Effect of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation on multiple atherosclerotic risk factors in patients taking antidepressant medication.

Antidepressants might increase compliance with cardiovascular disease risk reduction interventions. However, antidepressants have been linked to deleterious metabolic effects. In the present multicenter study, we sought to determine whether patients who take antidepressants derive the expected benefits from cardiac rehabilitation in terms of improvements in multiple atherosclerotic risk factors. A cohort of 26,957 patients who had completed a baseline assessment before participating in an exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation program constituted the study population. The patients were stratified into 3 cohorts (i.e., nondepressed, depressed unmedicated, and depressed medicated) at baseline according to a self-reported history of depression and the current use of antidepressants. Risk factors were assessed at baseline and after ∼12 weeks of program participation. A self-reported history of depression was present at baseline in 5,172 patients (19.2%). Of these patients, 2,147 (41.5%) were taking antidepressants. Patients in the nondepressed cohort (49.4% completion) were more likely (p <0.001) to complete the exit assessment than patients in the depressed unmedicated (44.5% completion) or depressed medicated (43.5% completion) cohorts. Patients in all 3 cohorts who completed the exit assessment showed significant improvement in multiple risk factors. Moreover, the magnitude of improvement in blood pressure, serum lipids and lipoproteins, fasting glucose, weight, and body mass index was similar (p >0.05) in patients taking antidepressants and those who were not. In conclusion, our study is the first to show that antidepressants do not offset the average magnitude of improvement in multiple atherosclerotic risk factors that occurs with completion of a cardiac rehabilitation program.