Dementia patients treated with anti-psychotic die early

NEW EVIDENCE that some patients with dementia are dying prematurely as a result of being inappropriately prescribed anti-psychotic drugs in nursing homes has been described as “disturbing” by the Alzheimer Society of Ireland.

A five-year investigation published yesterday found that, on average, patients with Alzheimer’s who are treated with anti-psychotic drugs die six months earlier.

The study, funded by the British-based Alzheimer’s Research trust, found that only a third of patients prescribed the drugs were alive, compared with two-thirds of those not taking them.