CSM warning on atypical antipsychotics not heeded
Risperidone (Risperdal) and olanzapine (Zyprexa) are still being prescribed to a large proportion of people with dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Society, despite Committee
on Safety of Medicines advice that they should not be used for this indication.
In September 2003 the CSM advised that these atypical antipsychotic drugs
should not be used for treating behavioural symptoms of dementia because
they are associated with an increased risk of stoke in elderly patients.
However, the Alzheimer’s Society has published a preliminary report
from a larger study, showing that 81 per cent of patients who were prescribed
the drugs before the CSM warning were still being prescribed them a year
later. The research involved 166 people with dementia across 12 UK nursing
homes.
Jim Kennedy, prescribing spokesman for the Royal College of General Practitioners,
commented: “It is not clear from the report whether dosages have
been decreased, prescribed less frequently or that patients are being
offered less powerful drugs. However, we would have expected to see more
of a shift towards reducing the role of neuroleptic drug treatment altogether.” He
added that drugs have a small short-term role in the treatment of dementia
and stressed the importance of good nursing care. |
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