Are antidepressants safe for postmenopause?

by Anon
(UK)

My doctor wants to give me antidepressants - are they safe? I'm 61.

Elizabeth's reply:

A new study reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that postmenopausal women on antidepressants were 45% more likely to have a stroke than women who were not taking these medicines. If your depression is mild or moderate you could consider other ways of handling it before taking the antidepressant route - see how to deal with depression.