The most dangerous time is when the patient first starts taking the drug, say researchers from the University of East Finland, and haloperidol and risperidone were the two most lethal antipsychotics.
The researchers came to their conclusions after they analysed the treatment of 57,755 people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s between 2005 and 2011; of these, 27 per cent were given an antipsychotic, and they were compared to healthy people who weren’t taking the drug.
The trouble is, say the researchers, none of this is news: it was established 10 years ago that antipsychotics can be lethal, and should be used only rarely, and for the most difficult cases, such as to treat agitation or aggression.
Despite these concerns, antipsychotics are still routinely used, and are a common therapy for Alzheimer’s and dementia, the researchers say.
(Source: Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 2016; doi: 10.3233/JAD-160671)
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