Quote Originally Posted by owainm View Post
I'm worried now that I may have or will get heart damage from my meds. Plus the fact I'm likely to be on them for life has got me scared.
SSRIs have been in use for 33 years with hundreds of millions having taken them, some continually for much of that time. If this was a significant issue it would have become apparent in the clinical setting. It hasn't as far as I know. Indeed, SSRIs are often prescribed to heart attack and stroke survivors by cardiologists to treat the anxiety and/or depression which often follows.

Your biggest risk factor isn't the med you're taking, but the disorder/s it is treating. Anxiety/depression/stress is by far the leading cause of premature death as they raise the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers and other conditions which shorten lives. You can greatly reduce your risk by eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and having at least annual medical check ups, including an ECG/EKG.

This study https://www.bmj.com/content/352/bmj.i1350 seems to state the opposite to the new one (the new one does cite it but says its is flawed? I don't understand how?
Both are based on general patient data bases, not data specifically about ADs, or anxiety and depression. The data had to be significantly 'massaged' by algorithms developed by each of the study authors to eliminate confounding causes. The authors of the more recent paper claim the authors of the first didn't take into account all the factors they consider relevant so the study is flawed. Are they correct? I don't know. This is far from an exact science and there are almost certainly flaws in both. The authors of the recent study admit as much throughout the paper which is why I urged you to read it in full. They also make it clear that their findings do not prove causation and state more research is needed.

Both studies are interesting, but fall far short of proving SSRIs are either safe, or dangerous.