A Queen’s University Belfast study has found increased mortality risks for dementia patients taking certain antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications, with BBC health expert Dr Oscar Duke urging people not to panic
A BBC health expert has addressed reports suggesting heightened mortality risks for certain individuals taking antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications. The recent study from Queen’s University Belfast has indicated, according to the lead researcher, that some medications “may not always be appropriate” for those living with dementia.
Medications such as Sertraline, Citalopram and Fluoxetine, which are being prescribed to millions, have been identified and on BBC Morning Live today, Dr Oscar Duke shared his perspective. He clarified that the research was especially concerning for those using diazepam and lorazepam.
Discussing the matter of dementia and the medications identified he said: “This will be worrying because these are common anti-depressant medicines. So lots of people will be who will be watching will be taking these medicines or know somebody who do. Millions of people take them in the in the UK every day. So do not panic is the first thing to say. This is a specific study done in Northern Ireland looking at the impact of medicines on people with dementia.”
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Dr Duke explained that individuals are typically living longer with dementia and as there’s no cure it’s an escalating challenge. It is estimated that nearly 1 million (approximately 982,000) individuals are living with dementia in the UK as of May 2024, reports the Mirror.
He outlined how the research examined medications administered to individuals living with dementia to assist in managing their symptoms. He stated: “The reason this study was important is to try and find out the impact that things we do might have on people’s dementia. So commonly, we might give people who are struggling with their memory and all of the impacts of dementia something to help with their mood.
“You could understand that if you had dementia, it might make you feel more low, anxious, or depressed. And so this study tried to find out the impact of that, those medications that we might prescribe, an anti-depressant or an anti-anxiety tablet on your mortality and whether it affects your life expectancy.
“And they did find some changes. Now, you know, no study’s perfect. So again, not to panic. There was a very small change with the anti-depressants. So, around an 8% increase in mortality over the 10 years that they looked at in that study.”
Consequently, alongside the elevated mortality figures associated with these medications, substantially higher death rates were discovered amongst patients taking diazepam and lorazepam. He continued: “But for the anti-anxiety drugs, and these were drugs like things like diazepam and lorazepam, they’re often quite sedating drugs. So we might use for somebody who’s really anxious, distressed with something like dementia. There was a significant increase in mortality and people using those drugs up to about 26%.
“And we think it’s probably because as dementia is getting worse, you’re maybe more likely to need specifically those more sedating anxiety-type drugs. Of course, if you’re confused, if you’re then a bit more drowsy, you might be going to the loo in the middle of the night. You’re more likely to fall over. You’re then more likely to perhaps have an injury, break a bone, fracture a hip.
“And we know that all of those things have a poor impact on your life expectancy, particularly as you get older. And I suspect that in this study, the more severe your dementia is, the more likely you might be to be prescribed one of those sorts of medicines, particularly the more sedating type. And therefore, that might be why we see this larger increase in mortality as well. So I think not to panic if you’re somebody who’s taking one of these medicines, but worth having a conversation with your health care professional about whether it’s something that you really need and whether you’re really benefiting from it.”
The research from Queen’s University Belfast, conducted by academics within the School of Pharmacy and Centre for Public Health, has demonstrated, according to the principal author, that certain medications “may not always be appropriate” for individuals living with dementia. With dementia linked to advancing years and the segment of the population aged 65 and above growing, cases of the condition are expected to rise correspondingly.
The illness impacts over 55 million individuals across the globe, with roughly 10 million fresh diagnoses recorded annually.
Dr Catherine Sinnamon, principal author of the study and a postgraduate researcher from the School of Pharmacy, emphasised that dementia ranked amongst the foremost causes of mortality worldwide 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 stated. Those living with dementia frequently present with additional health issues, resulting in them being given numerous 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 research team examined patterns in the prescription of drugs used for treating depression and anxiety amongst dementia patients and investigated the connection between these medicines and mortality risk. They analysed data from 28,781 individuals with dementia from Northern Ireland throughout a nine-year monitoring period (2012-2020), with half succumbing during this timeframe.
The research revealed that 59.2% of participants who passed away throughout the monitoring period had been given antidepressants, whilst 44.8% of these participants received anti-anxiety medication prescriptions. Evidence suggested a marginally elevated mortality risk amongst dementia patients prescribed antidepressants and a substantially heightened risk in those given anti-anxiety drugs.
Dr Heather Barry, lead researcher for the study, stated the results “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.
Staff at the Honest Broker Service (HBS) within the Business Services Organisation Northern Ireland (BSO) provided support for the study. Funding for the HBS comes from the BSO and the Department of Health.
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