The risk of a blood pressure increase during treatment with selected psychotropic drugs

Arterial hypertension is the most common cardiovascular risk factor in the general population. Increased mortality from arterial hypertension affects all ethnicities and ages, including those with mental disorders. Most people with arterial hypertension suffer from the primary form of the disease. The aim of this article was to analyze the influence of psychiatric drugs on blood pressure. The articles for analysis were selected via the PubMed search engine in the Medline database using the names of individual drugs or a group of psychotropic drugs, the AND operator and the words “hypertension” or “blood pressure” or “cardiovascular system”. The articles were then selected and 44 references were selected for analysis. Selected articles were archived on April 9, 2021. Many medications with the potential to increase blood pressure are used to treat mental illness. These include venlafaxine, milnacipran, bupropion, esketamine, 1st and 2nd generation antipsychotics, tricyclic antidepressants and psychostimulants. In patients using psychotropic drugs that may increase blood pressure, attention should be paid to monitoring it during treatment.