Antipsychotic Medications Linked to Higher Health Risks in Dementia Patients

Healthcare professionals suggest several antipsychotic treatments (risperidone, haloperidol, quetiapine, olanzapine) for people with dementia- a mental disorder that causes memory loss and affects thinking ability. Even though these treatments are used to treat dementia, they are linked to serious side effects. According to a recent study published in the BMJ, antipsychotic medication use increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, blood clots, heart failure and acute kidney injury.   

In this study, researchers used the data of 173,910 people from primary care, hospitals and mortality records. These involved people aged 50 and above and were diagnosed with dementia between 1998 and 2018. Among them, 35,339 people were new users of antipsychotic medications and were compared to 15 people who did not use these medications.    

The main outcomes of this study were stroke, heart attack, blood clots, heart failure, acute kidney injury, ventricular arrhythmia, pneumonia and fractures. The researchers mainly wanted to understand how the risks of these adverse outcomes differed between antipsychotic medication users and non-users.    

When researchers studied the collected data and compared it with non-users, they found that the use of antipsychotic medications increases the risk of all the adverse outcomes included, except for ventricular arrhythmia. The results of people who were using antipsychotic medications within 90 days after getting a prescription were concerning as they had a higher risk of getting pneumonia, acute kidney injury, blood clots, fractures, and heart failure.   

The results of this study showed that the risk of pneumonia was higher in people who used antipsychotic medications as compared to people who did not use them in the first 90 days of starting treatment. This difference shows people with dementia were at a higher risk after starting the use of these medications.    

As this study shows, antipsychotic medication use increases the risk of some serious health complications such as stroke, heart attack, blood clots, heart failure and acute kidney injury, healthcare professionals should not suggest these medications. Researchers should find an alternative to antipsychotic medications to treat people with dementia.   

Reference Link:   

Multiple adverse outcomes associated with antipsychotic use in people with dementia: population based matched cohort study, The BMJ (2024).   

DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-076268