Do you Know the Drugs that Cause Bone Loss? – Interactive Quiz

January 15, 2020 6 Comments

Drugs Causing Bone Loss

In December 2019, the Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology was published.  It contains a chapter on Drugs Causing Bone Loss that I thought provided a great practical summary for clinicians. I thought I would give you a quick quiz to see how well you know the drug causes.

Test your Current Knowledge on Drugs Associated with Bone Loss and Fractures (23 questions)

1. Both pioglitazone and rosiglitazone increase the risk of fractures

2. SSRI's and tricyclic antidepressants are associated with a reduction in BMD and an increased risk of fractures

3. Histamine H2 blockers are associated with an increased risk of fractures.

4. Inhaled corticosteroids are usually associated with minimal or no bone loss except at high doses.  No excess in fracture risk is seen with inhaled corticosteroids except for a marginal increase at very high doses

5. Sedatives are not associated with BMD status but are associated with a higher fracture risk

6. Chronic acetaminophen use has not been associated with any change in BMD

7. Many of the anti-epilepsy medications are associated with a reduction in BMD

8. Thiazide diuretics have been associated with an increase in calcium excretion and a decrease in BMD

9. Proton pump inhibitors may affect absorption of calcium, magnesium and vitamin B12 all of which may be important to bone health.

10. Low dose methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis patients does not increase the risk of fractures

11. Inhaled beta-agonists increase BMD and lower fracture risk

12. Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate not only increases fractures but also lowers BMD and has a higher BMD loss than controls

13. Leurprolide acetate is associated with an increased risk of fractures when used in prostate cancer

14. Warfarin is not associated with an increase in fracture risk

15. High potency topical corticosteroids do not increase fracture risk.

16. Opioids increase the risk of fractures and may also decrease BMD through hypogonadism

17. Aromatase inhibitors are associated with a loss of BMD, decrease in bone quality but not an increase in the risk of fractures

18. Replacement for thyroid hormone deficiency is not associated with a decrease in bone mineral density if thyroid hormones are kept within normal range

19. Only prednisone doses above 15 mg/day are associated with BMD changes after 1 year

20. Heparin and low molecular weight heparins are associated with a decrease in BMD and an increase in fracture risk

21. Statins have been shown to increase BMD

22. Oral contraceptive use is not associated with an increased risk of fractures

23. GLP-1 receptor agonists and insulin secretagogues do not alter BMD or fracture risk


 

 

 

6 thoughts on “Do you Know the Drugs that Cause Bone Loss? – Interactive Quiz”

  1. Thanks for the quiz. I’ll be needing to brush up on this topic. Good spring board for continuing education ideas.

  3. Great topic in which all pharmacists should be knowledgeable. Thanks for sharing this quiz. I’m sure it can inspire a great CE idea.

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