A group of scientists at St. Michael’s Hospital wanted to understand how some common blood pressure medicines might affect a person’s mental health.
They focused on two types of drugs: ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers) and ACE inhibitors. These medicines are often given to people with high blood pressure, heart problems, kidney disease, or diabetes.
Both ARBs and ACE inhibitors work with a hormone in the body called angiotensin II. This hormone usually makes blood vessels tighter, which raises blood pressure. ARBs stop the hormone from working properly, so the blood vessels stay relaxed. ACE inhibitors go a bit further by reducing how much of the hormone the body makes.
The scientists wanted to know if these drugs could affect people’s emotions or mental health in serious ways. They were especially interested in whether people taking these medicines might feel so sad or hopeless that they would think about or attempt suicide.
To find out, they studied health records from Canada. They looked at 964 people who had died by suicide within 100 days of being prescribed either an ARB or an ACE inhibitor. Then they compared these people with others who were also taking these medicines but had not harmed themselves.
What they found was surprising and concerning. People taking ARBs were more likely to die by suicide compared to those taking ACE inhibitors. In fact, the risk was 63% higher for those using ARBs. That’s a big difference.
One possible reason for this could be that ARBs might increase levels of angiotensin II in the brain. Scientists believe this hormone could be linked to how people feel emotionally, and higher levels might lead to deep sadness or suicidal thoughts.
However, there were other factors that could also play a role. Some of the people in the study were already taking medicines for depression or anxiety, which means they might have had mental health issues before starting the blood pressure medicine.
The researchers were careful to say that their findings don’t prove that ARBs cause suicidal thoughts. More research is needed to understand the full picture. But based on what they found, they suggested that doctors might want to consider prescribing ACE inhibitors instead of ARBs, just to be on the safer side.
This study was led by Muhammad Mamdani from the Applied Health Research Center and was published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open. It’s an important reminder that medications can affect more than just physical health—they can impact mental well-being too.
By learning more about how different medicines affect our bodies and minds, doctors can make better choices to keep people safe and healthy.
If you care about mental health, please read studies about Middle-aged women with no kids may have this mental issue and findings of scientists find a cause of mental illnesses induced by childhood abuse.
For more information about mental health, please read studies about Cannabis use disorder linked to increased risk of these mental diseases and findings of Some mental health drugs can cause rapid weight gain.
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