According to an article published in the April 2013 issue of the journal Internal Medicine, patients on SSRI antidepressants at the time of surgery have a 20% increased mortality, 9% increased risk for bleeding, and 22% increased risk for readmission within a month of discharge from the hospital! This was based on a review of 530,000 surgical patients from 2006-8. SSRIs such as Celexa, Lexapro, Prozac, Luvox, Paxil, and Zoloft, interfere with platelet function that can interfere with blood coagulation.
Common side effects of SSRIs include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, insomnia, impotence, suicidal ideation, mania and much more. They interfere with the toxicity of Coumadin, digitalis, antiarrhythmic drugs, tricyclic antidepressants, triptans, benzodiazepines, and dilantin. SSRIs toxicity is increased by alcohol, diuretics, Sudafed, lithium, Meridia, Ambien, Tramadol, and St. Johns Wort.
For a family of drugs that is no more effective for placebo for mild to moderate depression it should make you wonder why they are used most of the time!
