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Sedatives Cause Early Death in Dementia Patients

Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease who are prescribed antipsychotic medications such as Risperdal are suffering early death as a result of the side effects of the drugs, according to British researchers.

Neuroleptic drugs—sedatives—were originally produced to ease the effects of schizophrenia. However, they are commonly prescribed for “off-label” uses to calm aggressive or difficult dementia patients.

Investigative Study

A five-year long study by British scientists, which involved 165 Alzheimer’s patients, found that sedatives were associated with a significant rise in long-term mortality. Those given the drugs died an average of six months earlier than the participants in the placebo group.

The study also indicated that neuroleptic drugs were linked to significant decline in cognitive function and verbal fluency in dementia patients.

Researchers concluded that sedatives offer no benefits to those with mild Alzheimer’s. For patients with more serious behavioral problems, the risk of early death has to be weighed against the potential benefits of the drug.

The link between antipsychotics and early mortality remain unclear, but studies in the past have suggested the drugs cause adverse cerebrovascular effects, like mini-strokes.

“We don’t know what the mechanism is and we need to explore it further,” said Professor Robin Jacoby of Oxford University and study researcher.

The study will be published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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