Can antidepressant drug impact on blood pressure level in patients with psychiatric disorder and hypertension? A randomized trial

Background: High blood pressure (BP) has been known as a major risk factor for many chronic diseases. It should be noted, a psychiatric disorder which is common in the people living modern lifestyle may be one of the leading causes of hypertension, and many people are prescribed antidepressant each year. Hence, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and alprazolam which defined as antidepressant on the BP levels, and to compare the BP levels between the group of users and nonusers. Methods: This randomized clinical trial study was conducted at the Nohom Dey Hospital in the Torbat-e Heydarieh, Iran between December 2011 and March 2012. Participants comprised 101 psychiatric patients with hypertension that randomly separated into users and nonusers of antidepressant. The period of intervention lasted for 3 months. The mean of BP calculated by this formula (systolic BP [SBP] +2 diastolic BP [DBP])/3 which was the main outcome of the study. Results: Users of antidepressant drugs did not have any significant changes in BP levels, except in patients who received SSRIs alone, significant improvement was observed in DBP (P = 0.04) and mean of BP (P = 0.03). While, in nonusers of antidepressant, significant development was observed in DBP, and mean of BP. Comparing the users and nonusers did not show any significant differences in SBP, DBP, and Mean of BP; even, when outcomes were adjusted for risk factors and antihypertensive drugs. Conclusions: Three months treatment with SSRIs and alprazolam did not have any effect on lowering BP level in patients with the psychiatric disorder.