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Release of serotonin by platelets enhances platelet aggregation at sites of vascular damage. By depleting platelets of serotonin, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) thus impair platelet function. In several observational studies, SSRIs were associated with elevated risk for bleeding, but these studies did not focus specifically on interactions between SSRIs and other antiplatelet drugs.
In this population-based retrospective study, researchers examined data on all 27,000 patients (age, ≥50) in Quebec who were discharged from hospitals after myocardial infarctions between 1997 and 2007. During average follow-up of 3 years, about 4% of patients were hospitalized for bleeding. In analyses adjusted for potential confounders, bleedin…