Beta-blockers don't increase risk of depression

Beta-blockers do not appear to increase a patient's risk of suffering from depression in the first year after a heart attack.Researchers from the University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands found that physicians do not have to hesitate in prescribing beta-blockers in heart attack patients anymore. Beta-blockers are used in the treatment of high blood pressure (hypertension). The researchers note that beta-blockers have reduced mortality in heart patients by 23 percent. These drugs are also used to treat high blood pressure, angina, migraine and other disorders. However, concerns about neurological, psychological and other side effects persist. The researchers investigated the association between beta-blocker use and depression in the first 12 months after heart attack in 381 patients.It was found that Beck Depression Inventory Scores at 3, 6, and 12 months post-heart attack did not differ significantly in patients taking beta-blockers and patients not taking beta-blockers. The results indicate that patients taking beta-blockers were no more likely to be diagnosed with depression during the year after their heart attack than those not taking beta-blockers. Among patients taking beta-blockers, outcomes did not differ by the type of beta-blocker they received, either a hydrophilic beta-blocker or a lipophilic beta-blocker.However, at 6 and 12 months, patients taking high-dose beta-blockers had significantly higher scores on the Beck Depression Inventory test (indicating lower depression levels) than did patients taking low-dose beta-blockers. More research is warranted to explore the long-term and high-dose effects of beta-blockers on depression.