SSRIs May Cause Increased Bone Loss

Filed in archive Treatment on June 28, 2007

Speaking of bone health: certain antidepressant drugs - selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) - may cause increased bone loss in older adults.

SSRIs, are used to treat depression by inhibiting the protein that transports serotonin -- a neurotransmitter involved in sleep and depression. Since serotonin has also been discovered in bone, it raises the possibility SSRIs may affect bone density and the risk of fracture.

Such findings were the result of a University of Minnesota study that involved 2,722 older women -- average age 78.5 years and a counterpart study of colleagues at the Oregon Health and Sciences University which involved 5,995 men, aged 65 and older.

Findings of both studies appear in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

What could this suggest? Another class of antidepressant drugs to use? Or treat bone loss while on SSRIs?

Also read this nice editorial from the Archives of Internal Medicine: Mend the Mind, but Mind the Bones!: Balancing Benefits and Potential Skeletal Risks of Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors.

Find more details from the full report.