Association of antidepressants with recurrent, injurious and unexplained falls is not explained by reduced gait speed

Prescription of antidepressants is common among older adults, not just in the treatment of depression but also anxiety, panic disorder, neuropathic pain and urinary incontinence.1 Based on a Eurobarometer survey carried out in 27 European countries, 9.5% of adults aged 55 and over reported antidepressant use in the past year2 while Mars et al3 showed that antidepressant prescribing in the UK increased between 1995 and 2011, particularly in adults aged 46 and over. In older adults, antidepressant use has been associated with an increased likelihood of adverse outcomes such as cardiovascular events, hyponatremia, falls and fractures possibly due to an increase in co-morbidities, polypharmacy and age-related pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes.
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Tags: Regular Research Article Source Type: research