| |
Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
 | |
|
Psychotropic drug use in older people with mental illness with particular reference to antipsychotics
— a systematic study of tolerability and use in different diagnostic groups | | Author(s) | Stephen Curran, Debbie Turner, Shabit Musa |
| Journal title | International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, vol 20, no 9, September 2005 |
| Pages | pp 842-847 |
| Source | http://www.interscience.wiley.com |
| Keywords | Drugs ; Mental disorder ; Clinical surveys ; Wakefield. |
| Annotation | In the light of advice from the UK Committee on Safety of Medicines, the authors report on an observational, single-centre, 1-week prevalence study of psychiatric symptoms, disorder and psychotropic drug use in older people with mental illness cared for by the South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust (Wakefield locality). 593 out of 660 older patients with mental illness were assessed. 44.5% had dementia (excluding vascular dementia); 33.7% had a mood disorder. 20.4% did not receive CNS active medication. Of those receiving CNS active medication, 51.3% took antipsychotic and 46.2% antidepressants. Of 304 patients taking antipsychotics, 87% took only one medication. However, patients with schizophrenia and related disorders were significantly more likely to be prescribed two or more antipsychotics, risperidone being most frequently prescribed ((n=136, 46%). Risperidone doses were significantly lower for patients with dementia and mood disorders. Side effects from antipsychotics were significantly greater in patients with schizophrenia, suggesting a dose-related effect. Risperidone appeared to be well tolerated in all patients with no evidence of cerebrovascular side-effects in patients taking it. Advice on the use of antipsychotics in older people needs to be clearer and should take into account treatment risks and benefits as well as patient and carer views. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-051108214 A |
| Classmark | LLD: E: 3G: 88E |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
|
| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
| |
|