PSYCHOSIS DRUG RISKS ARE NOTED
October 28, 2005 06:32

Frail, elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease who are given widely used antipsychotic drugs such as Zyprexa and Risperdal have a higher risk of dying than patients who are given sugar pills, and doctors should be cautious in prescribing the drugs, according to a new analysis of earlier studies. The report is likely to complicate the limited choices that families face while caring for elderly patients with Alzheimer's. And it lends support to a decision by the Food and Drug Administration earlier this year to require warning labels on the drugs. The drugs are approved for the treatment of psychoses in adults but have not been specifically approved for use among elderly patients with dementia, so physicians prescribing them for this group are relying on their clinical judgment. Experts said the new study should help doctors better weigh the risks and benefits. Shankar Vedantam, The Washington Post, 10/19/2005