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| Dementia drugs 'useless for most' | |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The vast majority of patients with dementia are being prescribed anti-psychotic drugs unnecessarily, a government ordered review has found. | The vast majority of patients with dementia are being prescribed anti-psychotic drugs unnecessarily, a government ordered review has found. |
| Only about 36,000 of the 180,000 people taking them in the UK derive any benefit from them, it said. | Only about 36,000 of the 180,000 people taking them in the UK derive any benefit from them, it said. |
| Unnecessary prescription of the drugs is linked with an extra 1,800 deaths among elderly people every year. | |
| Care services minister Phil Hope promised a crackdown on the drugs and wider use of psychological therapies. | Care services minister Phil Hope promised a crackdown on the drugs and wider use of psychological therapies. |
| Professor Sube Banerjee, from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London and the chair of the review, said the use of anti-psychotic drugs could safely be cut to one third of its current level over a three-year period. | Professor Sube Banerjee, from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London and the chair of the review, said the use of anti-psychotic drugs could safely be cut to one third of its current level over a three-year period. |
| Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence says anti-psychotic drugs should only be used when a person is a risk to themselves or others, and where all other methods have been tried, and then only for a period of three months. | |
| Significant reduction | |
| Mr Hope said the routine prescribing of the drugs was unacceptable. | |
| "More than half of people with dementia will experience agitation or aggression at some point, but NICE guidance is clear - anti-psychotics should only be given when this is really necessary." | |
| "We know there are situations where anti-psychotic drug use is necessary - we're not calling for a ban, but we do want to see a significant reduction in use." | |
| Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society said the long-awaited review was a welcome recognition of the scale of the problem. | |
| "The scandalous over prescription of anti-psychotic drugs leads to an estimated 1,800 deaths a year, it must end. | |
| "The report suggests prescriptions could be reduced by two thirds in three years, this is vital and the new action plan cannot afford to fail." |