Falls and fractures with atypical antipsychotic medication use: a population-based cohort study

Antipsychotic medications are commonly used in elderly persons to treat dementia and other behavioral disturbances. Several articles have linked these medications to an increased risk of fracture. It is unclear whether this fracture risk is limited to older conventional antipsychotic medications or if the risk extends to newer atypical antipsychotics because the newer drugs remain associated with orthostatic hypotension, gait abnormalities, and sedation (all of which may increase the risk of falling). We conducted a population-based study to better understand the risk of falls and fracture associated with atypical antipsychotic medications.