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Phenytoin May Increase Bone Loss in Premenopausal Women
Bone loss may increase significantly in the short term in premenopausal women with epilepsy who take the drug phenytoin, but not other major antiepileptic drugs, researchers report in Neurology.
During a 1-year observational study, 93 women (mean age, 32) were taking one of four antiepileptic drugs as monotherapy: phenytoin, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, or valproate. The women taking phenytoin had a 2.6% loss of femoral-neck bone density; the other women had no significant bone loss. This is the first longitudinal study to compare the effects on bone loss of individual antiepileptic drugs.
The authors note that the bone-loss rate with phenytoin was more than eight times higher than is typical for healthy women of the same age and could, in the long term, lead to "considerably increased" risk for postmenopausal bone fractures.
LINK(S):
Neurology article (Free abstract; full text requires subscription)
Reuters story (Free)
Published in Physician's First Watch April 30, 2008
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