


Unusual dreams, insomnia and sleep disorders may be linked to beta-blockers.The rate of discontinuing medication use due to depression was not any different for those taking beta-blockers compared to those on other treatments.Despite being the most frequently reported mental health side effect, depression did not occur more frequently during beta-blocker treatment compared to placebo treatment.Results from the comprehensive analysis revealed: Nearly 70% of the studies were clinical trials focused on high blood pressure treatment, and 31 assessed depression in placebo-controlled trials. The researchers analyzed data for more than 50,000 individuals from 258 studies including beta-blockers in double-blind, randomized controlled trials. The study is the first of its kind to examine the entire spectrum of mental health side effects in relation to beta-blockers. “So, our results showing beta-blockers are not the cause of so many of these negative side effects are quite consequential.” “The possible mental health side effects of beta-blockers have been the subject of discussion in the scientific community for many decades,” says Reinhold Kreutz, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at the Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology and the study’s supervising and corresponding author. Researchers have suspected beta-blockers of having negative psychological side effects, including depression, anxiety, drowsiness, insomnia, hallucinations and nightmares. They are a common treatment for cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure, arrhythmias, chest pains and high blood pressure.

While depression may occur during beta-blocker therapy, the research suggests beta-blockers are not the likely cause.īeta-blockers are a class of medications that reduce the heart rate, the heart's workload and the heart's output of blood, which, together, lower blood pressure. ET Monday, March 15, 2021ĭALLAS, MaBeta-blockers treat various cardiovascular diseases and were not more likely to cause depression compared to other similar treatments, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal. Sleep disorders, including insomnia and unusual dreams, may affect some patients taking beta-blockers.Įmbargoed until 4 a.m.

