Table 4.
Hazard ratios for five adverse outcomes (upper gastrointestinal bleeding, epilepsy/seizures, road traffic accidents, adverse drug reactions, and hyponatraemia) by antidepressant class, unadjusted and adjusted for confounders
| Antidepressant class | No of events* | Hazard ratio (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unadjusted | Adjusted† | ||
| Upper gastrointestinal bleeding | |||
| Not taking antidepressants | 671 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Tricyclic antidepressants | 229 | 1.21 (1.04 to 1.41) | 1.29 (1.10 to 1.51) |
| Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors | 365 | 1.27 (1.11 to 1.44) | 1.22 (1.07 to 1.40) |
| Other antidepressants | 79 | 1.36 (1.08 to 1.72) | 1.37 (1.08 to 1.74) |
| Total events/total patients | 1344/59 389 | ||
| Epilepsy/seizures | |||
| Not taking antidepressants | 223 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Tricyclic antidepressants | 58 | 0.99 (0.74 to 1.32) | 1.02 (0.76 to 1.38) |
| Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors | 177 | 1.98 (1.62 to 2.43) | 1.83 (1.49 to 2.26) |
| Other antidepressants | 39 | 2.32 (1.67 to 3.24) | 2.24 (1.60 to 3.15) |
| Total events/total patients in analysis | 497/59 691 | ||
| Road traffic accidents | |||
| Not taking antidepressants | 252 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Tricyclic antidepressants | 56 | 0.83 (0.62 to 1.11) | 0.86 (0.64 to 1.15) |
| Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors | 96 | 0.92 (0.72 to 1.16) | 0.89 (0.70 to 1.13) |
| Other antidepressants | 15 | 0.71 (0.42 to 1.19) | 0.67 (0.39 to 1.14) |
| Total events/total patients | 419/59 678 | ||
| Adverse drug reactions | |||
| Not taking antidepressants | 417 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Tricyclic antidepressants | 139 | 1.09 (0.89 to 1.32) | 1.06 (0.86 to 1.29) |
| Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors | 231 | 1.20 (1.02 to 1.42) | 1.16 (0.98 to 1.37) |
| Other antidepressants | 37 | 1.00 (0.71 to 1.40) | 0.95 (0.68 to 1.34) |
| Total events/total patients | 824/60 170 | ||
| Hyponatraemia | |||
| Not taking antidepressants | 503 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Tricyclic antidepressants | 155 | 0.99 (0.82 to 1.18) | 1.05 (0.87 to 1.27) |
| Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors | 383 | 1.62 (1.42 to 1.86) | 1.52 (1.33 to 1.75) |
| Other antidepressants | 62 | 1.38 (1.06 to 1.80) | 1.28 (0.98 to 1.67) |
| Total events/total patients | 1103/60 300 | ||
*Based on numbers included in unadjusted analyses.
†Adjusted for sex, age (five year bands), year, severity of depression, depression before age 65, smoking status, Townsend deprivation score, coronary heart disease, stroke/transient ischaemic attack, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, hypothyroidism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, statins, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antipsychotics, lithium, aspirin, antihypertensive drugs, anticonvulsant drugs, hypnotics/anxiolytics; all outcomes except epilepsy/seizures also adjusted for epilepsy/seizures at baseline.