The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences
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J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. · May 2005
Psychotropic medications and risk for falls among community-dwelling frail older people: an observational study.
Injuries due to falls are one of the most important public health concerns for all ages, but especially for frail elderly people. Although a small number of falls have a single cause, the majority have many different causes resulting from the interactions between intrinsic or extrinsic risk factors. ⋯ Our data suggest that, among psychotropic medications, antipsychotic agents and benzodiazepines are associated with an increased risk of falls. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that preferential prescribing of short-acting benzodiazepines instead of long-acting agents or atypical antipsychotic medications instead of typical agents will substantially decrease fall risk associated with the use of these classes of drugs.