With venlafaxine and venlafaxine extended release (XR), patients' pulse rates increased by an average of 4 bpm (beats per minute); with placebo, the average increase was 1 bpm. Heart attacks occurred in at least 2 percent of patients taking venlafaxine XR.
Venlafaxine should be used with caution, particularly in dosages higher than 200 mg/d, patients with elevated pulse rates, and medical conditions causing elevated pulse rates. The effect of venlafaxine in cardiac morbidity and mortality is a complex and controversial issue.
In patients without preexisting cardiac disease, venlafaxine has few cardiovascular effects and no effects on ECGs.
Specific case studies also describe cardiac morbidity associated with the administration of venlafaxine. Venlafaxine was strongly related and attributed to two cases of heart failure and interstitial pneumonia.
Physicians should obtain baseline blood pressure readings and check blood pressure regularly in patients taking any form of venlafaxine, particularly in those taking 225 mg/d or more. Increased blood pressure occurs most commonly within the first two months of stabilization with venlafaxine.
Source: http://www.abkhazia.com/content/view/526/67/
