Risk of suicide among users of calcium channel blockers: population based, nested case-control study

Estimate of relative risk (95% CI) No (%) of cases (n=38) No (%) of controls (n=140) Crude Adjusted Taking other antihypertensive drugs [dagger] 29 (76) 107 (76) 1.0 1.0 Taking calcium channel blockers 9 (24) 33 (24) 1.01 (0.41 to 2.49) 0.98 (0.30 to 3.18) Body mass index: - - - - =25 13 (34) 64 (46) 0.50 (0.20 to 1.22) 0.33 (0.11 to 0.98) Unknown 14 (37) 51 (36) 0.60 (0.21 to 1.71) 0.67 (0.17 to 2.63) Smoking status: - - - - Non-smoker or former smoker [dagger] 23 (61) 99 (71) 1.0 1.0 Cigarette smoker 7 (18) 14 (10) 2.10 (0.75 to 5.85) 1.30 (0.31 to 5.36) Unknown 8 (21) 27 (19) 1.40 (0.40 to 4.97) 1.30 (0.23 to 7.33) History of mental illness: - - - - No [dagger] 13 (34) 121 (86) 1.0 1.0 Yes 25 (66) 19 (14) 13.04 (4.89 to 34.80) 15.70 (5.37 to 45.80) * Adjusted for all other covariates simultaneously. [dagger] Reference group. Comment We did not find an increased risk of suicide associated with use of calcium channel blockers compared with use of other antihypertensive drugs. Because of the relatively small number of cases and wide confidence intervals, however, we cannot rule out some effect of the drugs on the risk of suicide.