April 04, 2011, 01:04 pm

According to a recent study, antidepressant medications are associated with an
increase in the thickness of the artery lining in the neck, which is connected
with heart attack and stroke risk. The artery lining called the intima-media
thickness was affected by all types of antidepressants including Prozac, Zoloft
and Paxil.

Researchers at the American College of Cardiology studied 500 middle-aged male
twins and found that those who took antidepressants had approximately 5 percent
more plaque in the arteries compared with those who did not take any
antidepressant medications.

Carotid arteries were also found to "age" by the equivalent of four years when
taken with antidepressants.

"There is a clear association between increased intima-media thickness and
taking an antidepressant, and this trend is even stronger when we look at
people who are on these medications and are more depressed," said Dr. Amit
Shah, a cardiology fellow at Emory University in Atlanta, in the statement.
"Because we didn't see an association between depression itself and a
thickening of the carotid artery, it strengthens the argument that it is more
likely the antidepressants than the actual depression that could be behind the
association."

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