Increased Bleeding Risk Associated with SSRIs and Venlafaxine

Recent retrospective data suggest that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) use increases the risk for upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB; JW Gastroenterol Jul 10 2006), an effect that could be caused by serotonin depletion in platelets. Given the widespread use of SSRIs and selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), even a small increase in bleeding risk could have a substantial effect on the incidence of bleeding.

To test the association between serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) and UGIB, investigators performed a nested case-control study using data from a national U.K. clinical database for the years 2002 through 2005. They identified 1321 patients who presented with UGIB and 10,000 controls matche…