SSRIs may be Bad for the Bones
June 26, 2007
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — A common form of antidepressants may lead to weaker bones among older men and women.
The link was seen in two new studies, and researchers believe the connection may lie in the medication’s role in inhibiting the protein that transports serotonin. The protein is known to play a role in depression and sleep. Now, studies also show it can occur in the bone as well, where researchers speculate inhibiting it could interfere with cells responsible for breaking down and rebuilding bone.
The first study was conducted by researchers from the University of Minnesota in about 2,700 women who were taking either SSRIs, another type of antidepressant known as tricyclics, or no antidepressants at all. Women taking SSRIs had lower bone mineral density of the hip than women taking tricyclics or no antidepressants.
Similar results were seen in the second study, which involved nearly 6,000 men, including those taking SSRIs, tricyclics, another antidepressant called trazodone, or no antidepressants. Researchers from the Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland found men taking SSRIs had lower bone mineral density than all the other groups.
Statistics show SSRIs are the most prevalent type of antidepressants used today, accounting for about 62 percent of all prescriptions for these types of drugs. They are often prescribed for older people, who are also at risk for bone loss.
“Because SSRI use is prevalent in the general population, our findings have a potentially important public health impact,” write the authors of the second study. “If confirmed, people using SSRIs might be targeted for osteoporosis screening and preventive intervention.”
A fellow researcher writing in an accompanying editorial agrees, noting many good medications exist to prevent and/or treat osteoporosis. For some people, reports Kenneth Saag, M.D., M.Sc., from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, that might be better than foregoing needed medication to treat depression.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2007;167:1240-1245, 1246-1251, 1231-1232