Canadian Researchers Find Antidepressant Dangers May Include an Increase Risk of Bone Fracture

New York defective drug attorneys at Levy Phillips & Konigsberg, LLP, have law offices in New York and New Jersey. Consumer product liability can be very difficult, but the defective drug attorneys from LPK, have consistently won complex litigations with large settlements and precedent-setting verdicts. Our experienced team provides aggressive representation for SSRI victims and their families.

The results from an article regarding antidepressant dangers, entitled "Effect of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors on the Risk of Fracture,” which was published in the January 22, 2007, issue the Archives of Internal Medicine; Canadian researchers report that people over the age of fifty, who are currently taking antidepressants, may be twice as likely to develop bone fractures.

The study, which was sponsored by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research along with a group of osteoporosis drug manufacturers, monitored 5,008 Canadians over the age of fifty for five years. 137 patients in the group—with an average age was 65— were on antidepressant medication in the form of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s). Researchers recorded that 13.5 percent of the people on antidepressants developed bone fractures as opposed to 6.5 percent of those who were not on SSRI’s.

Among those who developed fractures, the most common forms of injury were broken ankles, ribs, forearms, feet, and hips.

According to one of the principal investigators of the study, Dr. David Goltzman, an endocrinologist at McGill University, animal studies suggest that dangers of antidepressants may include a decrease in the strength and size of bones by having an adverse effect on bone cells.

Dr. Goltzman cautions patients who are suffering from depression against forsaking antidepressants for fear developing bone fractures. “If patients need these drugs, they should not be advised against taking them because of the fracture risk. They should however be warned about the risk.”

To view a more comprehensive summary of this article on antidepressant dangers and risk of fractures that was posted on Medpagetoday.com, please click here.

While the Canadian study did not specify which antidepressants the patients were on, popular SSRI drugs include: Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft. If you are concerned whether or not you have a potential consumer product liability case because of the results from the Canadian researchers report, please contact the New York defective drug attorneys of Levy Phillips & Konigsberg, LLP.