The Association Between Antidepressant Use and Drug-Induced Liver Injury: A Nationwide, Population-Based Case–Control Study in Taiwan

The complex risk factors of liver injury have prevented the establishment of causal relationships. This study aimed to explore the effects of antidepressant class, cumulative days of medication exposure, presence of comorbidities, and the use of confounding drugs on the risk of antidepressant-induced liver injury.

The population-based case–control study sample included individuals registered on the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database between 2000 and 2018. Hospitalized patients with suspected drug-induced liver injury were considered as cases, while control subjects were matched 1:1 by age, gender, and index date (the first observed diagnosis of liver injury). Multivariable regression models were performed to evaluate the association between antidepressants and liver injury.

The findings showed that antidepressant users exhibited a higher risk of liver injury (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12–1.20), particularly those prescribed non-selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (NSRIs; aOR 1.05; 95% CI 1.01–1.10), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs; aOR 1.22; 95% CI 1.16–1.29), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs; aOR 1.18; 95% CI 1.13–1.24), and others (aOR 1.27; 95% CI 1.14–1.42). Moreover, cases exhibited a more significant proportion of antidepressant usage and longer durations of treatment compared with controls. The risk of liver injury was higher in the first 30 days of use across all classes of antidepressants (aOR 1.24; 95% CI 1.18–1.29).

SSRIs or SNRIs are commonly used to treat depression and other psychological disorders, and consideration of their potential effects on the liver is essential.