Warning over 'chemical cosh' doled out to dementia sufferers as experts warn ... trends now
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Widely prescribed medications are putting dementia patients at greater risk of heart attacks, blood clots and pneumonia, a study found.
The antipsychotic medications – often given to people with depression, agitation or aggression – can cause more severe side effects than previously thought.
Experts say the findings are so concerning that doctors should avoid prescribing drugs such as Risperdal and Zyprexa and instead look to alternatives like behavioural management therapy.
Researchers examined data from 174,000 adults GP surgeries in England on older adults who were diagnosed between dementia between 1998 and 2018.
Some 35,339 were prescribed antipsychotics during the study – 63 per cent of whom were women - and their medical records were compared to dementia patients who were not prescribed these drugs.
Previous regulatory warnings when prescribing antipsychotics for these symptoms were based on evidence of increased risks for stroke and death, but evidence of other adverse outcomes was less conclusive amongst people with dementia
Academics from the Universities of Manchester, Nottingham, Edinburgh and Dundee found that dementia patients who were current users of antipsychotic drugs had a two-fold increased risk of developing pneumonia compared to those who were not taking the drugs.
Researchers also found that dementia patients who took antipsychotics had a 61 per cent increased risk of stroke and a 43 per cent elevated risk of breaking a bone.
