Epilepsy drugs hasten bone loss

Older women who take epilepsy drugs lose bone mass at nearly twice the rate of women not on the drugs, and are at increased risk for hip fracture, a recent study shows.

Older women who take epilepsy drugs lose bone mass at nearly twice the rate of women not on the drugs, and are at increased risk for hip fracture, a recent study shows.”If this rate of bone loss is not addressed, the risk of hip fracture for these women will jump by 29 per cent over five years,” Dr. Kristine Ensrud, the lead study author, says in a statement.”Older women taking epilepsy drugs should be screened for osteoporosis and counselled about the importance of getting enough calcium and taking vitamin D supplements.”Ensrud and her colleagues at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis measured bone density at the hip and heel in 4,200 women age 65 years and older and repeated the measurements several years later.Women on epilepsy drugs had a 1.8 times greater average rate of bone loss in the heel than women who were not taking epilepsy drugs, and a 1.7 greater average rate of loss at the hip. The results did not change when the researchers adjusted for factors such as age, estrogen use, poor health status, inactivity, smoking and lower calcium intake.The more frequently the drugs were used, the greater the risk of bone loss. The most commonly used epilepsy drug was phenytoin.Ensrud says it’s not clear how epilepsy drugs affect bone loss, but it’s possible they damage the body’s ability to use vitamin D or calcium — two important nutrients for bone health.(Source: The Medical Posting, June 2004)