The authors of a recent study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society “evaluated medications prescribed for pain pre- and post withdrawal to determine if there was an association with fall events among elderly patients with a diagnosis of osteoarthritis.” The authors enrolled 13,354 patients, aged 65–89, with a diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA) who were examined for fall fractures in association with analgesic prescriptions. The authors conclude that “Narcotic analgesic prescriptions were associated with a significantly increased risk of falls/fractures.”
