Many Alzheimer’s patients are dying earlier because of sedatives they are being prescribed, according to new groundbreaking research.
The investigation by King’s College London researchers found that the sedatives, known as neuroleptics, were associated with a significant deterioration in verbal fluency and cognitive function, and that neuroleptic treatment had no benefit to patients with the mildest symptoms.
Significantly, up to 45% of people with Alzheimer’s disease residing in nursing homes are prescribed neuroleptics as a treatment for behavioural symptoms such as aggression. Professor Clive Ballard, professor of age related disorders at King’s College London, and lead researcher on the project, said: “It is very clear that even over a six month period of treatment, there is no benefit of neuroleptics in treating the behaviour in people with Alzheimer’s disease when the symptoms are mild, specifically when a measure of behavioural disturbance known as the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Score is equal to or less than 14. For people with more severe behavioural symptoms, balancing the potential benefits against increased mortality and other adverse events is more difficult, but this study provides an important evidence base to inform this decision-making process.”
Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said: “These results are deeply troubling and highlight the urgent need to develop better treatments.”
