Doctors are continuing to prescribe drugs dangerous to seniors in spite of government warnings, a CBC News investigation reveals.
More than two years ago, CBC News first reported that more than a million seniors were prescribed atypical antipsychotics. Atypical antipsychotics are specific kinds of antipsychotic drugs. They are considered by many experts to be ineffective or even dangerous for elderly patients.
Health Canada followed up with warnings pointing to the drugs' side effects — including a 60 per cent greater risk of death in seniors who were taking the drugs than in patients taking placebos — gleaned from 13 scientific studies. It also warned that elderly patients taking atypical antipsychotics were almost twice as likely to die from side effects such as heart failure.
Atypical antipsychotics are drugs such as Risperidone (Risperdal), Quetiapine (Seroquel), Olanzapine (Zyprexa) and Clozapine (Clozaril). Many of these types of drugs have never been tested on seniors. They are intended to treat severe mood disorders, symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in adults under 65.
But a new CBC investigation has revealed that the number of prescriptions of these drugs for seniors actually increased after the Health Canada warnings. They shot up in six provinces, including in Ontario and Quebec. In some cases, they increased by 40 per cent.
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More than two years ago, CBC News first reported that more than a million seniors were prescribed atypical antipsychotics. Atypical antipsychotics are specific kinds of antipsychotic drugs. They are considered by many experts to be ineffective or even dangerous for elderly patients.
Health Canada followed up with warnings pointing to the drugs' side effects — including a 60 per cent greater risk of death in seniors who were taking the drugs than in patients taking placebos — gleaned from 13 scientific studies. It also warned that elderly patients taking atypical antipsychotics were almost twice as likely to die from side effects such as heart failure.
Atypical antipsychotics are drugs such as Risperidone (Risperdal), Quetiapine (Seroquel), Olanzapine (Zyprexa) and Clozapine (Clozaril). Many of these types of drugs have never been tested on seniors. They are intended to treat severe mood disorders, symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in adults under 65.
But a new CBC investigation has revealed that the number of prescriptions of these drugs for seniors actually increased after the Health Canada warnings. They shot up in six provinces, including in Ontario and Quebec. In some cases, they increased by 40 per cent.
Full story
More...