Antipsychotics in dementia raise risk of death

Antipsychotic drugs have increasingly been used to treat the personality changes and aggression often associated with Alzheimer's disease but there have been increasing concerns about their effects on people's health. A three-year study by researchers at King's College London compared those taking antipsychotic drugs with those taking a placebo. After a year slightly more people in the antipsychotic group had died but after a year and a half survival in the placebo group was 59% compared to 30% among those taking antipsychotics. Over the course of the study the participants given the placebo were 42% less likely to die than those taking antipsychotics. Antipsychotic drugs are also linked to a higher risk of stroke and a decline in brain function.

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http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKTRE50805M20090109?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&sp=true