Some Antipsychotic Drugs Raise Risk of Death

A new study further illustrates the danger of some antipsychotic drugs in patients with dementia, publishing the increased risks of mortality associated with each one. The study by a group at Harvard and published in the British Medical Journal analyzed data of over 75,000 nursing home residents across 45 U.S. states between 2001 and 2005. They found that over 6,000 of these patients died from circulatory, respiratory, and brain disorders after taking certain antipsychotic drugs. These types of drugs are not approved for use on dementia patients, but are used frequently to help rein in aggression.

According to MSN Health, the drugs researched included haloperidol (Haldol), risperidone (Risperdal), quetiapine, aripiprazole (Abilify), olanzapine (Zyprexa), and ziprasidone (Geodon, Zeldox). Risperidone was used as the control, as it is the most widely used drug. Results show that the risk of death while using haloperidol was the worst, as it presents double the mortality risk. Quetiapine actually led to a decreased risk of mortality, and the other drugs had similar mortality risks to risperidone.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned in 2005 that certain antipsychotic drugs have been associated with an increased risk of death in elderly patients with dementia.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned in 2005 that certain antipsychotic drugs have been associated with an increased risk of death in elderly patients with dementia. This warning was expanded to include conventional antipsychotics in 2008, but the FDA does not expect use of these drugs to diminish. Jenny McCleery, of the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, said in a report that "Few clinical problems place doctors in as tangled a web of clinical evidence, social policy, and ethical concerns as how to manage behavioral problems in patients with dementia.”

Drugs that pose an increased risk of mortality include haloperidol (Haldol), risperidone (Risperdal), quetiapine, aripiprazole (Abilify), olanzapine (Zyprexa), and ziprasidone (Geodon, Zeldox).