A large-scale clinical trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine and funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) shows that Zyprexa, Risperdal and Seroquel, antipsychotics prescribed to treat delusions and aggression associated with Alzheimer's Disease in as many as one-fourth of nursing home patients, are not significantly more effective than placebos.
The double-blind trial monitored 421 patients taking either medication or a placebo for nine months. While 30 percent of patients taking medication did show an improvement in symptoms, so did 21 percent of those taking the placebo. Additionally, about 80 percent of patients ultimately stopped taking their pills after several weeks citing ineffectiveness or side effects including worsening confusion or trouble walking.
Given these adverse effects--which also include an increased risk of pneumonia, heart attack or death--and the conditions under which most patients take the drugs, such findings are significant. Says lead researcher Dr. Lon Schneider:
"Patients are put on these kinds of medications and not particularly monitored and treated for indefinite periods of time...That just maximizes risk."Read more: Antipsychotic Medications Used to Treat Alzheimer's Patients Found Lacking
ABSTRACT: Effectiveness of Atypical Antipsychotic Drugs in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease
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