Researchers Demonstrate Zoloft is linked with Significant Risks in the ICU

A recent study conducted by the Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both located in the Boston area, found that patients being treated with antidepressant drugs such as Zoloft had a higher risk of finding themselves in the intensive care unit (ICU) than patients not taking antidepressants. The study suggests there may be a link between high rates of mortality in ICU and Zoloft and other antidepressants.

Researchers presented their findings at the American Thoracic Society International Conference, held in San Francisco in May of this year. They examined records from 10,568 patients admitted to ICU’s, and found that 1,876 possessed prescriptions for antidepressants. Researchers further found that those ICU patients that were being treated with norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Zoloft, were 73% more likely to pass away within a year of their ICU admission than patients not taking antidepressants.

Increased risks include heart problems from Zoloft

During the study, researchers also found that patients with heart problems or who had undergone heart surgery were also at a much higher risk of mortality within a year of ICU admission. Although a causal link has not been definitively established, many patients have presented with heart problems from Zoloft use. Boston researchers resisted asserting a causal relationship between antidepressants and high mortality rates, however they did state that their research suggests a “clear association.”

Other side effects of Zoloft include serious birth defects

These new findings supplement a larger body of research being conducted on the side effects of Zoloft. Birth defects from Zoloft have been a particularly heated topic of discussion among medical researchers, regulatory agencies and the consumer public. It has been shown that mother’s who took Zoloft during their pregnancies gave birth to children that exhibited higher rates of heart defects, cleft lip and palate, limb deformities and spina bifida. Zoloft has been implicated in an infant condition called persistent pulmonary hypertension, which can be fatal. Despite increasing evidence of the dangerous side effects of Zoloft, the drug remains on the market.

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