It is becoming less common for nursing homes to administer antipsychotic drugs to residents with dementia. The drugs have been given in many cases to patients unnecessarily. These particular drugs are usually given to suppress violent or physical outbursts and unnecessary shouting
In addition to the drug being administered unnecessarily, the prescriptions for the drugs were often “off-label”, or not yet approved by the FDA. After a campaign to spread awareness for the need to reduce antipsychotic drug administrations, nursing homes started limiting the antipsychotic drugs they provided to patients. Due to awareness campaigns, antipsychotic drugs have been administered at a lower rate reducing the amount of antipsychotic drugs by one fifth since 2011. For more, read the story.
