Risks in Elderly Patients With Dementia

Treatment with atypical antipsychotics recently has been associated with an almost twofold increased mortality rate when used in elderly patients with dementia. Although these medications are not approved for treatment of dementia-related psychosis, such use is common in clinical practice (Herrmann and Lanctot 2005). At present, this appears to be a risk for the entire class. The risk associated with atypical antipsychotics is not statistically different from the risk associated with treatment with conventional antipsychotics (Gill et al. 2005). 

Antipsychotic drugs have profound effects on multiple central nervous system receptors, and these effects are compounded when 

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