The Guardian

Antipsychotics given for dementia pose risks-study

By Andrew Stern

May 26, 2008

Elderly dementia patients prescribed antipsychotic drugs are at three
times the risk of a serious health problem or dying within a month of
treatment, compared to those not given the drugs, Canadian researchers
said on Monday.

The medications have been used by doctors to treat aggression in
people who are not psychotic or schizophrenic, but there are risks for
elderly dementia patients prescribed the drugs, according to Dr. Paula
Rochon of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto,
and colleagues.

"Of residents newly admitted to a nursing home, 17 percent are started
on antipsychotic drugs within 100 days of their admission," often for
short periods to control delirium, delusions or aggressive behavior,
Rochon wrote.

"Antipsychotic drugs should be prescribed with caution even for
short-term therapy," she concluded in the report published in the
Archives of Internal Medicine.

Three years ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required
warnings on antipsychotic drugs notifying patients and doctors of the
risks of heart problems or infections in elderly dementia patients.

Previous research has suggested the drugs cause dry mouth and
difficulty swallowing, which can lead to pneumonia. Side effects such
as dizziness can increase the risk of falls.
The seven-year study of more than 40,000 people age 65 or older --
half in nursing homes -- found 5.2 percent of the nursing homes
residents died within a month of being given one of the newer class of
so-called atypical antipsychotic drugs...

Atypical antipsychotic drugs, which the study said had been available
for about a decade, include risperidone, marketed by Johnson & Johnson
as Risperdal; olanzapine, made by Eli Lilly and Co under the brand
name Zyprexa; and quetiapine, sold by AstraZeneca Plc under the brand
name Seroquel.

Complete article here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/7541460