Risk assessment of accidental falls in patients taking trazodone, quetiapine, or risperidone for insomnia: A...

No consensus has been reached on the association between the risk of falls and antipsychotic and antidepressant drug use. In this study, we evaluated the risk of falls with trazodone, risperidone, and quetiapine, which are recommended for use at Kanazawa Medical University Hospital.

We reviewed all patients who were admitted to Kanazawa Medical University Hospital between January 1st and December 31st, 2018. We excluded those aged <20 years and those admitted to pediatric, intensive care, and psychiatric wards. Finally, 9273 patients were included. We reviewed the incidence in these patients of accidental falls reported to the medical safety department. We noted whether these patients received trazodone, quetiapine, or risperidone. We also observed whether they were taking a benzodiazepine receptor agonist, which is a known risk factor. We further examined each patient's age, sex, the department they were visiting, and their diseases. Patients were considered to have taken medication if it was administered within 24 hours before an accidental fall. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk of accidental fall.

Multivariate analysis showed that the adjusted odds ratios (OR) for each medication (with 95% confidence intervals) were: trazodone (OR, 0.47 [0.27-0.80]), quetiapine (OR, 1.06 [0.46-2.46]), and risperidone (OR, 0.82 [0.41-1.63]).

The association of risperidone and quetiapine with accidental falls was unclear. Interestingly, however, trazodone may help reduce the risk, which makes it a potential pharmacologic treatment option for insomnia in patients at high risk for accidental falls.