Antidepressants appear to increase people’s risk of sudden cardiac death, a new study says

People taking the mood meds are more likely to die suddenly from heart problems, and their risk rises the longer they’re on the drugs, according to findings presented Monday in Vienna at a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology.

“Exposure time to antidepressants was associated with a higher risk of sudden cardiac death, and linked to how long the person had been exposed to antidepressants,” said lead researcher Jasmin Mujkanovic of Rigshospitalet Heart Center in Copenhagen.

“Those exposed for six years or more were at even more increased risk than those exposed for one to five years, when compared with people unexposed to antidepressants in the general population,” Mujkanovic said in a news release.