Dementia drug death risk warning

JPG1

Account Closed
Jul 16, 2008
3,391
0
Jan,

The link on the BBC website refers to “sedatives” and to “anti-psychotic drugs for aggressiveness or agitation”. It doesn’t name particular drugs, of course, but if you want to know more about the original research project, then it’s available via The Lancet Neurology website. You just need to register to read the full text.

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(09)70001-8/fulltext

There are other articles of interest too, many published today also.

The drugs mentioned in the research project “The dementia antipsychotic withdrawal trial (DART-AD) long-term follow-up of a randomised placebo-controlled trial” refers to: thioridazine, chlorpromazine, haloperidol, trifluoperazine, or risperidone.

It seems that the research was funded by the UK Alzheimer’s Research Trust, and Prof Clive Ballard features heavily.

There - in the ‘Antipsychotic drugs for dementia: a balancing act’ article - they refer to the ‘balancing act’ required when any antipsychotic drug is prescribed, and that is what Clive was talking about in his own thread. (I posted my link a few hours before Clive started his own thread, and as then I had not registered with The Lancet Neurology website, I didn’t have the link in question.)

But this was/is “the first long-term follow-up study to show that patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) on antipsychotic drugs are at increased risk of mortality”. They are not talking about the fact that we all will die at some point, which we know is a certainty, but merely about the early death of some dementia patients as a result of long-term use.

There is also mention of the fact that:

“Inadequate numbers of staff and a lack of appropriate training mean that antipsychotics are used unnecessarily as a first option in many instances.

More studies, including randomised controlled trials, to test the efficacy of psycho-social alternatives might help to convince policy makers to invest in improved training of multidisciplinary teams that should include specialist dementia nurses.

Greater involvement of families in care decisions and frequent monitoring and review of care plans would also help to ensure that treatment is tailored to individual patients.

The risks and benefits of prescribing antipsychotics to patients with dementia need to be carefully balanced and these drugs should be used only if alternative strategies do not work.

To protect the health and dignity of people with dementia and reduce the use of antipsychotic drugs, approaches that make the needs of patients central to decisions about care should be promoted.”

I can’t argue with that all.

The BBC item was reporting fairly accurately, and merely intended to bring it to the public awareness, into the public domain. Some of the other ‘newspaper reports’ were less accurate, in their reporting, in particular Sky!

I am not an expert in dementia; I am dealing with it day by day; and also with the aftermath, the fallout. We are all struggling; so as far as I can see, the more the next generation can be made ‘aware’ of all the questions that need to be considered – and I include, there, the next generation of professionals too – then so much the better, surely.
 

Margarita

Registered User
Feb 17, 2006
10,824
0
london
The researchers said most periods of aggression in dementia were self-limiting and would pass. Better education of staff would take away the need for medication, they said.

Study leader Professor Clive Ballard, King's College London, who is director of research at the Alzheimer's Society, said the drugs were appropriate in some patients with severe aggression for short periods.

"But the serious concerns of the drugs shown by our research emphasise the urgent need to put an end to unnecessary and prolonged prescribing."

The researchers said most periods of aggression in dementia were self-limiting and would pass.


That is true, because it did pass with my mother. When I came on TP I then found out about Ant psychotic drugs are use for people with dementia. I never really like the thought of it, because I have seen the side effects it gave my brother, so had a negative perception on them to be given to my mother.
My mother was on Exbiza, but is never took away the aggression to think that aggression is a symptom of dementia and the only option is to sedate my mother with them , was very of putting to me, because I thought mum would need them till the end , like my brother needs them . So not relishing that , that stage does pass .

Better education of staff would take away the need for medication, they said.


So I agree with that , because if someone had told me that if would only be given , for a short period , that it does pass .
I would of consider the medication for a short period of time .

It was really hard mental, with me handling that stage without any medication . I am so glad it has pass .

My mother keep calling me the other day , would not stop calling my name . I know she can't help it, but I told her to stop it.

My mother said to me . " do you want to have an argument with me ? :eek::D I said no ! why do you keep calling me ? mum said because your father gave you that name .

where in the past mum first reaction would of been to lash out at me .
 
Last edited:

Margarita

Registered User
Feb 17, 2006
10,824
0
london
I was not arguing with my mother in the first place :) even thought that is how my mother perceived it . I just said stop it , ask her why she keep calling me ?

when we talk it out with out arguing mum did stop , as I was reassuring her that I was in the house That is why I found it surprising that she said that, she must of perceived it as if I wanted an argument . why would I , I am there because I care , love my mother want to look after her not argue with her.

Just because my mother keep calling me ,I want to know why , what is bothering her , I can not generalise mum like every one the same with dementia that she just forgetting that she called me in the first place,I know she just scared when she does not see me in the same room as her all the time . so keep calling me . Something was bothering her I wanted to know what and I wanted to reassure her everything was OK I was in the house. Which I did mum except it,retain it stop calling me.

Yes its a symptoms of dementia, mum will never understand that, but we both can learn to live with it , without fear that my mother going to attack me over it like she use to in the pass , because mum perceive every thing I say to her a negative an augment.
 
Last edited:

icare2

Registered User
Jun 18, 2006
84
0
scotland
this was on the news a year ago.. why is just getting out now !!

anti- sycotic drugs are ony for SHORT TERM USE ONY, 14 days max.any care home or whatever that uses these chemical drugs are supposed to have a full description from the DOCTOR THATS IN CHARGE,NOT THE NURSE OR THE CARE WORKER!!!!!!
 

Margarita

Registered User
Feb 17, 2006
10,824
0
london
this was on the news a year ago.. why is just getting out now !!

No its been know on TP for a long time , there a few threads on it in TP already from last year , may be its out angina as a reminder, as the link in post 1 is dated Friday, 9 January 2009

I never new about the 2 weeks, where did you read that ?
 
Last edited:

Staff online

Forum statistics

Threads
138,109
Messages
1,993,071
Members
89,775
Latest member
Andrew Fargher