Over-prescribed Anti-psychotic Drugs to Elderly
news.yahoo.com
In the U.S, elderly patients suffering with dementia are usually prescribed with anti-psychotic drugs in order to calm their disruptive behavior. According to some experts, this is a very costly and risky practice and should be ended.
“As the baby boomer generation ages, it is imperative to address the overuse and misuse of antipsychotic drugs among nursing home patients,” said Daniel Levinson, Health and Human Services Inspector General.
In the United States, elderly patients with dementia are too often prescribed anti-psychotic drugs to calm their disruptive behavior, a costly and risky practice that should end, experts said Wednesday.
Instead, more care should be taken to determine why dementia patients may be acting up and treat those underlying causes, lawmakers were told at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Aging.
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