New Study Finds Antipsychotic Medications Linked to
Deaths in Elderly Patients
Study in 2005 found second-generation antipsychotics
increased death risk 60% in elderly with dementia; new study, provides
additional evidence of risks with first-generation versions
Aug.
15, 2008 - Elderly patients who are prescribed a conventional, or
first-generation, antipsychotic medication are at an increased risk of
death from cardiovascular or respiratory diseases as compared to those
who take an atypical, or second-generation, antipsychotic medication,
according to a study funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality.
The new study, Potential Causes of Higher
Mortality in Elderly Users of Conventional and Atypical Antipsychotic
Medications, recently posted online in the Journal of the American
Geriatrics Society, adds to growing evidence that conventional
antipsychotics may not be safer than atypical anitpsychotics for the
elderly.
Researchers had previously identified that such
second-generation medications may pose increased mortality; the new
study compares specific causes of death among elderly patients newly
started on conventional vs. atypical antipsychotics.
Elderly patients are often prescribed antipsychotic
medications to treat mental health symptoms and related conditions.
These medications are commonly prescribed to Medicare patients in
nursing homes. In recent years, clinicians have increasingly prescribed
second-generation medications that generally have fewer neurological
side effects than first-generation antipsychotics.
In 2005, after studies suggested second-generation
antipsychotics increased the risk of death by 60 percent in elderly
patients with dementia, the FDA issued a public health advisory, which
did not extend to first-generation antipsychotics.
The new study, however, provides additional
evidence of the risks associated with first-generation versions for
elderly patients. While this study does show an association with
cardiovascular deaths, further studies will be needed to confirm this
association.
Authors examined records of all seniors in British
Columbia who took either first-generation or second-generation
antipsychotics between 1996-2004, including 12,882 patients who
commenced use of conventional and 24,359 patients who began a regimen of
atypical antipsychotic medications. Of 3,821 total deaths within the
first 180 days of use, cardiovascular deaths accounted for 49 percent of
the excess deaths.
The study was completed by researchers at the
Brigham and Womens Hospital DEcIDE (Developing Evidence to Inform
Decisions about Effectiveness) team in Boston. That team is one of 13
nationwide that are part of the AHRQs Effective Healthcare (EHC)
program. For more information about DEcIDE and the EHC program, go to
http://www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov.
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boomers
Aug.
15, 2008 - Elderly patients who are prescribed a conventional, or
first-generation, antipsychotic medication are at an increased risk of
death from cardiovascular or respiratory diseases as compared to those
who take an atypical, or second-generation, antipsychotic medication,
according to a study funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality.