Jan 19, 2017

Medication used for Delirium may be doing more damage than good

Researchers from Sydney’s UTS Centre for Cardiovascular and Chronic Care have found that strong drugs used to treat Delirium in elderly patients are not be effective and may even be harmful to patients.

Delirium is a condition that occurs suddenly, causing acute confusion, inattention and an altered conscious state, typically is only lasts for a short period of time. In many elderly patients, it can be confused for Dementia.

A common treatment for Delirium in the elderly is through the use of antipsychotic medication.

Up to 10 patients in hospital have delirium, while a greater number have the condition in palliative care. This is why palliative care patients were used in this new study.

The way the experiment was conducted was as follows; there were around 250 patients in palliative care. Some were given one of two commonly used antipsychotic drugs, such as haloperidol and risperidone, while others were given a placebo, which essentially does nothing.

By giving patients a placebo, their results act as a baseline for how effective the antipsychotic medication really is.

The study found that of the patients who were being treated with antipsychotics displayed “significantly greater” symptoms of delirium and distressing behaviour than in those receiving the placebos.

Professor Meera Agar, who led the study, told the ABC that “not only do the drugs not work, but they actually make people worse by prolonging their delirium”.

There is a huge concern that the antipsychotic medication increased mortality for people with dementia.

One conclusion of the study found that it is more important to identify delirium early and treat the underlying causes, as it reduces the patient’s distress more than antipsychotic medication

The Sydney based study also found that ensuring elderly patients had their glasses and hearing aids, as well as making sure that they were sufficiently hydrated and nourished, could potentially prevent or treat delirium.

Findings of the research should be enough to prompt health authorities to rethink the current treatment plans for delirium.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

We asked 9,000 Australians about their mental health needs post-COVID – this is what they want

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken an enormous toll on people’s mental health around the world, and the mood of the Australian population has been badly affected by lockdowns and restrictions on freedoms. Read More

Aiming for 10,000 steps a day? It turns out 7,000 could be enough

Many Australians are walking for their permitted fitness activity during lockdown. Some, emerging from winter hibernation, are taking part in STEPtember — a global initiative to raise money for cerebral palsy services and research. The goal for participants is to reach 10,000 steps each day. But could 7,000 steps be enough to yield substantial health benefits? Read More

The 92 Year Old Doctor Who Rides The Train To Work To Treat Patients and People Suffering With Addiction

A lot has been said over the years regarding the value that is placed on elderly people. Somewhere over the last few decades within western society, the social standing of older people has been relegated from valued and knowledgeable leaders of our households and community to the silent people in the background who must be... Read More
Advertisement