Older Adults Taking SNRIs Experience More Harmful Events

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found older adults taking serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) endured more adverse events compared with placebos, reports the Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Learning Network . The rate of adverse events with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) did not diverge from placebo in the study population. Included in the analysis were 19 randomized controlled trials and two observational studies that encompassed outpatient, rehabilitation, and assisted living community environments. "The prevalence of depression in community-based adults 65 years of age and older is 15 percent to 20 percent in the United States, although estimations are subject to bias; depression prevalence of more than 50 percent in older assisted living community residents was reported," the researchers noted. "In addition to the modest efficacy provided by antidepressant medications, clinicians must consider the safety risks associated with the treatments." Both SNRIs and SSRIs were associated with more study withdrawals because of adverse events versus a placebo. In addition, duloxetine was linked to more falls.