Abstract
Antipsychotic use appears to increase mortality risk among older adults with dementia. Whether this risk is similar for regular or intermittent use is unknown. This scoping review aims to explore the temporal association between antipsychotic use and mortality risk for older institutionalized adults. We conducted a scoping review using Medline (PubMed), EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane libraries between October 2018 and January 2019. Twenty-eight articles met review criteria. We found that different antipsychotic medications present different safety profiles. The risk of mortality was highest with conventional antipsychotic use and within 40days of antipsychotic initiation. Conventional antipsychotic use increases mortality for older institutionalized adults. The evidence for atypical antipsychotics is less clear. Mortality risk appears highest within 30 to 40days of initiating antipsychotic treatment. This temporal association suggests increased mortality may actually be the result of some previously unrecognized illness, comorbidity, change in health status, or increased frailty, rather than an idiosyncrasy of the antipsychotic itself.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
