One in four dementia sufferers prescribed dangerous drugs

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(drugs should be used for a maximum of three months)

More than a quarter of elderly people with dementia are being given dangerous ‘chemical cosh’ drugs, researchers warn.

Doctors are prescribing antipsychotics to patients for two or more years even though they are only meant to be taken for a maximum of three months – and then only as a last resort.

Antipsychotics are tranquillisers that are designed to treat hallucinations in patients with mental illnesses. But researchers have found that in most cases they are just being given to sedate elderly patients to stop them from wandering off or becoming confused and anxious.

Campaigners say that too often they are being told by families and carers that such drugs are ‘robbing loved ones of their dignity’, leaving them unable to walk or talk.

Around 770,000 Britons are thought to have some form of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. But it is not known how many are being given antipsychotics or how long they have been on them. Continue to read: dailymail.co.uk

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2012/02/07/2047945/obama-to-seek-more-alzheimers.html#storylink=cpy

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