H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Kemp
authors.forename: Renerio
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fráguas
authors.forename: Andre R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Brunoni
authors.forename: Marcio S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Bittencourt
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.forename: Eduardo M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Dantas
authors.forename: Rodrigo V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Andreão
authors.forename: José G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Mill
authors.forename: Antonio L P
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Koenig
authors.forename: Julian F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Thayer
authors.forename: Isabela M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Benseñor
authors.forename: Paulo A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Lotufo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil; D015283:Citalopram / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D020280:Sertraline / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D015283:Citalopram; D005473:Fluoxetine; D017374:Paroxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D020280:Sertraline