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2007-9-3 23:13:36 |
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anti-depressant medication or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are at an increased risk of suffering bony fractures, according to a Canadian study. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Prozac and Paxil are popular anti-depressant medications. They are known to alleviate the blues, but concerns about their adverse impact on bone mineral density (BMD) have been aired previously as well. The present study adds to evidence that these drugs increase the risk of bony fractures in older adults. The researchers from McGill University Health Center (MUHC) selected around 5,008 people from the Canadian MultiCentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMOS) for this evaluation. Among them 137 people took anti-depressants on a regular basis. At the beginning of the study, the researchers measured the BMD at hip and at the lower spine. The participants were followed for five years during which they answered a yearly questionnaire on SSRI use sent by the researchers. At the end of five years, the researchers found that regular SSRI users were twice as likely to suffer from fractures of the forearm or the ankle and foot. Other areas like rib, femur, hip and back were less vulnerable to fractures. However researchers also found that the BMD at the hip was decreased by 4 percent in regular anti-depressant users. There was also a 2.4 percent reduction at the lower back area. "Patients should not be told not to take SSRIs if they need them for depression," said lead researcher Dr. David Goltzman, a professor of medicine and physiology and director of the McGill Centre for Bone and Periodontal Research. "But this is a new risk that has been identified, and patients should take general steps to prevent osteoporosis. And they should have a bone density measurement before starting SSRIs and periodically after that," he added. The study is published in the Jan. 22 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Depression is a very common condition in America with 10 percent of the elderly population suffering from it. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly prescribed to such patients. But this side effect is likely to be dangerous and hence patients as well as doctors must be aware of it. One such study by Schneeweiss S and Wang PS published n the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology in December 2004 found a significant association between SSRI use and hip fractures. That study had used data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. It is suggested that the mechanism through which SSRIs increase the incidence of falls involves orthostatic hypotension, arrhythmias, sedation and confusion, according to a study by Pacher P and Ungvari Z published in the October 2001 issue of Medical Hypotheses. Whatever the reason, it is important that SSRI users be aware of these adverse effects and take requisite measures to prevent them. |
