Dementia Patients Taking Antipsychotics have Shorter Life Spans

Dan Frith

Contributor

0 CommentsPrint ArticleSubscribe

Dementia is a fairly common diagnosis for patients in nursing homes. The condition is typically diagnosed by its symptoms - a significant loss of intellectual abilities such as memory capacity which is severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning. Dementia is typically treated by the use of antipsychotics such as Haldol, Risperidal, Zyprexa, Seroquel, and others. While these medications can help with dementia, the side-effects include a shortened life!

A recent study based upon research from the University of Southern California compared mortality rates in patients with dementia who received antipsychotic drugs and those who received psychiatric medications other than antipsychotics. The results:

One-year mortality was 25% in users of conventional antipsychotics, 23% in users of atypical antipsychotics, 15% in users of other psychiatric drugs (e.g., antidepressants and anxiolytics/hypnotics), and 18% in a cohort of dementia patients who did not take psychiatric medication.

For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Drugs, Medical Devices, and Implants.