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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
Paxil Causing Valve Defects?
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.
Paxil Causing Valve Defects?
by Kristine__0, Dec 15, 1998 12:00AM
Hello. I recently went to a web site where the topic was taking that new "wonder drug" Phen-Fen (spelling?) for weight loss. Well the article mentioned that this drug had been connected to a valve defect in the heart. I have never taken this drug, but what concerned me, however, was the fact that the article mentioned that when testing the people who had the valve defect they also found that they were taking antidepressants...Prozac etc.
My question is, I currently take 10mg of Paxil daily, could this possibly be harmful to my heart? I am a 26 year old female with two children. The article didnt' really go into a whole lot of detail explaining whether is was the weight loss drug, the antidepressant, or the combination of the two that was being blamed for the problem. I was just curious if this was something that I needed to be concerned about. Thank you for your help. Kristine :)
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Dear Kristine
There is no good evidence that Paxil causes heart valve problems. The weight loss drugs you mentioned have been associated with heart valve damage. The significance of this association is still being worked out.
I hope this is useful. Feel free to write back with further questions. Good luck.
Information provided here is of a general nature. Specific diagnoses and treatments can only be made by your doctor. If you would like to be seen at the Cleveland Clinic, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE for an appointment with a cardiologist at Desk F15.
