Depression drugs may raise bleeding risk

Some drugs for depression may increase the risk of stomach or intestinal bleeding, a study suggests. Researchers looked at data on 1,321 people with bleeding. They compared them to 10,000 people who did not have bleeding. About 5.3% of those with bleeding took certain depression drugs. About 3% of those who did not have bleeding took the drugs. The drugs are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. They include Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft. Also, 1.1% of those with bleeding took a related drug called Effexor. Only 0.3% of the other group took this drug. Bleeding was even more common for those who also took certain pain-relievers, such as aspirin and ibuprofen. HealthDay News wrote about the study July 7. It was published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.