There has been a reported marked increase in the use of anti-psychotic drugs for dementia patients both in the NHS and in private care. One of these drugs - Haloperidol - with a number of brand names such as Serenace, is very powerful, described in a Sunday Times article as a "chemical cosh" being used as a cheaper replacement for those drugs recently withdrawn by NICE such as Donepezil. One medical report says it is 50 times more powerful than some other anti-psychotic drugs, highly sedative, and with a number of long-term side effects.
In the AS link to the use of Aricept/Exelon/Reminyl and Ebixa it states that these can only be prescribed by a consultant, yet my wife (in a care home) has been prescribed Haloperidal by a GP with no consultation to my knowledge.
It is too early in her case to say how effective it is. She is certainly calmer, but also more lethargic, and it's difficult to strike a balance where the effects of treatment for dementia/Alzheimer's extends to physical limitations and bodily functions.
Does anyone have any knowledge of Haloperidol ? (it's been around for some 40 years but mainly for psychic disorders/schizophrenia).
The treatment of mental disorders is a medical minefield but I would like to know more about how this particular drug works. And are others now having this alternative form of treatment as the Sunday Times reports?
In the AS link to the use of Aricept/Exelon/Reminyl and Ebixa it states that these can only be prescribed by a consultant, yet my wife (in a care home) has been prescribed Haloperidal by a GP with no consultation to my knowledge.
It is too early in her case to say how effective it is. She is certainly calmer, but also more lethargic, and it's difficult to strike a balance where the effects of treatment for dementia/Alzheimer's extends to physical limitations and bodily functions.
Does anyone have any knowledge of Haloperidol ? (it's been around for some 40 years but mainly for psychic disorders/schizophrenia).
The treatment of mental disorders is a medical minefield but I would like to know more about how this particular drug works. And are others now having this alternative form of treatment as the Sunday Times reports?
