Cardio-Pshyco-Pharmacology: A Review

Abstract

Cardiovascular and psychiatric diseases are leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Cardiovascular adverse events related to psychopharmacology have been well-known for decades. They increase the cardio-metabolic risk factor profile. Obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), and dyslipidemia are highly prevalent among patients with psychiatric disorders. Clozapine and olanzapine are known to cause severe hypertriglyceridemia. Drugs, such as aripiprazole, clozapine, olanzapine, and ziprasidone, increase the prevalence of hypertension, and atypical antipsychotics are known to cause orthostatic hypotension. The most common and popular arrhythmia, Torsades de pointes, due to QT prolongation, is a known side effect of typical and atypical antipsychotics. Sudden deaths, myocarditis, and cardiomyopathies are other common cardiac side effects of psycopharmacotherapy. Thus, pharmacovigilance is more important for both psychiatrists and cardiologists/physicians when evaluating patients with these common presentations and not to miss the etiological agents.