ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences2025
The Association Between Psychotropic Medication Use and Gait and Mobility Impairment in Community-Dwelling Older People: Data From The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA).
Article in The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Sarcopenia-related traits and risk of falls in older adults: results from meta-analysis of cohort studies and Mendelian randomization analyses.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2025Pooled it
- Longitudinal trends in the incidence of falls and prevalence of risk factors for falls in community-dwelling older people in Ireland.European geriatric medicine · 2026Article
- How do falls-risk increasing drugs modify the association between index falls and future falls and fracture burden? Secondary data analysis from the Irish longitudinal study on ageing.European geriatric medicine · 2026Article
- Management of suicidal crisis in an adolescent with Becker muscular dystrophy: a case report.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- "Falls in older people receiving home healthcare services at armed forces hospital Southern Region: prevalence, associated factors, and consequent injuries".BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
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5 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundLittle work to date has quantified the effect of psychotropic medications (antidepressants, benzodiazepines, "Z" drugs, antipsychotics, anticholinergics) on mobility and gait in later life. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between these medications and mobility/gait parameters in a large cohort of community-dwelling older people.
methodsParticipants were included if they were aged ≥60 years at TILDA Wave 1 and underwent gait and mobility assessment (Gaitrite system), with follow-up at Wave 3 (4 years). Medication lists were examined for psychotropic medications. Regression models assessed the relationship between psychotropic medications and mobility using the following parameters: Timed Up and Go, gait speed, step length/width, and double support phase. Multilevel modeling assessed trajectories of mobility/gait variables over time by psychotropic use.
resultsOf 2620 patients, 12% were prescribed ≥1 psychotropic medication, and 3% prescribed ≥2 psychotropics. Cross-sectionally, psychotropic medication was independently associated with prolonged Timed Up and Go (β = 0.50 [95% confidence interval {CI} 0.27-0.73]; p < .001), slower gait speed (β = -5.65 [95% CI -7.92 to -3.38]; p < .001), shorter step length (β = -2.03 [95% CI -2.93 to -1.42]; p < .001), and increased double support phase (β = 0.47 [95% CI 0.19-0.75]; p = .001). Longitudinally, psychotropic use was independently associated with transition to abnormal Timed Up and Go (odds ratio 2.68 [95% CI 1.55-4.64], p < .001), whereas using ≥2 psychotropics was associated with transition to slower gait speed (odds ratio 2.59 [95% CI 1.01-6.68]; p = .048).
conclusionsPsychotropic use was associated with significantly poorer mobility and gait performance, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. It is imperative that psychotropic medication use is reviewed as part of a comprehensive geriatric assessment.
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