Starting Atypical Antipsychotics Increases Falls, Fractures

Receiving a new prescription for an atypical antipsychotic medicine was associated with more serious falls and more fractures in a new retrospective cohort study.

Adults ages 65 and older who received a new prescription had a 53% increased risk of falling and a 50% increased risk of nonvertebral osteoporotic fracture, found the study. It was published as a research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine on Jan. 13, 2015, and was led by Lisa-Ann Fraser, MD, from the University of Western Ontario in Canada.

“These findings call into question the widespread off-label use of atypical antipsychotic medications and support increasing evidence of safety concerns regarding their use in older adults,” Fraser and colleagues wrote.

Starting Atypical Antipsychotics Increases Falls, Fractures

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