Prevalence of Hyponatremia Among Adult Patients on Antidepressant Medications in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of hyponatremia associated with antidepressant medications. METHODS: It was a cross-sectional observational study conducted for a duration of two months. Patients visiting the psychiatry department and fulfilling the inclusion criteria were recruited into the study after explaining the study and obtaining their written informed consent. Patient data was collected in a case report form and compiled on Microsoft Excel sheets (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA, USA). Patients displaying abnormal electrolyte levels were studied closely for association between the class of antidepressants prescribed to them, the individual drugs, the gender of the patient, and any concomitant medical illness or medications. Possible associations and correlations were documented. RESULTS: In our study sample, we observed that some patients taking the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class of antidepressant drugs displayed hyponatremia. Also, hyponatremia was seen only in the female patients of our study and not in the male patients. No association could be established with concomitant medical diseases or medications for developing hyponatremia in patients taking antidepressant drugs possibly due to the small sample size. Prevalence of hyponatremia was 2.65% with 95% CI in patients taking any antidepressant medication, while it was 3.5% in patients taking drugs of the SSRI class. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that more detailed and larger studies are required to establish an association between hyponatremia and antidepressant drugs, especially with SSRIs. Going forward, we suggest monitoring of serum sodium levels in patients who are prescribed antidepressant drugs.