Three newer drugs often prescribed to the elderly for dementia and depression increase their risk of bone-breaking falls by about 50 percent, a new study finds.

 

The newer drugs – quetiapine (Seroquel), risperidone (Risperdal), and olanzapine (Zyprexa) – were developed for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. They are associated with sedation, walking abnormalities, dizziness, lightheadedness, and fainting, all that can increase falling risk, the researchers noted.

 

After reviewing the records of nearly 200,000 people, they found that those who received a prescription for one of these drugs were at a 52 percent greater risk of suffering a serious fall and 50 percent risk of bone fracture within the following three months.

 

This finding held true no matter which of the three drugs was used, the dosage, or whether the person lived in long-term care facility or in their own home.

However, the research did not compare the newer drugs with older, more conventional ones or take into account other possible reasons for the results, the researchers wrote in the study, which was published in JAMA Internal Medicine.