Can antidepressants increase sudden cardiac death risk?

ISLAMABAD, APRIL 07 (ONLINE): Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is responsible for about half of all deaths caused by cardiovascular disease.
Past studies show a link between some antidepressant medications to a high risk of cardiovascular issues like SCD.
A new study further confirms that antidepressant use may increase a person抯 risk for SCD, with differences between age groups and years of medication use.
Past research shows that sudden cardiac death (SCD)Trusted Source is responsible for about half of all deathsTrusted Source caused by cardiovascular disease.

SCD occurs when a person experiencing sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) � where their heart suddenly stops pumping � is not treated successfully, and usually happens within 1 hour of disease symptoms occurring.

People with heart disease are also at an increased risk of developing depression, and some studies further show that depression is a risk factorTrusted Source for SCD.

Previous research has moreover suggested that some antidepressant medications are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular issues, including SCDTrusted Source, stroke, and atrial fibrillation.

揂ntidepressants are commonly prescribed for psychiatric conditions such as depression or OCD,� Jasmin Mujkanovic, MD, a doctoral researcher in the Department of Cardiology at Rigshospitalet Hjertecentret in Denmark told Medical News Today.

揟hese medications can have potential adverse effects such as QT prolongation [when the heart muscle takes longer to contract and relax], which may increase the risk for adverse arrhythmic events, and in rare cases, SCD. It is important to recognize that having depression is itself an independent risk factor for SCD/cardiovascular disease.�

� Jasmin Mujkanovic, MD

Mujkanovic is the first author of a new study recently presented at EHRA 2025, the scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology, which further confirms that antidepressant use may increase a person抯 risk for SCD, and differs between age groups and years of medication use.

1-year antidepressant use linked to 56% increased risk of SCD
For this study, Mujkanovic and his team analyzed medical information and death certificates for Denmark adult residents between the ages of 18 and 90 in 2010.

Researchers categorized participants by whether or not they had experienced SCD, and by their antidepressant medication use � between 1 and 5 years, or 6 years and longer.

At the study抯 conclusion, researchers found that participants who used antidepressants for a period of 1 to 5 years had a 56% increased risk of SCD.

Participants who used antidepressants for 6 or more years had a 2.2 times higher risk for SCD.

揟he significance of these findings suggest that longer exposure time increases the risk for SCD,� Mujkanovic said. 揌owever, it is important to be cautious when interpreting this. Longer duration might reflect more severe or persistent depression, which itself contributes to cardiovascular risk. It is difficult to disentangle the effects of medication from the underlying condition.�

High SCD incidence rate for those taking antidepressants for 6+ years
When breaking down study results by age groups, researchers found some differences in antidepressant use and SCD risk.

For participants between the ages of 30�39, those who used antidepressants for 1 to 5 years were three times more likely to experience SCD than those who did not take the medications. This risk increased to five times higher if they used antidepressants for 6 or more years.

In the 50-59 age group, 1 to five years use of antidepressant medications doubled their SCD risk, and quadrupled for those using the drugs for 6 or more years.

And when looking at participants between the ages of 40 to 79, scientists found their SCD incidence rate ratio was significantly higher for those who used antidepressants for 6 years or more compared to those who used them for 1 to 5 years.

揥ithin each age group, those exposed to antidepressants had a higher risk of SCD, compared to their unexposed peers,� Mujkanovic explained.

揌owever, overall, a 30-39 year old on antidepressants would still have a lower absolute risk than an unexposed 70-79 year old,� he noted. 揟his is largely due to competing risk, as baseline risk for SCD increases with age. While antidepressant exposure may increase relative risk in younger individuals, their absolute risk remains lower than that of older individuals.�

However, Mujkanovic also provided some reassurance:

揟he main takeaway [from this study] is please do not panic if you are on antidepressants. Although the study shows that the risk is increased among the exposed, depression is itself an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and SCD. The increased risk is most likely multifactorial, and this highlights the need for a more holistic approach to managing mental health as well as cardiovascular health in these patients.