Antipsychotics and sedatives make a deadly cocktail

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Drugs such as the antipsychotics and sedatives speed up the progress of

Alzheimer's disease, a new study has found.

 

The worst combination is an antipsychotic with an antidepressant. When

they are taken together, they are four times more likely to cause the

disease to accelerate than doing nothing.

 

In the study, 224 Alzheimer's patients were given various drug

combinations for a year. While drugs designed to treat dementia

marginally slowed the disease's progress, statins – cholesterol-

lowering drugs – had the most positive impact, to the surprise of the

researchers.

 

Source: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 2006. doi:

10.1136/jnnp.2006.104034