Research from Holland indicates that new SSRI-type depression drugs can increase the risks of a dementia patient from suffering a fall.
Previous research has also indicated that older drugs used to treat depression have a similar effect. The scientists from Rotterdam were hoping that the new drugs wouldn’t have the same drawbacks.
Dementia patients often suffer from depression as well. Selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are often prescribed to treat the patients. However, the researchers are now warning that medical professionals need to consider the risks before deciding to administer antidepressants.
Suffering a fall is one of the main causes of accidental death for people over the age of 65.
The two year long research involve nearly 250 patients in nursing homes, with an average age of over 80. Over a fifth of them experienced a total of nearly 700 falls, some resulting in a range of injuries, and one patient died as a result. The research indicated that those patient taking SSRIs were three times more likely to suffer a fall than those who weren’t.
A spokesperson from the Alzheimer’s Society indicated that the results were worrying. They added: “More research is now needed to understand why this anti-depressant is having this effect on people with dementia and if there is an alternative treatment for depression that they could be prescribed. One in three people over 65 will die with dementia yet research into the condition continues to be drastically underfunded. We must invest now.”
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