British Study Urges Caution in Antipsychotic Drug Use for Dementia Patients

A study appearing in PLoS Medicine from British researchers at King's College Hospital in London, shows little or no benefit to the use of antipsychotic drugs in patients with dementia. The study examined 165 patients already on the medications and divided them in to two groups, one which continued treatment and another that received a placebo. Most patients who received the placebo had "no overall detrimental effect on functional and cognitive status."

Last December, the Wall Street Journal published two articles about antipsychotic drug use in dementia patients. One article looked at the abuse of the drugs for patients residing in nursing homes. The second article examined efforts by those facilities to wean patients off the drugs and offer other alternatives to control their symptoms.