AUTHOR=Isokuortti Harri , Iverson Grant L. , Posti Jussi P. , Ruuskanen Jori O. , Brander Antti , Kataja Anneli , Nikula Milaja , Öhman Juha , Luoto Teemu M. TITLE=Serotonergic Antidepressants and Risk for Traumatic Intracranial Bleeding JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2021.758707 DOI=10.3389/fneur.2021.758707 ISSN=1664-2295 ABSTRACT=Background: Serotonergic antidepressants may predispose to bleeding but the effect on traumatic intracranial bleeding is unknown. Methods: The rate of intracranial bleeding in patients with antidepressant medication was compared to patients not antidepressants in a cohort of patients with acute head injury. This association was examined by using a consecutive cohort of head trauma patients from a Finnish tertiary center emergency department (Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland). All consecutive (2010-2012) adult patients (n=2,890; median age=58; male=56%, CT-positive=22%, antithrombotic medication users=25%, antidepressant users=10%) who underwent head CT due to head trauma in the emergency department were included. Results: Male gender, GCS<15, older age, and anticoagulation were associated with an increased risk for traumatic intracranial bleeding. There were 17.8% of patients not taking antidepressants and 18.3% of patients on an antidepressant who had traumatic intracranial bleeding (p=0.830). Among patients who were taking antithrombotic medication, 16.6% of the patients not taking antidepressant medication, and 22.5% of the patients taking antidepressant medication, had bleeding (p=0.239). In a regression analysis, traumatic intracranial hemorrhage was not associated with antidepressant use. Conclusions: Serotonergic antidepressant use was not associated with an increased risk of traumatic intracranial hemorrhage.