Antipsychotics are used in dementia treatment. A new study has now found that this increases the risk of heart attacks, among other things.
The study included data from over 173,000 adults over the age of 50, 35,339 of whom were prescribed antipsychotic medications. The risk of pneumonia, acute kidney injury, stroke, and venous thromboembolism was highest, with the risk increasing from 1.5-fold to 2-fold. The researchers noted the following side effects: stroke, heart failure, lung infection, and acute kidney damage. There were also differences between the different types of dementia medications. There is currently no cure for dementia. This makes it all the more important to prevent the illness at an early stage. Good early detection is also important. A blood test procedure promises to detect dementia up to 15 years earlier. With an early diagnosis, any treatments are sometimes more successful. In some cases, dementia sufferers are given antipsychotics to relieve symptoms like aggressiveness or delusions.