Hazard ratios for six adverse outcomes (all cause mortality, attempted suicide/self harm, myocardial infarction, stroke/transient ischaemic attack, falls, and fractures) by antidepressant class, unadjusted and adjusted for confounders
| Antidepressant class | No of events* | Hazard ratio (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unadjusted | Adjusted† | ||
| All cause mortality | |||
| Not taking antidepressants | 8210 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Tricyclic antidepressants | 2337 | 0.99 (0.95 to 1.04) | 1.16 (1.10 to 1.22) |
| Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors | 5782 | 1.61 (1.55 to 1.66) | 1.54 (1.48 to 1.59) |
| Other antidepressants | 1268 | 1.77 (1.66 to 1.87) | 1.66 (1.56 to 1.77) |
| Total events/total patients | 17 597/60 640 | ||
| Attempted suicide/self harm | |||
| Not taking antidepressants | 150 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Tricyclic antidepressants | 89 | 1.67 (1.27 to 2.18) | 1.70 (1.28 to 2.25) |
| Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors | 178 | 2.22 (1.77 to 2.78) | 2.16 (1.71 to 2.71) |
| Other antidepressants | 79 | 5.80 (4.41 to 7.63) | 5.16 (3.90 to 6.83) |
| Total events/total patients | 496/59 536 | ||
| Myocardial infarction | |||
| Not taking antidepressants | 1264 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Tricyclic antidepressants | 362 | 1.02 (0.91 to 1.15) | 1.09 (0.96 to 1.23) |
| Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors | 614 | 1.16 (1.05 to 1.27) | 1.15 (1.04 to 1.27) |
| Other antidepressants | 110 | 1.01 (0.83 to 1.23) | 1.04 (0.85 to 1.27) |
| Total events/total patients | 2350/56 428 | ||
| Stroke/transient ischaemic attack | |||
| Not taking antidepressants | 2811 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Tricyclic antidepressants | 791 | 1.01 (0.93 to 1.10) | 1.02 (0.93 to 1.11) |
| Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors | 1384 | 1.19 (1.12 to 1.27) | 1.17 (1.10 to 1.26) |
| Other antidepressants | 317 | 1.35 (1.21 to 1.52) | 1.37 (1.22 to 1.55) |
| Total events/total patients | 5303/54 198 | ||
| Falls | |||
| Not taking antidepressants | 5208 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Tricyclic antidepressants | 1704 | 1.20 (1.14 to 1.27) | 1.30 (1.23 to 1.38) |
| Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors | 3575 | 1.71 (1.64 to 1.79) | 1.66 (1.58 to 1.73) |
| Other antidepressants | 631 | 1.45 (1.34 to 1.58) | 1.39 (1.28 to 1.52) |
| Total events/total patients | 11 118/55 669 | ||
| Fracture | |||
| Not taking antidepressants | 2507 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| Tricyclic antidepressants | 809 | 1.23 (1.13 to 1.33) | 1.26 (1.16 to 1.37) |
| Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors | 1597 | 1.61 (1.51 to 1.72) | 1.58 (1.48 to 1.68) |
| Other antidepressants | 341 | 1.64 (1.46 to 1.84) | 1.64 (1.46 to 1.84) |
| Total events/total patients | 5254/52 814 | ||
*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, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, hypothyroidism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, epilepsy/seizures, statins, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antipsychotics, lithium, aspirin, antihypertensive drugs, anticonvulsant drugs, and hypnotics/anxiolytics; all outcomes except stroke/transient ischaemic attack also adjusted for stroke/transient ischaemic attack at baseline; fracture outcome also adjusted for falls at baseline.