Cardiovascular side effects of neuropsychiatric medication: an update

Neuropsychiatric diseases have a rising incidence and cause a significantly higher risk of morbidity and premature mortality in the general population. Also, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are characterized by the highest prevalence in the population and are a major cause of early morbidity, especially through the occurrence of coronary ischemic events. Recently, it has been demonstrated the involvement of neuropsychiatric diseases in the aetiology of CVDs. On the one hand, the treatment of these diseases can improve the prognosis of CVD, but on the other hand iatrogenesis may play a very important role in their determinism. Administrating neuropsychiatric medication (NPM) can be very challenging for patients with CVD because of their cardiovascular side effects (CVSEs). NPM and CVDs have a double edged-sword relationship. The purpose of this review is to present the link between the treatment with antidepressants and antipsychotics and the cardiovascular system, and to summarize the current information of the various CVSEs of NPM.