Antidepressants may up fracture risks.Adults ages 50 and older who take antidepressants Antidepressants Medications prescribed to relieve major depression. Classes of antidepressants include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (fluoxetine/Prozac, sertraline/Zoloft), tricyclics (amitriptyline/ Elavil), MAOIs (phenelzine/Nardil), and heterocyclics known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors Definition Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are medicines that relieve symptoms of depression. Purpose to treat depression could be doubling their risk for bone fractures, according to a study in the Jan. 22 Archives of Internal Medicine The Archives of Internal Medicine is a bi-monthly international peer-reviewed professional medical journal published by the American Medical Association. Archives of Internal Medicine . The study, based on 137 adults taking antidepressants, found those who took the medication daily had a two-fold increased risk of "clinical fragility fracture." Daily antidepressant antidepressant, any of a wide range of drugs used to treat psychic depression. They are given to elevate mood, counter suicidal thoughts, and increase the effectiveness of psychotherapy. use was also linked to increased odds of falling, lower bone mineral density bone mineral density n. See bone density. bone mineral density A measurement of bone mass, expressed as the amount of mineral–in grams divided by the area scanned in cm2. See Bone densitometry. at the hip and a trend toward lower bone mineral density at the spine. The results were similar for those who had recently begun taking antidepressants and during a five-year follow-up period. Both depression and fracture due to brittle bones become more common after age 50, and the authors said the elevated risk of fractures linked to antidepressant use "may have important public health consequences." They urged more study into the issue to confirm the study's findings. |
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