Antidepressants can pose some substantial risks to aging patients
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While I noted here last week that antidepressants have been deemed safe for use by expecting mothers, they can pose some substantial risks to aging patients. Canadian researchers have noted that individuals over the age of 50 who took commonly prescribed antidepressants like Zoloft and Prozac had double the risk of broken bones.
This news certainly isn’t a reason to stop taking the medications, but it definitely seems like a reason for prescription companies and government researchers to look more closely at this problem. The question that popped into my head is whether or not it is the drugs, or whether it is the depression. Afterall, depression has also been found to cause thinness in bones.
Pfizer, a manufacturer of antidepressant medications, notes that “the risks must be balanced against the benefits gained by treatment.” I agree. I would much prefer to break a bone while enjoying myself and my life, than wallowing in the darkness of depression and still experiencing that same fracture. Ciest la Vie!
Tags:Mental Health