Warning: Antidepressants Double Fracture Risks in Older Patients

Health professionals prescribing antidepressants to older adults should be on the alert: Daily use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Paxil or Prozac has been found to double the risk of fractures in osteoporatic patients, report McGill University researchers in the most recent issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

More than 5000 men and women age 50 and older, 137 of which were taking SSRIs on a daily basis, were studied for five years. Researchers found that SSRI use was associated with diminished bone density at the hip and spine, increased risks of falling and a substantially increased risk of minimal trauma fractures.

With approximately 10 percent of older adults suffering from depression and 55 percent of adults over age 50 at risk for osteoporosis, doctors are being asked to balance the risk of fracture against the benefits of antidepressant treatment.

ABSTRACT: Effect of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors on the Risk of Fracture