Antidepressants linked to increased risk of death for dementia patients – study

There is an increased risk of death for dementia patients taking antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications, a new study from Queen’s University Belfast has suggested.

The study led by researchers from the School of Pharmacy and Centre for Public Health has shown, according to the lead author, that some medications “may not always be appropriate” for people with dementia.

As dementia is associated with age and the proportion of older people aged 65 years and over increases, the prevalence of dementia is also projected to increase.

It affects more than 55 million people worldwide, with an estimated 10 million new cases every year.

Dr Catherine Sinnamon, lead author on the research and a postgraduate research student from the School of Pharmacy, highlighted that dementia was one of the leading causes of death globally and “currently there is no effective treatment for the disease”.

“It is therefore vitally important we look to ways to improve health and quality of life and reduce social and economic costs,” she said.

“People living with dementia often have other medical conditions which means that they are prescribed multiple medications.

“Sometimes these medicines may not always be appropriate. Our study aimed to uncover how antidepressant medications affect people with dementia to ensure we can provide them with the best treatment and care.”

The researchers looked at trends in prescribing of medications used to treat depression and anxiety in people with dementia and explored the association between the use of these medications and the risk of death.

The team looked at 28,781 people living with dementia from Northern Ireland over a nine-year follow-up period (2012-2020), half of whom died during this time.

They found that antidepressants were prescribed to 59.2% of individuals who died during the follow-up period, while 44.8% of these individuals were prescribed anti-anxiety medications.

There was evidence of a slight increased risk of death in people with dementia-prescribed antidepressants and a strong increased risk in those prescribed anti-anxiety medications.

Dr Heather Barry, principal investigator on the study, said the findings “extend our knowledge and highlight the importance of judicious prescribing for people with dementia.

“It further underscores the importance of medications being regularly and thoroughly reviewed in people with dementia, whether that be by a GP or a pharmacist, to ensure they are still appropriate and are still needed,” she said.

The study was supported by staff at the Honest Broker Service (HBS) within the Business Services Organisation Northern Ireland (BSO). The HBS is funded by the BSO and the Department of Health.