This common heart drug may be unnecessary, lead to depression in some patients: Study

Beta-blockers are drugs that block the effects of adrenaline on the heart and have been used for decades as a basic treatment for all heart attack patients. This includes patients whose heart has a normal pumping function even after the attack, that is people who do not suffer from heart failure.

However, a new study by researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden showed no significant benefits of the medication in such a group of people. In addition, it led to an increased risk of depression among the patients.

"We found that beta blockers led to slightly higher levels of depression symptoms in patients who had had a heart attack but were not suffering from heart failure," said Philip Leissner, a doctoral student in cardiac psychology.

Leissner also noted that "beta blockers have no life-sustaining function for this group of patients" and patients are "taking it unnecessarily".

In the study, published in the European Heart Journal, the team explored potential side effects like anxiety and depression of beta blockers.

This is because older research and clinical experience suggest that beta blockers are linked to negative side effects such as depression, difficulty sleeping, and nightmares.

Earlier this year, a major Sweden study, published in the NEJM, found that beta-blocking drugs did not protect from relapse of heart attack or death.

Based on the findings, Leissner's team conducted a sub-study involving 806 patients who had had a heart attack but had no problems with heart failure from 2018 to 2023.

The researchers found that about 100 of the patients had been taking beta blockers since before the study. These patients presented with more severe symptoms of depression.

In light of the findings, Leissner urged doctors to "reconsider" giving "beta blockers to patients without heart failure, as the evidence in favour of doing so is no longer so strong".