Antidepressant medications in women aged 40 and older and the risk of fragility fractures: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Antidepressants and menopause are risk factors which are independently associated with an increased risk of fractures. This review aims to investigate the risk of fragility fractures in women aged 40 and older and prescribed antidepressants.

Methods: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Ovid Embase, Ovid PsychINFO, Web of Science, and Scopus from inception to 1 June 2024. Relevant citations were identified and screened against our inclusion/exclusion criteria. The study population comprised women over 40 years. The risk of fragility fractures was compared between users and non-users of antidepressants. Risk of bias assessment was carried out using the ROBINS-I tool. A meta-analysis of cohort studies was performed to assess fracture risk associated with prescribing of any antidepressant agents, and SSRIs specifically.

Results: Of the 3,676 articles retrieved, five observational studies were found eligible for inclusion (n = 1,240,354). In a meta-analysis of 4 studies, an increased risk of fractures in women was associated with the prescribing of antidepressants (HR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.15-2.28; I² = 96.50%) and SSRIs in particular (HR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.20-1.55; I² = 40.32%).

Conclusions: Findings from this review suggest that prescribing of antidepressants is associated with an increased risk of fractures in women aged 40 and older. Substantial heterogeneity between studies may have affected the results of the meta-analysis.