A novel study published in the journal Injury Prevention has unveiled that those women who take anti-depressant drugs to curb the symptoms of menopause face increased risk of suffering from bone fractures.

As per the researchers, these women have a 76% increased risk of broken bones. Women take an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) to reduce symptoms of menopause. The study has found that the higher risk seems to continue for many years.

Therefore, the researchers have suggested a shorter period of SSRI treatment. In America, SSRI is the third most common prescribed drug and is taken for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome and symptoms of menopause including hot flushes and night sweats.

For the study, the researchers have assessed data from the PharMetrics Claims Database having detailed information on medical and drug treatment claims made by 61 million patients. The researchers focused on 137,031 women aged between 40 and 64 and with no mental health issues.

They started treatment with SSRIs between 1998 and 2010. These patients were then compared with more than 236,294 women of the same age. They were prescribed H2 antagonists or proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which are generally used for the treatment of indigestion.

After assessing the data, the researchers came to know the fracture rates were higher in women who were treated with SSRIs. Fracture rate was 76% higher among those prescribed SSRIs one year after the treatment, 73% higher after two years treatment and 67% higher after five years treatment in comparison to those treated with indigestion drugs.