Newer Antipsychotics Cause Movement Problems Too

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - So-called atypical antipsychotic drugs are just as likely as older antipsychotics drugs to cause movement disorders in older people with dementia, according to a new study.

The findings underscore the importance of discussing the potential side effects of these drugs with patients and their caregivers before they are prescribed, Dr. Philip E. Lee of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver told Reuters Health.

"A lot of people felt that they were much safer to use, with much (fewer) side effects. These are in fact still powerful medications with potential side effects, including movement disorders," he said in an interview.

As described in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Lee and his team studied 21,835 elderly Ontario residents with dementia who had recently been started on antipsychotic drugs; 9,790 were taking atypical antipsychotics and 12,045 were prescribed typical antipsychotics.

The results indicate that movement problems were fairly uncommon in both groups, but that the newer drugs were just as likely as the older ones to cause difficulties.

While studies have suggested that atypical antipsychotics are less likely to cause movement disorders, Lee and his colleagues note, little research has been done on the drugs' effects in elderly people with dementia. "Because age is a risk factor for the development" of certain movement problems, they note, "older adults may be at even greater risk than the general adult population."

The main message of the study, Lee said, is not that antipsychotics should be withheld from older people with dementia; instead, he argues, clinicians should consider prescribing them carefully and be sure to inform patients and their families of their risks, especially since these movement disorders are frequently irreversible.

It is also crucial for people to be monitored for movement disorders once they are prescribed the drugs, he added, particularly since the risk of these side effects associated with atypical antipsychotics may be underrecognized.

SOURCE: Journal of the American Geriatric Society, August 2005.