Drugs Increase Osteoporosis Risk

Drugs for two common conditions may increase the risk of fragile bones and fractures, new studies report. One study looked at the diabetes drugs pioglitazone and rosiglitazone. People who used one of these drugs for at least a year were more than twice as likely to break a bone. The fractures occurred with low impact, such as a simple fall. The other study included young women who took phenytoin, a drug for epilepsy. They lost bone density eight times as fast as other young women. Reuters Health reported on the diabetes drugs April 29. The study was in the Archives of Internal Medicine. HealthDay News wrote about the epilepsy drugs April 28. The study was in the journal Neurology.