Powerful antipsychotic drugs given to dementia patients outside of guidelines, study finds
Warning over use of antipsychotics by dementia patients
- New research indicates that individuals living with dementia are being treated with antipsychotic medications for longer periods and at higher doses than recommended.
- A University College London (UCL) study found initial treatments lasted an average of seven months, exceeding the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline of one to three months.
- The analysis of 9,819 patients also revealed that almost one in five (18 per cent) received an initial prescription higher than the minimum effective dose.
- The study highlighted that stopping and restarting antipsychotic treatment is common, with over half of patients who ceased medication later restarting it.
- Researchers suggest these findings, published in the Lancet Psychiatry, underscore a persistent gap between clinical guidelines and real-world prescribing, prompting a call for safer, person-centred care and a potential re-evaluation of existing guidelines.