SSRI

  I have been taking an SSRI (paroxetine)for18 months, and yesterday collapsed with atrial fibrillation and was admitted to coronary care overnight. Is there any evidence that this class of drug can precipitate AF, in an otherwise healthy 45year old heart? Thanks for any comments.

[CCF CARDIO MD APS]

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Dear Geoff,
I apologized greatly for the delay in answering your question.
Although there are many potential drug interactions with SSRIs, there is no
reported cases of it causing atrial fibrillation.
I hope that you have had a full investigation in to potential cause of your a.fib. such as an echocardiogram, full history and physical, thyroid testing, etc.  Keep in mind Geoff that, just because it has never been reported, it does not mean there is no way that the SSRI you were on did not contribute to your a.fib. I just wanted to make the point that anything is possible as a side effect of a drug and when there are options (other drugs you can try) you should consider them as well as all the potential causes of your arrhythmia.
I hope this information is useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for
general purposes only.  Only your physician can provided specific diagnoses and therapies.
Feel free to write back with further questions. Good luck!
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please
call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at
www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the
cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your
cardiac problem.