Balancing the benefits and the risks of a medication is essential to deciding whether or not to take it. This can be difficult, however. Sometimes we don’t learn about serious side effects until after people have been taking the drug for some time. Could you be weakening your bones by taking an SSRI antidepressant?
New Research on Osteoporosis:
Q. Could osteoporosis be a side effect of antidepressants? I have taken antidepressants for years and I am concerned about my bones.
A. Recent research from Finland shows that older people taking antidepressants are about twice as likely to break a hip (International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, online Jan. 5, 2017). A previous study had also found that older adults on an antidepressant are more prone to hip fractures (Osteoporosis International, March 2014). The epidemiological data do not show whether bones are weaker or whether people taking antidepressants are more prone to fall.
A study in mice, however, suggests that fluoxetine (Prozac) may contribute to osteoporosis by interfering with bone biology (Nature Medicine, Oct. 2016). As a result, doctors should periodically review an older patient’s continued need for an antidepressant.
You may want to talk to your doctor about the new research. Never stop an antidepressant without medical supervision. Stopping too suddenly could trigger unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Instead, ask the physician whether deprescribing the antidepressant would be appropriate.
