Daily Antidepressants Linked to Increased Fracture Risk

Ivanhoe Newswire
Tuesday, January 23, 2007; 12:00 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Taking an antidepressant every day may increase the risk of fractures in older adults.

New research from Canada reveals antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can double the risk of some fractures in adults age 50 and older.

Researchers looked at the relationship between taking SSRIs, bone mineral density and falls in 5,008 adults 50 years and older. Investigators followed the participants for more than five years.

Results reveal daily SSRI use doubled the risk of fractures in the forearm, ankle and foot, hip, femur and back.

At the beginning of the study, researchers linked taking a daily SSRI to an increased risk of falling depending on how much a patient took. Doubling the daily dose of SSRIs increased the odds of falling 1.5-fold during the previous month. It was also linked with a lower bone mineral density at the hip and spine.

"Our results suggest that bone mineral density and falls may be affected adversely by daily SSRI use, but that fracture rates remain elevated despite adjustment for these two risk factors, indicating that other pathways, such as impaired bone quality leading to reduced bone strength, may be of particular relevance,"  the authors conclude. " In light of the high rate of SSRI use among the general population, and among elderly persons in particular, further studies that include controlled prospective trials are needed to confirm our findings."

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SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2007;167:188-194