Antipsychotic drugs may raise sudden cardiac death risk: Study

The use of the antipsychotic drugs, quetiapine and haloperidol, is associated with an increased risk of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD) caused by a drug-induced heart rhythm disorder, according to a study. In the study, published in the journal Heart Rhythm, researchers advised caution to manage cardiac risks in patients prescribed these medications. The risks of cardiac conditions associated with the use of antipsychotics have been a concern for the last 30 years. Drugs have previously been either removed from the market or had their use restricted due to an unacceptably high risk of lethal ventricular arrhythmias. Drug-induced cardiac arrhythmias, however, remain an important clinical issue because there are drugs that increase the risk of SCD, but they remain in the market because they serve an important clinical need, and there are no safer alternatives.