Decrease in Antipsychotic Drugs for Dementia Patients

Many doctors of elderly nursing home residents prescribe antipsychotics to their patients to help pacify aggression and paranoia related to dementia. However, this off label purpose for antipsychotics can limit the patient’s ability to socialize, communicate, and participate in everyday life.

According to a government audit, close to one in seven nursing home patients sixty-five or older had a prescription for antipsychotics during a six month span in 2007. During this time, eighty-three percent of Medicare claims for these prescriptions were for off-label purposes.

“Awakenings,” a three year old program aimed at reducing this off label use of antipsychotics, incorporates exercise, aromatherapy, pets, and other methods as ways of helping elderly patients with dementia. Nursing homes across the country have implemented similar programs aimed at reducing off-label uses of antipsychotics.

These new programs, coupled with the FDA’s warnings on the off-label use of these drugs, has lead to a decrease in the number of antipsychotic prescriptions for elderly patients. In 2006, Medicaid’s antipsychotics drug bills totaled around $7.9 billion. That number dropped to close to $4.9 billion in 2007, and $3.7 billion in 2008.

SeeMatt Sedensky, Push Underway to Cut Drugs for Dementia Patients, The Associated Press, Sep. 14, 2011.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (WealthCounsel) for bringing this article to my attention.