Nearly 75 Percent of Older Americans With Dementia Given Drugs That Don't Help Them Despite Serious Risks

A study published in JAMA determined that nearly 75 percent of older adults with dementia have filled prescriptions for drugs that carry special risks and affect their brain and nervous system, but are not engineered for dementia, reports MEA WorldWide . Some medications also have been associated with worse cognitive symptoms in seniors. The authors said none of the drugs studied have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat dementia or its behavioral symptoms, and evidence for their off-label use is thin. All of the medications are linked to adverse risks for people in their 60s and up, "including falls or dependence that could lead to withdrawal, as well as increased risk of death." These findings indicate the need for more research to understand factors driving prescribing, in view of little proof of benefit for adults with dementia. "I think perhaps clinicians and family members should revisit why patients are receiving medications like these and consider possibly stopping them, especially for patients on multiple such medications," said the University of Michigan's Donovan Maust.