Relation between High Blood Pressure and Antidepressants

Taking antidepressant drugs interfere with many bodily systems. They can also lead to drug interactions. Hence, it is very important to consider a few things before you take antidepressants. And, if you are already suffering from high blood pressure, you must give a second though to the use of anti depressant drugs as they can lead to some health issues. There is a connection between high blood pressure and antidepressant drugs. You need to be extra cautious with the use of antidepressant drugs.

Read further to find the relation between high blood pressure and antidepressant drugs.

There are many drugs, medication, supplements and various other substances that can worsen hypertension. These things also interfere with actions of medicines that you are taking to control your high blood pressure. There are several antidepressant drugs that that can elevate or sometimes exacerbate already existing hypertension in the patients.

Antidepressant drugs are indicated for depression. Any kind of depression, be it mild or major, can be treated with this class of drug. The mode of action of the antidepressant drugs is by altering the levels of certain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin inside the brain as well as in nervous system. Both the chemicals tend to regulate as well as co- ordinate interactions between the various regions of the brain.

Today, the use of antidepressant drugs has reached several notches higher since past few years. Doctors are prescribing antidepressants for various medical conditions and disorders apart for the treatment of depression. Dopamine and serotonin have a major role to play in different parts of the body even outside the nervous system. They also affect the blood vessels and heart. The use of anti- depressant drugs increases the level of both these chemicals inside the body. Dopamine serves as an emergency drug when taken in concentrated amount. It elevated the heart rate as well as blood pressure during surgery. Several times, the blood pressure of the patient goes drastically down. When the blood pressure goes down below 120/ 80 mm hg, the drugs are given. Serotonin has a blood- pressure raising effect. It increases the arterial blood pressure.

The anti- depressant drugs that are known to increase the blood pressure are Buproprion, phenelzine (brand name Nardil), and Venlafaxine (Brand name Effexor). If you combine tri- cyclic antidepressant drugs with catapers (clonidine), it might cause very serious elevations in heart beats and blood pressure. The reason behind this is that tri- cyclic antidepressant drugs block he anti- hypertensive effects of the drug clonidine.

So, if a patient is suffering from high blood pressure, he must be very cautious while taking antidepressant drugs. It is not that he has to keep antidepressants at bay; he can take antidepressant drugs without having to worry about any issue but, he should make some adjustments in the high blood pressure protocol. You should discuss this with your doctor. The physician or doctor will avoid the anti- depressant drugs and tri-cyclic antidepressants that have to be avoided.