Risperidone Doesn't Appear to Increase Risk for Osteoporotic Fractures

Because risperidone increases serum prolactin levels, and hyperprolactinemia has been associated with osteoporosis and related fractures, clinicians and patients have been concerned that long-term risperidone use might lead to osteoporosis and its complications. In a manufacturer-funded, postauthorization safety study using data from five Swedish national registers, investigators examined risks for fractures in adults who filled a new antipsychotic prescription between 2006 through 2014 and refilled it within 3 months.

The study population — 38,211 individuals receiving risperidone, 60,691 receiving other atypical antipsychotics and 17,445 receiving typical antipsychotics — was examined for newly diagnosed osteoporosis-related fractures occu…