Common dementia drug raises stroke risk – study

 There's a vicious circle here; stroke raises your risk of dementia substantially and taking this drug raise your stroke risk. Don't get caught in this infinite loop.

With your risk of dementia post stroke your doctor and hospital (If competent) needs to have dementia prevention protocols on hand. 

1. A documented 33% dementia chance post-stroke from an Australian study?   May 2012.

2. Then this study came out and seems to have a range from 17-66%. December 2013.`    

3. A 20% chance in this research.   July 2013.

4. Dementia Risk Doubled in Patients Following Stroke September 2018  

Do you prefer your doctor, hospital and board of director's incompetence NOT KNOWING? OR NOT DOING? Your choice; let them be incompetent or demand action!

The latest here:

Common dementia drug raises stroke risk – study

Risperidone raises stroke risk in all patients, research finds, challenging the idea that any group can take the drug without added danger.

The study of more than 165,000 people with dementia found risperidone increased stroke risk even in patients with no prior heart disease or stroke.

Risperidone is a strong antipsychotic often prescribed for severe agitation in dementia, particularly in care homes when non-drug approaches have failed. Antipsychotics are medicines that can calm agitation and distress.

The research, conducted by Brunel University London, challenges assumptions about who might safely use the drug and raises concerns about how risperidone is prescribed and monitored.

Dr Byron Creese of Brunel University London said: “We knew risperidone causes stroke, but we didn’t know whether some groups of people might be more at risk than others.

“We thought if we might identify characteristics that make people more at risk, doctors could avoid prescribing to patients with those characteristics.”

Around half of people living with dementia experience agitation, which can cause intense distress for patients and carers.

When non-drug treatments fail, risperidone is sometimes used as a last option. The findings underline the difficult choices faced by clinicians and families, who must balance potential benefits against elevated stroke risk.

NHS guidelines limit risperidone use to six weeks for severe symptoms, but many patients take it longer, with monitoring standards varying across the country.

There are no UK-licensed alternatives for risperidone in such cases, says Dr Creese, so risks should be clearly explained and carefully weighed.

He said: “These findings give clearer information about who is most at risk, which helps everyone make more informed choices.

“Every decision should be based on what is right for each person, through honest conversations between doctors, patients, and families.”

The team analysed anonymised NHS records from 2004 to 2023, comparing patients prescribed risperidone with matched controls.

In people with a history of stroke, the annual rate per 1,000 person-years was 22.2 on risperidone versus 17.7 without it. In those without prior stroke, rates were 2.9 versus 2.2.

Risk was higher with short-term use of 12 weeks.

Dr Creese said: “We hope that these data can be used in updated guidance that is more person-centred and based on particular patient characteristics.”