No Elder Neuro-lept Behind – Shrinks Increasingly Prescribe Antipsychotics

Despite voluminous warnings on the health dangers of antipsychotic drugs  - the use is increasing. Who prescribes antipsychotic drugs?   Mainly – psychiatrists:  “The study, which looked at visits to pediatricians and other doctors, found that psychiatrists were the most likely to prescribe antipsychotic drugs.” New York Times, June 6, 2006 

 

Bay News 9 (Tampa) Video:http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=pIkJZlJljD4   August 25, 2008

 

 

Antipsychotic Drug Use Up in Elderly Despite Warnings
August 25, 2008

MONDAY, Aug. 25  — Safety warnings slowed the use of antipsychotic drugs in seniors with dementia. But the overall use of the drugs in the elderly increased, a finding which suggests that warnings may not be sufficient to protect patients, Canadian researchers say.

Between late 2002 and June 2005, Health Canada issued three warnings that three new atypical antipsychotic drugs increased the risk of stroke and death in elderly patients with dementia.

The researchers analyzed prescription drug data in the province of Ontario and found that antipsychotic drug use among the elderly increased 20 percent from the month prior to the first warning in September 2002 to February 2007. About 70 percent of the seniors receiving antipsychotic drugs lived in nursing homes, and about 40 percent of them were 85 or older.

“This finding highlights the limited impact of warnings and suggests that more effective approaches are needed to protect vulnerable populations from potentially hazardous medications, ” wrote Dr. Geoffrey Anderson, of the University of Toronto, and colleagues.

The study was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Story link here: http://health. usnews.com/ articles/ health/healthday /2008/08/ 25/antipsychotic -drug-use- up-in-elderly- despite.html

Filed under: Elderly, antipsychotics