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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Even though there have been safety warnings about antipsychotic drugs among the elderly, a new study shows seniors continue to take them.
Research shows about 70 percent of patients taking antipsychotic drugs lived in nursing homes, and about 40 percent were aged 85 or older.
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A new Canadian study finds Health Canada approved three new atypical antipsychotic drugs for schizophrenia and other related psychiatric conditions, but only one of them was approved for short term use to treat symptoms of aggression and psychosis in elderly dementia patients. Health Canada released three warnings of increased risk of stroke or death from the drugs between October 2002 and June 2005.
Despite the warnings, researchers found the use of these drugs went up 20 percent from the month before the first warning in September 2002 until February 2007.
This finding highlights the limited impact of warnings and suggests that more effective approaches are needed to protect vulnerable populations from potentially hazardous medications, state the authors.
Another researcher explains in a related commentary that some warnings dont work because physicians dont have enough information about the effectiveness and safety of alternative treatments. Dr. Laurence Katz, from the University of Manitoba, says health care warnings need to have complete information about the risks and efficacy of the treatment and should also list alternative options.
SOURCE: Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2008;179:438-46
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