Researchers say certain medications used for blood pressure, kidney disease, heart failure, and diabetes could increase suicide risk.
Researchers say people using angiotensin receptor II blockers (ARBs) are more likely to die by suicide than people who take angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors).
The researchers mentioned the research is preliminary and needs follow-up studies. Still, they say people with mental health issues should consult with their doctors before taking these types of medications.
There could be a link between commonly prescribed drugs and whether they could contribute to the possibility of suicide. A study published in JAMA Network Open suggests more research may establish a relationship between drugs prescribed for high blood pressure and other conditions and whether they increase a person’s risk for suicide.
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Specifically, researchers looked for connections between older adults who died by suicide after being prescribed angiotensin receptor II blockers (ARBs) or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, commonly referred to as ACE inhibitors.
Both are drugs most often prescribed to people for hypertension, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, and diabetes.
The medications allow narrow blood vessels to open and blood to flow more freely. Researchers think that action could affect a person’s mental health.
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What did the study show?
Researchers from the University of Toronto performed a study using data from more than 3,800 adults aged 66 years and older. Of the people whose data was selected for the study, 964 died by suicide within 100 days of receiving ARBs or ACE inhibitors from 1995 to 2015.
The researchers said that people prescribed ARBs were more than 1.5 times more likely to…
