Study: Antidepressants may cause bone loss

Minneapolis -- U.S. studies suggest certain antidepressant drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may cause increased bone loss in older men and women.

The medications, known as 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.

SSRIs account for about 62 percent of antidepressant prescriptions in the United States.

Dr. Susan Diem and colleagues at the University of Minnesota studied 2,722 older women -- average age 78.5 years -- and found SSRI use may have a direct deleterious effect on bone loss.

In a related study, Dr. Elizabeth Haney and colleagues at the Oregon Health and Sciences University conducted a similar study with 5,995 men age 65 and older. The researchers also found men using SSRIs suffered from a lower hip bone density than did men who didn't use antidepressants.

Both studies appear in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.