Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026

High-Throughput Small Molecule Drug Screening For Age-Related Sleep Disorders Using Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: October 20, 2023
Psychotropic drugs and falls in the elderly people: updated literature review and meta-analysis
Frédéric Bloch1, Marie Thibaud, Benoit Dugué
1Department of Gerontology, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (Hôpital Broca), France. Frederic.bloch@brc.aphp.fr
Objective:
To carry out meta-analyses on psychotropic drugs and to provide an update of the risk of falling in the elderly people related to psychotropic drugs.
Design:
Meta-analyses of studies on psychotropic drugs.
Results:
177 studies are included, of which 71 have data on risk factors associated with psychotropic drugs. The odds ratio and 95% Cl for associations between use of psychotropic drugs and fall are 1.78 and 1.57-2.01, respectively. This result is statistically heterogeneous. This heterogeneity disappears in the group of very old participants for each class.
Conclusion:
Our study confirms the association between falls in the elderly people and psychotropic drugs. These results are similar to those of former meta-analyses but with different methods. It shows that these meta-analyses on psychotropic drugs have a small impact on prescribing habits. They only give evidence to support the association between psychotropic drugs and falls even if there is no proven link.
Related Concept Videos
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Absorption
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Distribution
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Metabolism
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion
