SSRI Side Effects May Include Higher Risk of Osteoporosis & Bone Fracture

People over fifty, who take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants, may suffer SSRI side effects, such as osteoporosis and bone fracture, according to a recent study.

In its January 22, 2007, issue, the Archives of Internal Medicine, an international peer-reviewed professional medical journal published twice a month by the American Medical Association, published an article about selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) side effects, entitled "Effect of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors on the Risk of Fracture," according to which Canadian researchers found that people over the age of fifty, who are currently taking antidepressants, may be twice as likely to develop osteoporosis and bone fracture.

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 of 65 - were on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants. Researchers recorded that 13.5 percent of the people on SSRI antidepressants developed bone fractures as opposed to 6.5 percent of those who were not on SSRIs. Among those who developed bone 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 SSRI side effects 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 their SSRI 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."

While the Canadian study did not specify which SSRI antidepressants the patients were on, popular SSRI brands include Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft.

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